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Mimi Rasky is a colorful character. Bright, opinionated, energetic and innovative, Rasky manages to do what millions of students swear is impossible - she makes math fun.
Rasky, professor of mathematics, adds color to what is considered a black-and-white discipline. Class is taught with a variety of colored markers to highlight each step. A tough problem can end up looking like a Jackson Pollack painting. She is multichromatic, but orderly and logical.
"(Rasky) really explains the math," said Cavel Benjamin, a sociology major. "She breaks it down in simplest form so you get it."
Biochemistry major Brenda Rodriguez agreed.
"(Rasky) explains the math techniques with real daily life that makes it easier to understand the problems," she said. "For me she's a very good teacher."
Rasky said teaching math takes some technique. A sense of humor helps, especially when students get frustrated.
"Math is a vertical subject," said Rasky. "It builds upon itself. Today's material is necessary to understand tomorrow's. I like to have fun in class, so I can be goofy at times. I make up words like 'okay folkaroonies'."
Rasky's teaching style is applied to her published work, "Third Semester Calculus: Student Supplement." It can be purchased at the Southwestern College Bookstore but does not replace the required textbook. Instead, it helps students better understand the material with worked out examples and quizzes in a conversational tone. Rasky said she plans to write another book soon.
Teaching was not always part of Rasky's calculations. After graduating from UC Berkeley in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, she worked as an engineer in a private industry.
Rasky decided to return to school in 1993.
"Electrical engineering was not a good fit for me," she said. "(Engineers) spend a lot of time alone working in labs, designing, programming, troubleshooting software and hardware. I'm more of a people person. I like making more of a difference."
Upon graduating in 1996 from SDSU with a master's in mathematics, Rasky taught part time at SWC until becoming a full-time faculty member in 1998. She was presented SWC's Teaching Excellence Award in 2003.
Her most recent community service idea is helping teenagers and young adults with eating disorders. She hopes to help spread the word on topics such as overeating, bulimia, anorexia and body image.
"My hope is maybe to have every school, at least once a month, have a workshop, seminar or speaker come to the school and give a talk and offer some hope and education for people who have these kinds of issues," she said.
Rasky, who once battled an eating disorder, considers food an addiction that should be treated as any other addiction. Having resources available might help students to realize their problem and get help before it is too late.
Her community projects reflect her philosophy of teaching.
"A good student is able to take a concept they just learned and apply it," she explained. "A great student can do that, plus take something they learned yesterday or last month, put it together and apply it to a single problem."
Rasky treats math like it is a living entity, full of nuance and personality. And, of course, color.
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