teacher in this program. Christina is a former winner of the Presidential Award
for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Anne Marie O’Reillyis a second-grade teacher in western Massachusetts and a
workshop leader for the Investigations in Number, Data, and Space curriculum.
Starting in the 2008–2009 school year, she is assuming a new role in her school,
half-time math coach and half-time teacher. Anne Marie finds it especially re-
warding to work with a range of learners.
Michelle Perchis a third-grade teacher who has worked in the Clark County
School District in Nevada for the past Eighteen years and has been a professional
developer for more than fourteen years. She has been particularly interested in
differentiating her instruction by working with guided math groups.
Lillian Pinetis a kindergarten teacher in the Boston Public Schools System. She
has taught in both bilingual and sheltered English instruction settings. Lillian is pas-
sionate about educating all of her young learners. Her motto is, “Many children,
many walks of life, but only one love... a passionate desire to teach the multitude.”
Lisa Seyferthis a kindergarten teacher in a suburb of Boston. She has also been
a leader in several professional development projects related to elementary school
math. She enjoys teaching kindergarten because the children are so curious,
energetic, and full of surprises. Lisa is always seeking ways to be more precise and
effective as a teacher.
Heather Straughter taught in an inclusion class in the Boston Public Schools.
She looped with her students, which means that she worked with the same stu-
dents in fourth and fifth grades. Heather is currently raising a family, and she con-
tinues to be passionate about the education of students with special needs.
Ana Vaisensteinis a math teacher and coach in a public elementary school in
Boston, working with classroom teachers to support students who struggle with
mathematics. She is currently participating in the National Science Foundation-
funded Foundations of Algebra Project. Her interest is in exploring the use of
early algebraic ideas to strengthen understanding of the operations among stu-
dents with math difficulties.
Dee Watsonis a fourth-grade teacher in the Boston Public Schools. She is also a
facilitator for the Developing Mathematical Ideas workshops. Dee is passionate
about focusing on talk in her teaching of mathematics because as a child she was
taught mathematics in a rote way, was not allowed to ask questions, and found it
very confusing.
Contributors