ORLANDO, Fla. — A + Teacher Vanessa Avera really wants her students at Southwood Elementary School in Orlando to think.

"Well, I think it's important to make sure that students are becoming critical thinkers, that we're not just a calculator.”

Avera scans her math class looking for students who believe they have the right answers. Students’ hands shoot up in the air as they share their calculations with the classroom.

She puts a lot into preparing the students lessons, too.

"We're always on the go. The students are either in whole group or they're working in small group," Avera adds. "I'm either responding and supporting students within distance learning. I'm always looking for something that's more innovating and able to capture their attention. I'm making sure that they're always practicing these skills at home."

When her students are in school, Avera likes to make sure each student is getting some one-on-one instruction.

"I'm able to see the work up-close," Avera said. "I'm able to correct any errors that they may have or misconceptions. I'm able to model work that they can see easily."

When Avera was a child, she really did not like math.

"I think because I never knew what we were doing or why we were doing it or the significance of why we had to change a fraction," Avera said. "So when I figured out later in college how to do it well and how to be able to present it to students and that it's understandable for them, I feel like I loved it."

For Avera, it is a love for math that she said she really enjoys sharing.

“I just love the fact that, with math, you're always going to find an answer," she said.