Lizette Foley - Department of Mathematics

Lizette Foley
Assistant Professor
Central Campus

Welcome!

Thanks for visiting my webpage here at BCC. If you are interested in joining me for a mathematical adventure, this is a good place to start.

About me
I am a first generation American, born in Boston, Massachusetts. As parents of Cuban immigrants, I speak Spanish. In addition, I also speak French and Italian, although I am a little rusty.

I have lived in Florida for most of my life. After graduating from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, I attended the University of Miami,where I was a member of Kappa

Kappa Gamma and a cheerleader during one of their national championship years (I have the ring to prove it!). I earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, with a minor in Secondary Education. I became a certified teacher and taught at my Alma Mater, St. Thomas, for several years before attending the University of Central Florida where I earned my Master of Arts in Mathematics Education. Since then, I have been a high school math teacher, a middle school computer and math teacher, a network administrator, a web designer, a consultant for an educational company in Puerto Rico, and a marketing optimization specialist for an advertising company in Michigan (way too cold!) among other things.

I've been at BCC for about 6 years, working first as an adjunct and now as a full-time instructor. I like it here, and I hope you do, too!

I am married to my volleyball partner and have two awesome girls, Liliana and Ariel. Liliana is a little over a year old and Ariel is 2 and a half. My husband Brian takes classes here, so don't think that I date my students! :-) They keep me very busy, which, if you take my class, is why I can't get your papers graded by the next meeting. (Well, I could, but they would have crayon all over them.)

My Philosophy
I believe anyone can do math. I believe I can teach anyone who truly puts in the effort to do math and do it well. Everyone has a different learning style. You need to find what yours is and find the best ways to help you learn according to your style.

Math is like hitting a baseball. You can watch hundreds of baseball games and understand how a baseball is hit: bend your knees, step into the pitch, keep your elbows up, keep your eye on the ball, start swinging before the ball crosses the plate, etc. However, unless you actually pick up a bat and practice, you will never be able to hit a baseball, at least not well. You will not be able to do math unless you practice it yourself. You can't learn math just by watching a professor do it on the board. It's all about you, and it's all about homework. My classes all have built in incentives to motivate you to do your homework and learn from your mistakes. It is very difficult to pass my classes without "batting practice."

Math is also like going to the gym. I think most people are like myself and hate going to the gym. I dread it. I can find almost any excuse or any errand to run in order to not go. However, if I make myself go, once I'm there I find it easy to work out. Once I'm done, I actually feel better and more energized even though I was exhausted when I first got there. If I can go about 15 times in a row, then it just becomes a habit, and I go, not because I want to, but because it's part of my routine. If I go long enough, I see results, and then I actually feel like going!

Get yourself to start your homework. Starting is the hard part. Finishing it is easy. For you, that might mean going to the math lab or Starbucks so you don't start cleaning your house, making phone calls, or checking your email. Set a time to do it everyday. Force yourself to do it just for 10 days. After those 10 days it will become a routine. After more time, you'll actually start "getting" the math and your grades will show it. Once you see it's working, you'll actually enjoy the fact that there's a class that you can do the homework for and know right on the spot if you're right or wrong. You'll also love the fact that your conscience is clear of having math on your to-do-list. You may even improve your self-image, because let's face it, people who can do math are smart! :)