I am Melissa Bolen, founder of Excellence Equals Math for College and Career or better known as E=mc . I started E=mc because I am passionate about teaching math to students who lack confidence in mathematics. The lack of confidence can stem from many reasons, but if the students will work the plan that I set for them, they will succeed in my class and learn that they can do math with understanding!
The first class that I developed is similar to the developmental math classes at colleges. In fact, the textbook that I use is designed and intended for college. The big difference is the amount of time the student has to learn the information. Instead of having 15 weeks to learn the information as in college, the student has 38 weeks. This is significant because the concepts.... the foundation of mathematics...are truly learned as a life skill.
My passion is helping students who lack confidence in mathematics and watching them learn that math is NOT hard when you have the proper foundation! To see their joy when they succeed and to watch their confidence grow is how I define success for E=mc2!
As a homeschooling mom, I had lots of doubt concerning my oldest son entering college. Did I prepare him properly? Would he be able to keep up? Would he succeed? I had all of these questions in mind as I designed my courses. I focused on designing a course that will best prepare your student for success in college and career....even the career as a homeschooling mom.
To help your student succeed in college, I am using the same publisher that many colleges and universities in the United States of America use for their mathematics courses. This helps to ensure a smooth transition to college. This is a true advantage!
To help your student succeed in his chosen trade or career, I bring real life math applications into almost every lesson. This is extremely important. What good is knowledge if you can't apply it to real life?
The recent courses that I have taught at the college/university level are the following:
Developmental Mathematics, Math for Liberal Arts, Intermediate College Algebra, College Algebra, Elements of Statistics and Quantitative Methods.
Because of my experience as a homeschool mom and as a university instructor, I know how to prepare homeschool high school students for college success!
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I graduated from Valencia Community College in 1985 with my Associates in Arts Degree. After getting married, I went back to school and graduated from the University of West Florida in 1990 with my Bachelor's Degree in Applied Mathematics. In the fall of 1990, I started as a Graduate Assistant at UWF where I taught College Algebra. In 1991, I started working at Eglin AFB as a mathematical statistician through a joint cooperative program between UWF and Eglin AFB. I graduated in 1992 with a Master of Arts Degree in Applied Mathematics with an area of specialization in Statistical Quality Control. I continued to work at Eglin AFB after I graduated with my M.A. I also began to adjunct at UWF, teaching Elements of Statistics and Quantitative Methods. When I had my first child in 1995, I resigned from Eglin AFB. After my second child was born, I resigned as an Adjunct Instructor from UWF.
I absolutely enjoyed being a stay at home mom and homeschooling my five children for many years. I am the 4-H leader of a homeschool club that is now starting its 18th year. I love investing in our youth as they really are our future!
After my oldest son graduated with his AA degree, we realized that even with the Academic Bright Futures Scholarship, that we could not put him through school debt free with one income. I went back to work as an Adjunct Instructor for the University of West Florida to ensure that Raymond could graduate from UF debt free. This is when I learned how much technology has changed teaching. And I knew that I needed to help homeschoolers get an edge! Thus E=mc2 was founded!
If you are looking for a program to help prepare your student for college...look no further! My oldest son is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at UF and there is still no debt associated with his education! If you want to prepare your student for trade school, look no further as I can help there too! My second, third and fourth sons all attended technical school and each are very successful in their chose careers! I will help prepare your student for a career of their dreams!
In the spring of 2017, I was nominated for the University of West Florida Distinguished Teacher Award for the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering. This nomination is done by the students.
In the spring of 2018, I was the recipient of the the University of West Florida Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award for the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering.
Please follow me on my blog to keep up with my adventures as we apply math to real life!
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