Among the many new faces in the hall Ann Marie Barber, a new math teacher who is happy to join the department. 

Barber grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and graduated from Taconic Highschool. She continued on to Wheaton College for her Bachelors Degree in math and got her Masters in secondary education at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. 

When asked why she loves to teach, Barber answered, “I had a high school math teacher who just made it so much fun, and I learned so much from him.”

Barber has taught for 17 years now, all previously at Taconic High. She lives in Pittsfield with her husband and two children. Her daughter is in sixth grade, while her son is in fourth, both in the Pittsfield schooling systems.

“Driving up here in the morning is beautiful,” Barber said about her favorite part of Mount Greylock so far. “The atmosphere, I love the students, I love the teachers that I work with. I’ve known them all from Pittsfield because we are all math teachers, and one of them was a former student of mine at Taconic.”

Here at Greylock, Barber is teaching a 7-8th-grade Algebra one, two blocks of 8-10th grade Honors Geometry, and 2 blocks of College Preparatory Geometry.

“I’m pretty laid back, I like the kids to have fun. I don’t want them to be intimidated or nervous. I don’t like to lecture for 44 minutes because that’s not my style,” Barber said about her teaching ways in the classroom. She enjoys joking around and making her classes fun.

Barber’s hobbies outside of teaching include coaching cross country and track and field. She also carts around and coaches her kids. She enjoys spending time with her family and hopes to travel with them more. 

Barber is happy to be here at Greylock, and expresses her passion for her occupation: “I love working with kids…and I just love math.”