In a world surrounded by numbers, some people learn to live alongside math while others grow to appreciate its complexity; for Schoocraft Mathematics Professor Andrea Mayes, it was the latter.
She realized that her love for math had been with her longer than she had realized when she found a mathematical wizardry certificate that she received in the fifth grade.
Mayes shared that her favorite aspect of math is its connection to the world around us; her appreciation of how math appears in our daily lives and the beauty in those patterns pushed her to pursue it as a career.
She traces this fascination in math back to her time working as a teachers aid in high school where she regularly taught students in that class. According to her, what made that experience meaningful was watching the students she helped flourish.
Mayes started her journey as an instructor at a girls’ correctional facility called Vista Maria, where she stayed for eight years before transitioning to the Dearborn Center for Math, Science and Technology. It was her time at the Dearborn Center that solidified her decision to pursue college teaching.
Engaging, individualized and respectful, Mayes’ classroom environment is rooted in comfort and collaboration. Through kahoot games and friendly competition, her goal is to create a community among students to create lighter moments in complex math classes.
“I want students to feel seen and supported in my classroom, and I encourage them to ask questions freely. I also give them small, manageable tasks that gradually build confidence so they can see step by step that they really can succeed.” said Mayes.
Mayes explained that she likes to break down complex Calculus problems and focus on showing real life applications to help students absorb the information better as she believes students understand the concepts more when connected to their interests and careers. She sees Math as a skill that can be developed over time and disagrees with the misconception that some students are just “born with it.”
Through her projects, Mayes proves again and again that her mission as a college professor is to make math as approachable and simple as possible.
She recently worked to redevelop the Schoolcraft College Math 113 course which has been seen as successful due to the positive feedback it received from students. In her redevelopment of this course, she designed each unit to connect with different disciplines across campus and created her own videos aligned with the curriculum.
Mayes’ Math 113 redevelopment and her work on HyFlex courses on campus – where students can take the class in person or zoom — shows her dedication towards making mathematics more accessible. She claims these projects to be both rewarding and exciting.
Professor Mayes has been dedicated, throughout her career, towards her goal of making sure that math never becomes a barrier for students who want to pursue careers involving math. The most rewarding part of the job for her is seeing students she advised in mathematics feel confident and empowered.
In the end, Professor Andrea Mayes hopes that through her courses at Schoolcraft College, she helps students realize that they are capable of achieving their goals.
