The love of math started early for Robbie Fletcher, Ed.D.
Growing up in Martin County, Fletcher – who became Kentucky’s commissioner of education and head of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) on July 1 – said he remembers grocery store trips with his mother when he was about 5 or 6 years old, marveling at how she could calculate their budget so quickly.
“If we went in with $100, she would go to the counter – no paper or pencil; she’d have everything in her mind – and come back with less than a dollar in change,” he said. “She was a brilliant math mind and that amazed me early on.”
Even though his parents’ circumstances did not allow them to attend high school, both parents, Robert and Ellen Faye strongly encouraged Fletcher to attend college.
“It was just no question,” said Fletcher. “I can remember as early as elementary school … (they said) do whatever you want to do, but you’re going to go to college.”
Once the fascination with math started, Fletcher said he started feeling a bit competitive with his mother, aiming to do mental math as quickly as she could at the store. His skills grew over time and Fletcher would go on to participate in his high school’s academic team, which he credits for exposing him to several different opportunities and life experiences.
