Meredith Watts
Meredith Watts, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at MassBay Community College, loved teaching math from the time she was a math major in college herself and tutored fellow students who struggled to understand math. Meredith believes no one should be held back in their education or career just because they don’t do well in math class.
At MassBay, she teaches classes ranging from Developmental Math, which bring students up to speed to college level, to Calculus III. She enjoys working with students who already understand math, but her investment and focus is on students who grapple with and dislike math as she helps them overcome their fears and anxiety to make math fun.
She explains to students how math is relevant in their current lives and how it relates to their futures. She convinces students to believe in themselves, understand math, and help them feel as if they can do anything. For students in the STEM Starter Academy (a summer program for students anticipating working in STEM), a two-week algebra class taught by Meredith can prepare them for the calculus class they’ll need with her interactive, project- and inquiry-based methods, which help hone their skills.
They can then retake the placement test to possibly move up a level and avoid having to take extra semesters of math. Meredith thinks the community at MassBay is special and fun, especially the Wellesley campus. She is involved in projects outside of teaching such as running faculty meetings and participating in student events.