Quinn began his career in education over 15 years ago, inspired by an experience he had in high school calculus. While all of the students were computationally fluent, many lacked the ability to engage in any authentic discourse about what they were doing, to create meaningful mathematical models, or to relate what they memorized to other mathematical concepts. Many of them learned that calculus is just a bunch of procedures and formulas. Reflecting on this experience as a senior in high school led Quinn to believe he wanted to teach calculus. His goal was to provide students with an education that allowed them to authentically explore and engage with mathematics.In college and shortly after, Quinn worked with two mathematics education programs that shaped his approach to teaching: the Bridge to Calculus (BtC) program, which indirectly led him to a dedication to middle-school mathematics, and the Young People’s Project (YPP), which inspired his passion for and expertise in near-peer mentoring and experiential learning.

Over the past five years, Quinn Soto has taught middle school math in Boston Public Schools. Through this time, Quinn has challenged his students to a high standard of learning through a philosophy of independent, student-led thinking. This philosophy has fostered such a deep love of learning that students have been voluntarily participating in an after-school math program during the school year.