Dr. Kelly Penny has been an OCPS teacher for 20 years. She teaches seventh grade mathematics and Algebra at Avalon Middle School. Dr. Penny earned her master’s degree in Middle School Mathematics and Science Education and her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction in K-8 Mathematics from the University of Central Florida, writing her dissertation on: A Critical Discursive Analysis of the Effects of Confidence Chats on the Positioning of Students with Disabilities During Mathematics Discourse. Beyond the classroom, she has presented regionally at the Florida Council of Mathematics Teachers Conference in Orlando, FL and nationally at the National Council of Mathematics Teachers Conference in Washington, DC and the Southern Educational Regional Board Conference in Nashville, TN and Orlando, FL. Some of her accomplishments include being named the 2016 Avalon Middle School Teacher of the Year, a 2018 OCPS Hero Teacher, and a 2020 OCPS Distance Learning Hero.