Marcia is the solution to your math problems! Or those that your family members in school or college might be facing. She helps simplify math and has developed a unique method of handling individual students’ ways of learning. Read more about the incredible and important work that she does in her AccelerateHER cohort story.
Since you are the face of and sole owner of Math With Marcia, how many days/hours of the week are you working on (or in) your business?
My office hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm and Fridays from 7 am until 3 pm. I work with clients Monday through Thursday by appointment. Since I have clients in different time zones, I may have to adjust my hours and end later than 7 pm. I do not schedule any clients on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays unless it is really crucial. As a startup, I could be working “on my business” anytime of the day or night. However, I always plan to take one day a week away from work and to keep work-life balance I make sure to include and schedule my “me” time and time to recharge, have fun and spend with family and friends.
How did you come up with your business concept?
The concept for Math With Marcia was birthed during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. I decided to combine my love of math and passion for teaching to create Math with Marcia and provide math intervention and coaching services for students and their parents I was concerned about the impact the school closures, disruptions and transition to online learning would have on math education. Math scores were already at their lowest and the disruption was only going to make it worse. Since childhood I loved and excelled in math. I felt a responsibility to do something about the increase in the number of students struggling with math. I mentioned my desire on a business webinar lead by one of my mentors, Susan Sly. When she heard my passion she asked the attendees, “How would you like to do Math With Marcia?” and the concept was conceived.
You have such an incredible and extensive background! Could you tell us how each of these disciplines emerge in your work?
My love for math led me to pursue a degree in Engineering at a time when there were very few woman engineers especially women of color. Being an engineer helped hone my problem solving and critical thinking skills and taught me how to approach and solve math problems including word problems systematically.
I had the responsibility for training over 8000 employees in the NJ Judiciary court information systems. I trained everyone from Supreme Court Justices, Judges, Court Executives, Managers, Probation Officers and Administrative and Clerical staff and learned how to customize the training to their needs. In this role and as an Adjunct Instructor for the NJ Department of Personnel, I designed and developed courses, created lesson plans and manuals, delivered training, got results and received great reviews.
My experience in processes and systems conversions helps me to see the parts of my business that I can streamline and automate. Finally, customer service and customer satisfaction is important to me. I would go out of the way to assist my internal and external clients do my best to treat them as I would want to be treated and give them a good experience.
What keeps you going with Math With Marcia on longer days?
Taking a break to exercise. Going to the gym for a workout gets me out of the house, gets me moving, and gives me an opportunity to socialize. I look forward to water exercise on warm days and being outside in the pool and sun. I like to take time to cook and eat a nutritious meal. I am also a solitaire enthusiast – a global champion in all five games of solitaire. Solitaire helps to keep my brain sharp. Freecell is my favorite solitaire game. There is always a solution no matter how difficult the game seems. I look to solve every game I play and never give up. I rank in the top 50 and highest rank is #4 out of 600k people worldwide.
How did you find your way into tutoring/education?
I have always delighted in sharing knowledge and information with people. I love to see people gain understanding and apply what they learn. Helping people learn understand and apply knowledge, concepts, systems and processes is natural for me.
Throughout my career I held many training positions and conducted workshops and seminars for my church and the community. I was the go-to person in my family anytime anyone needed help with math. When I was in high school, I helped my sister with probability and statistics when she was getting her Master’s in counseling.
I am a certified as a train the trainer and in experiential and high impact learning techniques and teach my students based their learning style.
Throughout my career I held many training positions and conducted workshops and seminars for my church and the community. Whenever I teach, I guarantee my students will learn something new and take away some they could apply immediately. Everyone learns differently. I adapt my teaching to the students learning style and create a fun supportive environment. I show my students how to learn from failures and miscalculations. I believe in my students and help them gain the confidence and belief that they can do it while remaining patient in the process.
What’s your favorite thing about your workspace?
I work from home. My desk is situated so that when I look up, I have a door to the hallway on my left and a window on my right. The window allows me to enjoy natural light and creates a connection to the outdoors, nature and people while I am indoors in my office working. I get enjoyment seeing my neighbors, watching people walking their dogs and meeting the delivery person at the door when a package is arriving. And most of all, when I see the children walking to and from school and the school buses riding pass it inspires me and reminds me of my purpose and why I do what I do.
How do you take time to be creative with your business?
Creativity is instrumental to how I am able to make learning an experience, applicable and fun. When explaining complex information, I find ways to break it down and explain it in a manner that is simple and easy to understand. I apply math to the things we encounter in our environment and everyday life such as buying groceries, ordering food for delivery, and finances. I use examples based on my students interests whether its cars, golf, running, cooking or football. When I have a student that is creative, we use colors, shapes, patterns and diagrams. I designed a “Math on the Ranch” curriculum based on horses and rodeo events for a summer enrichment series for a local library which was a huge success and enjoyed by the students and their parents!
Name a woman, past or present, whom you admire or look up to. Why?
Mary McLeod Bethune. When I was a little girl, I would read the book, “She Wanted to Read”, the story about the life of Mary McLeod Bethune over and over. Mary was born in 1875, her parents and 16 siblings were former slaves. As a child, Mary would accompany her mother to work and was permitted to go to the white children's nursery while her mother did the laundry for their families. One day she picked up a book and as she opened it, one of the white children snatched it from her and told her she didn’t know how to read. At the time few people of color knew how to read or write and Mary decided she was going to learn. Not only did Mary learn to read, she opened one of the first schools for African American girls, founded Bethune-Cookman College for women, set standards for education and was an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mary was an educator and political activist who devoted her life to ensure the right to education free from discrimination for African Americans.
You can follow Math With Marcia on Facebook. If you’d like to contact Marcia, here is her website.