Amanda discovered her passion for teaching while playing school with her cousins as a child. She pursued this passion in Danbury, Connecticut, where she spent twelve years as a high school mathematics teacher and recently assumed a new role as a middle school STEM coach. She has worked on state and local curriculum initiatives, is a board member of her state NCTM affiliate, and has participated in many grants such as the Better Math Teaching Network, and is pursuing a PhD in Instructional Leadership. Amanda’s personal goal is to help students understand, appreciate, and make connections throughout mathematics in the most engaging ways possible. Some of her favorite hobbies are skiing in the winter and fishing in the summer, and she loves anything to do with llamas.