When she’s not grading homework, short, blonde and bubbly Spanish teacher Amanda Edwards can be found restoring old cars. 

“People seem really surprised and ask me how I learned,” Edwards said.

Edwards started her hobby in college, when she worked for a truck factory. Then her father taught her the rest.

“When I was in college I learned how to repair and restore the bodies when I worked for a Peterbilt truck factory. My dad taught me everything else,” Edwards said.

Each project can cost anywhere from two-thousand to three-thousand dollars.

With all the work that comes with being a teacher, it can be hard to find time to dedicate to hobbies, like restoring old cars.

“I usually only help with one or two projects a year, mostly in the summer when I’m out of school,” Edwards said. “If we work on it daily and have all the parts available then it only takes about a month. This rarely happens though.”

As with any project, there are parts that aren’t always so glamorous and some parts that she just doesn’t like to do.

“I don’t do the engine work though, I hate that,” Edwards said.

She plans to continue her hobby as soon as she has the time, but this time, she’ll include her husband.

“My husband has a 67 Mustang that he drove in college that we are going to fix up next,” Edwards said.

When the cars are all fixed up and ready to roll, Edwards sells them, but sometimes, things go wrong and sometimes when a car gets repaired, it doesn’t always stay fixed.

“My dad and I restored a 1967 Chevelle SS for my brother. It was a serious hot rod. My brother wrecked it shortly after we gave it to him,” Edwards said.