Article Options
Teaching Resources

Meet Our MATH Advisors

Our teacher advisors come from all over the country and share a passion for math education. We're thrilled to have them on board!

Bootsie Battle-Holt, NBCT · Marina del Rey Middle School · Los Angeles, CA
7th and 8th Grade Math Teacher, IB and GATE Coordinator, Department Chair

Bootsie Battle-Holt is a board certified teacher and Los Angeles Teacher of the Year. She is active in curriculum development and discussions about local, state, and federal education policy. Some of Bootsie’s accomplishments include authoring curriculum, serving on the board of a national nonprofit, and meeting with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office during the drafting of ESSA. Bootsie is also fiercely proud of her own two teenagers, as well as of the teens that she nurtures in class each day.

Vincenzo La Ruina · Gardiner Manor Elementary School · Bay Shore, NY
5th Grade Teacher

Vincenzo La Ruina teaches fifth grade in Bay Shore, New York, as well as online classes through the Creative Teacher Education Institute and SCOPE Education Services. He has earned a variety of awards and grants, including one from Nike and the National Italian-American Foundation, for projects involving animation, photography, writing, 3-D printing, rockets, and Italian language. Vincenzo has had the opportunity to visit schools in Tokyo and Hiroshima as part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. His goal for the 2019-2020 school year is to create the world’s best Instagram for the fifth grade. When not teaching, Vincenzo loves to roller skate to Jones Beach (Long Island, NY), hang out at the Strand (world's best bookstore in NYC), hike the Catskills, and cook with a cast-iron pan.

Laura Hawley · Harding Academy · Memphis, TN
Middle and High School Math Teacher

Laura Hawley has been teaching math for 15 years at both the middle and high school levels. She has loved using Scholastic MATH in her classroom for more than 13 years because of the fun and new ways the magazine applies the content standards. When not finding new ways to engage and excite her students about math, Laura enjoys reading all kinds of books, playing tennis, and being with her family.

Ada Tsui · Middlefield Collegiate Institute · Markham, Ontario
High School Math Teacher, Department Head of Mathematics

Ada Tsui has taught grades 9-12 mathematics for more than 15 years with the York Region District School Board. She is interested in collaborative inquiry-based learning with the use of innovative teaching practices and technology. Ada is passionate about building a mathematics community by planning and hosting the Regional Mathematics Olympic, and by sharing effective teaching practices with her colleagues. Ada also enjoys photography, playing the piano, and traveling with her family.

Sue Green · Holmes Jr. High · Cedar Falls, Iowa
Retired 7th Grade Math Teacher

Sue Green is an emeritus advisor, having used Scholastic MATH when she taught at Clinton High in the 1980s and 1990s and for 19 years while teaching seventh-grade math in Cedar Falls. She LOVED teaching with the magazines, and when she runs into former students, they often tell her that their favorite part of her math class was using Scholastic MATH. Now that Sue has retired, she has more time to bike. In the summer of 2019, she is biked the western half of Route 66.

Camille Dickey · Central Middle School · Evergreen Park, IL
7th Grade Math Teacher

Camille Dickey has been teaching middle school math for 23 years. Teaching is a lifelong passion of hers. She wants her students to see that math is everywhere by providing them with as many real-world connections as possible. She also wants to help them see that they can enjoy and succeed in math. Her interests include her dogs, baking, crocheting, and bicycling. 

Katheryn Beaver · Beaver Local Schools · East Liverpool, OH
6th Grade Math and Science Teacher

Katheryn Beaver is a 20-plus year veteran teacher of sixth-grade math and science, and more recently, an Eastern Gateway Community College professor, a volunteer firefighter, and a BLEA union president. Her love for math and science is evident in challenging her students to discover how these areas are related to the real world in every facet of their lives. Katheryn’s hobbies include camping, spending time with family, racing cars, doing projects at home, electronics, gardening, watching baseball and football, being a movie connoisseur, donating time for local benefits, and visiting lighthouses and beaches.

Erica Wattson · Highlands Elementary School · Edina, MN
Advanced Academic Math Teacher, Math Olympiads Coach

Erica Wattson has taught students across a wide range of ages (K-9) for the past 26 years. She uses Scholastic MATH with her gifted students in grades three through five. Recently, she ran in her first half marathon and since then has run two more races. She also enjoys photography and fell in love with the challenge of taking photos and capturing the right image after trips to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Niurka Coy · Monmouth County Vocational School District - Shared Time · Freehold, NJ
CTE Math Teacher

Niurka Coy has been teaching for more than a decade. She received her B.S. from Manhattan College and her M.S. from Stanford University, both in computer science. Since her career change to teaching, Niurka has been fortunate to have taught math to students from pre-K through high school. She has also taught computers and Spanish. In her spare time, Niurka enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Shatisha Hibbler · Bailey Middle School · Cornelius, NC
7th Grade Math Teacher

Shatisha Hibbler is a seventh-grade math teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina. She received the Award Teacher of Excellence from CharMeck in 2017-2018 and continues to set the example for classroom leadership. Shatisha leads by teaching the content standards through making connections to real-world situations. She is originally from Michigan, where she earned her bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University. Shatisha continues to further her education at Concordia University, Portland, and is currently earning her doctoral degree in higher education.

Emily Bricker · Brookpark Middle School · Grove City, OH
7th and 8th Grade Math Teacher

Emily Bricker has been teaching middle school mathematics since 2008. She is currently serving as the district’s mathematics department leader and is an active member of the district curriculum planning committee. In addition to her role in the math department, she organizes her school's field trip to Washington, D.C., each spring and advises an after-school running club in the fall. She is also piloting a new elective course at her school for coding and app design. Outside of school, she enjoys traveling, reading, and cooking, and has a never-ending thirst for learning!

Walter W. Nixon II · Godinez Fundamental High School · Santa Ana, CA
Math Teacher, Education Specialist - Mild/Moderate Disabilities, Case Manager

Walter Nixon is a father, husband, naturalist, and educator. Teaching and learning are his passions! He has been a reading interventionist, math literacy coach, special education teacher, and mentor in Santa Ana Unified School District for more than 15 years. Walter focuses on developing and implementing lessons across all subjects, with an emphasis on social-emotional learning. His goal is to continue to work closely with students and adults in need of emotional literacy, guidance, and support to become effective collaborators who achieve desired student outcomes!

Brittney Zimmerman · Rotolo Middle School · Batavia, IL
7th Grade Math Teacher

Brittney Zimmerman has taught seventh-grade math at Rotolo Middle School for 13 years. She has also taught social studies and science, but math has always been her passion! Besides working with her students, writing curriculum is her favorite part of her job. When she is not at school, she stays busy with her two young boys. 

Jean Merriam · MWCC AET Program · Gardner, MA
7th-12th Grade AET Mathematics Instructor

After a career teaching grades 7-12 ELA and math, Jean Merriam switched to educating those for whom schools were not successful. For 11 years she taught math, reading, writing, social studies, and science to students pursuing their high school equivalency credentials. Since January 2021, Jean has focused solely on instructing those students most in need of skill building, support, strategies, and success in the critical subject of math. Outside the classroom, Jean loves spending time with family and friends; enjoying riddles, board games, music, and movies; coaching for Special Olympics; and welcoming each day as an exciting opportunity with new things to learn and experience. 

Jamie McLaughlin · Chavez Multicultural Academic Center · Chicago, IL
5th Grade Math Teacher

Jaime McLaughlin has been an elementary teacher in Chicago public schools for 12 years. He is currently a fifth-grade math and science teacher at Chavez Multicultural Academic Center. Before becoming a teacher, he worked as a tax consultant for Andersen for 12 years. His financial services background has helped him bring a wider math perspective to the classroom by incorporating the Stock Market Game, Money Fair, and Architects in the Classroom, in which his classes have won numerous citywide competitions.  

Jose Antonio Olmedo Jr. · Tanglewood Middle School · Houston, TX
7th Grade Math Teacher

Jose Olmedo has been a teacher for almost 10 years. He has also had the experience in working with young people through youth programs outside of school. Jose enjoys creating lessons for his students that are engaging and fun! Scholastic MATH has played a part in that happening in his classroom. Besides helping kids to discover the fun and beauty about math, he enjoys being outdoors and staying active. Jose also enjoys all kinds of sports and knowing about sports helps him relate to his students!

Rachael King · Welsh Valley Middle School · Narbeth, PA
8th Grade Math Teacher

Rachael King has taught math at both the elementary and middle school levels as a classroom teacher, a special education teacher, an English as a Second Language Teacher, and a K-6 math specialist.  Through her experiences, Rachael is skilled at developing inclusive plans to meet students’ diverse needs and creating supporting and engaging learning environments for all.  Scholastic MATH helps her do just that!  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, biking, skiing, and reading.

Sue Sullivan · Perkins School for the Blind · Watertown MA
Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Math

Sue Sullivan has had a lifelong love of mathematics and a passion for teaching. She is starting her 5th year teaching math and computer science at Perkins School for the Blind. Sue helps students overcome hurdles and unlock their full potential by making STEM subjects, like math and computer science, accessible and fun. She meets students where they are and gives them the support they need to succeed. In doing so, she opens up a whole new world to her students. In addition to teaching Sue is dedicated to making materials accessible to students with visual impairments. Outside of school, she enjoys long walks, reading, and doing absolutely anything with her four kids and husband.

Text-to-Speech