“It’s not rocket science!” Mr. Yanniotis might exclaim as he once again tries to explain factoring to his Algebra students. For Andreas Yanniotis, however, it was rocket science when he studied aeronautical engineering. Mr. Yanniotis is currently a math teacher here at the school who teaches Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Collegiate Math. He’s had an extensive history with both math and engineering, which are the two subjects about which he is truly passionate.

Yanniotis graduated from Livingston High School in 1988, and then went on to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1992, he received a Bachelor’s in Aeronautical Engineering, and four years later, he was awarded his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. His first job was in East Hanover, where he worked as a Production Engineer in an injection molding factory. He spent much of his time training other workers and teaching them about equipment. He was employed there for a year before moving on to M&M Mars, where he also worked as a training and quality manager. He worked there for nine years.

Yanniotis received a teaching certificate three years ago, since he was not required to get a teaching degree because of his Master’s degree. His first teaching job was at Manhattan College in 2011, where he taught as an engineering professor. He later switched his subject to math when he taught at Essex Community College. After teaching at Roselle Middle School, he decided to move on to Tenafly High School in 2016. This is his second year at the school, so he is still fairly new. He says he loves teaching here, as, “the kids make it fun.” As of now, he is not planning on returning to his former career. “Sometimes, I miss the job. But I really love what I’m doing now.”

The reason he decided to change his line of work is because he believes that being a math teacher is the perfect middle for him. He says, “My career as a training manager was actually teaching, so that gave me the foundation for the love of teaching, as being an engineer created my passion for math. Those two passions helped me figure out that the best way to use both of those was to teach math.” Now, he loves his job as a teacher and is only planning on retiring in twenty years, when he reaches the age of 67.

Mr. Yanniotis may not have known it when he graduated Livingston, but he was destined to be a math teacher all along.