SLCC student Spencer Zimmerman sharpens his skills at the Math Success Center.
When math gets in the way of your goals you force
yourself to understand it, but then something cool happens – you start to
actually like math. At least that’s what has been happening with Spencer
Zimmerman, who hopes someday to be an architect.
Until recently finding refuge at Salt Lake Community
College’s Math Success Center, mathematics had been an academic nemesis for
Zimmerman, 26, who since high school has struggled with numbers and equations.
“They claimed I wasn’t trying hard enough,” he recalls. “They didn’t realize I
needed extra help.”
For student Don Touti he discovered he was “rusty” at math.
Touti, 20, is working to become a police detective someday. He took Math 980
this past semester and found he was shaky with algebra and worse with geometry.
“When I used to come to class, it was annoying because I wasn’t learning
anything,” Touti says. “When you’re not learning anything, you start to get
upset.”
SLCC Don Touti receives instruction from math instructor Rachel Marcial.
Both students were referred by their instructors to the Math
Success Center. Located in the basement of the Markosian Library at the
Taylorsville Redwood Campus, the Math Success Center is a large room loaded
with computers, white boards and patient tutors. There, students meet with
instructors like Rachel Marcial, who has taught math at SLCC for the past three
years.
There is something about the center that holds a special
place in the heart of Marcial. “I really like it when students get that ‘a-ha’
moment,” she says.
Marcial sees the process of understanding math as a way to build
a student’s confidence. “Some students need a refresher, they knew it and they
forgot,” she says. “Some students never got it, and they just kept getting
pushed on and the gap got bigger and bigger.” Regardless of the issue, the Math
Success Center provides students with the extra help they need for getting
their skills in line with their future goals. For example, Marcial has seen
nursing students seriously consider changing their career trajectories because
of the difficulties in mastering math but instead decided to stay the course
after working with the center.
Marcial also aims to make students comfortable in asking
questions. “Some are quiet because they’re scared of looking dumb. So, I tell
them, if you ask me a question, chances are five other people have the same
question – so, you’re going to be their savior for asking.”
For Touti, asking questions hasn’t been as much about how it
might look as it has been about timing. “In class, it was moving too fast,” he
says. “I didn’t have enough time to ask the teacher questions.” Math Success,
he notes, is on his pace, helpful and, notably, free.
Zimmerman was, in fact, that student who was afraid to speak
up. In the past, even the simplest equation looked a bit like a foreign
language. He needed time and help breaking down basic math problems. Math
Success, which he started in October, has since yielded many dividends for
Zimmerman. “I actually understand multiplication and division, and those are
two things I thought I’d never understand,” he says. “That feels great.” And
even though courses like calculus loom in his future, he is imbued with a new
sense of confidence. “I know it’s something I can accomplish. The resource
center will be helpful. I’m very lucky to have that.”
