PHOENIX — The holidays came early for one Arizona teacher who was honored with KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Tribute to a Teacher Award this month.

Barbie Firkus, an English as a second language teacher at Palo Verde Middle School in Phoenix, was awarded $1,000 for the honor from Mac & Gaydos.

When asked what she will do with the money, Firkus took some suggestions from her students, which included purchasing chicken nachos and M&Ms, and said she would use it to pay off the credit cards that she uses to purchase items for her classroom.

If you would like to nominate a teacher to win the monthly award, click here.