Amanda Batty has worked at Waterford High School for 24 years. She taught biology, chemistry, environmental science, forensic science, and anatomy and physiology during her 24 years of teaching at Waterford High.
Mrs. Batty grew up in Ellington, Connecticut. She loved the sciences, even in her early childhood. In high school, she had a chemistry teacher named Judy Puttnam, who she keeps in touch with to this day. Puttnam showed Batty how fun chemistry could be and gave her the confidence to study science in college.
Mrs. Batty attended the main UCONN campus in Storrs for her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the sciences. She also studied at Sacred Heart University for her six-year degree in Educational Leadership. She has six certifications in biology, chemistry, general sciences, and educational leadership.
In the second semester of her sophomore year at UCONN, she was failing calculus and went to see her advisor for help. The advisor steered her onto the path of education, something she had never considered before. She tried out some exploratory classes and realized that she loved teaching and that she should have been studying education all along. Mrs. Batty says, “Sometimes, your failures are what show you the next direction to go in.”
Part of the Neag program, an education program at UCONN, is to have the students go to teach different grades to see which grade they would like to teach. Mrs. Batty always loved more advanced sciences like chemistry and biology, so she chose to work with high school students. She and Judy Puttnam bonded over their love of the advanced sciences, and Mrs. Batty hoped to make that same kind of connection bond with one of her students.
When she was graduating from UCONN, there was a career fair to introduce the students to different schools. During this fair, Batty would meet Mrs. Becky Amanti, who was the vice principal of Waterford High at the time. Mrs. Batty said she took a liking to Amanti and found herself drawn to the principles of Waterford High School. This became the first and only teaching job she has ever had.
When Batty started working here at Waterford High, she was only 21 years old. She thought the staff was welcoming, and became a part of Lancer Nation. She had looked at the teachers who had been at WHS a long time and thought they were crazy for staying in one place for so long. Now, she is that “crazy” teacher. She has stayed so long because she feels like she belongs, both in Lancer Nation and the Waterford community.
At the end of the 2021-2022 year, all vice principal positions were open for applications–and Mrs. Batty took a chance. She said it felt like the “right time” and that everything aligned for her to step into the role. At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, she became vice principal to the ninth and twelfth graders. She said, “I was ready for a new challenge.”
Mrs. Batty lives in Groton, but loves the beach at Harkness Memorial State Park. She knew a little about Waterford because she and friends would visit Waterford for vacation in college and go to the beach. She loves Waterford’s dynamic and diversity as well. She also loves the Quaker Hill area and says that it is “a cute little town.”
Batty loves to work out, whether it be by walking, hiking, or running.
She also loves spending time with her family and friends and her dog. She is an avid reader and loves to travel with her husband, a karate teacher, and daughter, Fitch Junior Karli Batty, when she can.
Recently, Batty participated in the shadowing program. She went to Great Neck Elementary School during her student’s internship, ate in the cafeteria, and fully immersed herself into everyday student life. She said she felt very “overstimulated” as she ate in the cafeteria. Mrs. Batty says she now has a better understanding of students and how hard their lives can be.
Mrs. Batty is also the administrator that is in charge of the planning committee for advisory events. Mr. Silvestri, English teacher and another member of the planning committee, says that Mrs. Batty is supportive and helps the committee get permission to do things that push boundaries. “She is willing to stick her neck out there and take some risks.”
Mrs. Batty says her best piece of advice for Waterford students is, “You are here to make mistakes, you are here to learn from those mistakes, and try different things and take those risks.”
