Montana Council of Teachers

of Mathematics

2024 MCTM Board of Directors - Elections 

Candidate Information

Corinne Thatcher Day

REGION: IV

SCHOOL: Plenty Coups High School

CITY: Pryor

CURRENT TEACHING ASSIGNMENT: Math Teacher for Grades 7-12

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: B.A. Latin-American Studies, PSU; M.S. Mathematics, MSU (Bozeman); Ed.D C&I, MSU (Bozeman)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE: I have taught every age group from first grade through adults in one capacity or another, either as a full-time teacher, resource teacher, tribal college instructor, or university professor. I served as Assistant Professor of Math Instruction at MSUB from 2016-2022 before taking on the vacant math position at Pryor Public Schools, where they hadn't been able to find a local 7-12 math teacher for three years and had been relying on remote instruction. I am now in my second year at Pryor and love working with the students here.

ACTIVITIES IN MCTM: Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to attend an MCTM event aside from the annual sessions at MFPE but I look forward to getting more involved.

WHAT POSITIVE TRAITS WILL YOU BRING TO THE BOARD? 

I have a diverse background, including working in the non-profit sector, with experience in a variety of public-service projects and campaigns. I am passionate about making math instruction more vibrant and relatable for students so that we can increase math literacy in our nation, which I believe is a major social justice issue as our world is increasingly run by Big Data.

WHAT ROLE SHOULD MCTM TAKE IN MONTANA MATHEMATICS? 

Montana desperately needs more math teachers; as of this writing, there are 34 open middle-school and high-school positions, mostly in rural districts. How can we inspire more STEM-inclined students to consider a career in math education? And how can we work with the state to make rural teaching positions more attractive? These are questions I think that MCTM can and must tackle.

Ross Gustafson

REGION: III

SCHOOL: Capital High School

CITY: Helena

CURRENT TEACHING ASSIGNMENT: Algebra 1 & Geometry

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: BA - Carroll Collge  Masters - Curriculum & Instruction - University of Montana

TEACHING EXPERIENCE: 12 years

ACTIVITIES IN MCTM: Ready to join in!

WHAT POSITIVE TRAITS WILL YOU BRING TO THE BOARD? 

Enthusiasm, Willingness to work with a team.

WHAT ROLE SHOULD MCTM TAKE IN MONTANA MATHEMATICS? 

MCTM can be a leader in Montana mathematics, helping all math teachers improve their craft through professional development, and thus improving math education for all students.

Sandy Squillace

REGION: I

SCHOOL: Target Range School

CITY: Missoula

CURRENT TEACHING ASSIGNMENT: 3rd Grade / Math Intervention

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: B.S in Business Administration from University of South Dakota, M. Ed. From Marymount University

TEACHING EXPERIENCE: I have taught for 21 years, from grades Kindergarten through 8th grade.  I currently teach at Target Range School in Missoula, Montana.  I am a part-time 3rd-grade and part-time math intervention for K-5.

ACTIVITIES IN MCTM: On the committee to plan the MCubed Conference, served as an editor for the Math Counts contest tests, and helped to put out the monthly newsletters throughout the year

WHAT POSITIVE TRAITS WILL YOU BRING TO THE BOARD? 

I believe as the only elementary teacher on the board, I try to represent elementary teachers and support them through resources in the newsletters and MCTM website.  In addition, I advocate for speakers and sessions at conferences that would directly help elementary teachers. 

WHAT ROLE SHOULD MCTM TAKE IN MONTANA MATHEMATICS? 

I feel that MCTM is a great support for all teachers of mathematics in the state as a great resource through the MCubed Conference, Math Contest, and sessions provided during the MFPE Conference in October. 

MCTM Newsletter - January 2024