Duane Habecker was a self-professed band geek in high school who genuinely thought he was going to be a rock star. Alas, after a record deal gone bad and several ill-fated tours it was clear that a career as a teacher was his real calling. Duane graduated from Cal State University, Hayward, with a B.S. in mathematics and an M.S. in Education from Walden University. Since 1989, Duane has taught mathematics in Oakland, Hayward, and Pleasanton public schools and also teaches mathematics and teacher education courses at the University of Phoenix. Currently Duane is a K-5 mathematics instructional coach in the Pleasanton Unified School District where he specializes in writing Common Core aligned curriculum for elementary students. He was a national GTE Growth Initiatives For Teachers award winner in 1996. Duane was a contributing author for the Middle-school Mathematics Through Applications Project at the Institute for Learning. He was also a contributing author for America’s Choice Ramp-Up Mathematics. In his free time Duane can often be found playing guitar with his students, still dreaming of becoming a rock star.