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Becky Tapley

STEM Education Specialist & Coach

MMSA Title:STEM Education Specialist – Mathematics
Hometown: currently: Penobscot, Maine; childhood: Salt Lake City, Utah
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Education: Undergrad: Lake Forest College, Psychology and chemistry; Graduate: University of Maine Orono; Master of Arts in Teaching
MMSA Title: STEM Education Specialist – Mathematics
Contact Info:
  • (207) 626 3230 x127
  • btapley@mmsa.org

Projects:

  • Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM (ACRES), Numeracy in Nature, WeatherBlur, Math Consulting
About Me:
Something you’re proud of at MMSA: I’m proud of the consistent focus on creating high-quality STEM programs, while also increasing access and equity for STEM learning.
What is your teaching/learning philosophy:Learning is a life-long process. Learning should be active, engaging, and student-centered.
STEM passion area: I love mathematics! Math is full of beauty and is a creative subject that can be full of discovery by the learners. Thankfully, there has been a shift to make math an area where learners of all ages can make sense of numbers and relationships between quantities.
What do you like most about your role at MMSA: I love working with incredible educators and dedicated MMSA staff members. Anytime I have the joy of working with educators in Maine and around the country, I walk away inspired by their insight and passion for their students. The MMSA staff members are also committed to providing fabulous opportunities for educators and work together to make this happen.
Favorite STEM-related memory: It’s the second period of the day and it’s my 7th grade math class. My students are standing up, writing on the white boards on the walls. They are clumped together in small groups and there is quite a lot of conversation. These students are actively problem-solving. Every student is trying to find a solution to the math task using approaches that makes sense to them. They were working together, using real-world connections, and have totally lost track of time. This is real math learning.
What did you do before you worked at MMSA: I worked for 18 years in public schools in Maine, most recently at the Brooklin School. I taught grades 3-8 mathematics.

What do you like to do in your free time: Spend time with my wife, family, and friends; listen to a podcast; take a run or walk outside.

What memory from your childhood would you like to share that exemplifies why you do the STEM education related work that you do:I recall an incredible project in about 5th grade where we were keeping track of some sort of trek being done in the Arctic. I’m not sure how we were communicating with these people, as this was the 80s. But, there was true excitement on this real-world connection. The teacher was tying in all of the disciplines of STEM as well as literacy. This was the gifted-talented program, and it was such a stark contrast to the rest of my day that included plenty of workbooks. I now see the magic that was happening in that classroom and strongly believe that it should be the case across the curriculum, for all students.

My Biography

Becky is a STEM Education Mathematics Specialist at the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance. Becky graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Lake Forest College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Maine. She holds a K-8 teaching certification and a grades 5-8 mathematics endorsement. Prior to joining MMSA, she taught internationally at the Antwerp International School, and returned to teach in Maine at the Scarborough Middle School and the Brooklin School. During her 18 years of teaching, she developed her passion for teaching mathematics and collaborating with other teachers to support students’ intellectual and emotional growth. Becky had the honor of being the 2016 Hancock County Teacher of the Year and 2017 Maine Teacher of the Year Finalist. In her spare time, Becky enjoys playing piano, taking walks, reading, and listening to great podcasts.

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Project Funders

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. DRL 17131341 and DRL 2115229, as well as the Noyce Foundation, the STEM Next Opportunity Fund, and the Davis Family Foundation.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders listed above.

stem next opportunity fund
noyce-foundation logo

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    Terms of Use

    Except where otherwise noted, ACRES modules and resources are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    This means, you are free to share and adapt the ACRES resources, under the following terms:

    • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

    • NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

    • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

    ACRES is a project of:

    Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance
    343 Water Street, Augusta, ME 04330

    This material is based upon work supported by the Noyce Foundation, STEM Next, the Davis Family Foundation, and the National Science Foundation under Grants No. DRL 17131341 and DRL 2115229. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders listed above.
    noyce-foundation logo
    stem next opportunity fund