“What do you want to be when you’re older?” is one of the many questions students get asked as they grow up. Whether you want to be a doctor, nurse, teacher, mechanic, or pro-NBA player, these answers often change as one matures. FCHS teacher Amanda Fisher thought she had her future all figured out, but her life changed during the whirlwind of quarantine.
“I never wanted to become a teacher,” said Fisher, who noted that she majored in creative writing at George Mason University. A native of Fairfax, Virginia, Fisher began substituting at FCHS during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and kept it up for five years, including long-term sub positions in World Language, French I-III, and Creative Writing.
“My kids were in school, and the schedules lined up perfectly,” she said. After that, she was asked mid-semester to take over a French class. “Teaching French I-III sold my commitment to stay consistently in one classroom. The more I spent in a classroom, the more I engaged and made long-term connections with my students,” said Fisher.
Fisher always loved math, even minoring in it in college, so she went back to school and got her full degree in math in 2023 in hopes of growing her new teaching career. She was hired full-time for the 2025 school year and now has her own classroom teaching Algebra II.
“These kids are amazing, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year,” she said.
Some of her students say her class is lively, captivating and fun. “I think Mrs. Fisher is an amazing teacher. She’s super nice and energetic, and all around a fun teacher to be around. One of the best,” said Evan O’Brien. Braylon Stukins said, “She’d go to any length to help a student learn.”
Fisher recently traveled to Brazil for her oldest son’s karate competition. “Brazil was beautiful. I even learned some Portuguese when I was out there,” she said. A multi-lingual person, she knows or speaks Portuguese, French, Chinese, and English. She also has two other kids, Isabelle, age 11, and Benjamin, age 8. She enjoys reading, writing, and practicing karate as a black belt at L M Karate Academy in Palmyra during her free time.
After five years of substituting, Fisher appreciates having a permanent position she loves.
“Teaching and seeing students find their passions is super rewarding,” she said. “My classroom is in hallway 3600, the best hallway of the school, with the nicest and coolest teachers,” she added.
