April 6, 2026 When it comes to the subject of math, many people think you’re either math minded or you’re not. A common misconception is that some people simply aren’t “good at math.” At Grand Rapids Community College, Mathematics department head, Monica Bliss, leads faculty in applying a growth mindset approach to challenge that belief. “Students often come in with a fixed mindset. They think their intelligence is fixed,” Bliss said. “But people with a growth mindset believe their intelligence can grow and change. When they make a mistake, they’re not worried about being judged. They’re more concerned with how they’re going to learn from it.” That philosophy drives instruction in many of GRCC’s math classrooms. Faculty emphasize effort as the key to improvement and frame setbacks as part of the learning process. Instead of avoiding mistakes, students are encouraged to work through them and find new paths forward. A Teacher Can Make the Difference For many students, their perception of math is shaped by past classroom experiences. Teachers who believe all students can succeed tend to make math feel more accessible. Those who don’t can leave lasting doubt. Instructor Jodi Dawson, who has taught at GRCC for almost 20 years, said her approach begins with recognizing each student’s potential. “Teaching is about recognizing every student has value,” Dawson said. “I go into every class wanting to help every student be successful.” She said creating a supportive classroom environment is essential. Students need to feel at ease stepping outside their comfort zones and making mistakes. “I believe anybody can learn math. I don’t believe they have to love math,” Dawson said. “I work to establish a trusting relationship where students feel safe to get things wrong and ask questions. I don’t want them to just accept something because the teacher said so.” For Dawson, building that sense of safety allows students to see mistakes not as failures, but as progress. “We should celebrate the process,” she said. Tutoring as Part of the Process   Support extends beyond the classroom to tutoring centers where students can access help for free and without an appointment. Jeremi Merrill, a Promise Zone tutorial center coordinator, works with students who may lack confidence. “There might have been people who made students believe they were bad at math,” Merrill said. “Often, students get most of the process correct but focus on what they got wrong.” Addressing a single misunderstanding can unlock broader success, he said. Fixing one small error often creates momentum, helping students build confidence step by step. Merrill also encourages students to be more open in their learning. “I talk to my students a lot about being willing to be vulnerable in math class,” he said. “My classes evolve into group discussions. Students share their thinking in real time instead of waiting to raise their hands.” That collaborative approach helps shift students from feeling incapable to seeing themselves as problem solvers. Math Is More Than Solving an Equation Many people believe math belongs only in the classroom and has little relevance in daily life. While most people don’t solve equations at the gas pump or calculate square roots on the job, the underlying skill — problem-solving — is used constantly. “Math is really about the process of problem-solving,” Bliss said. “When you start working through new ways to achieve a solution, you are problem-solving. It can be math-related or something in everyday life. Math is all about the process. It helps curate the mind into feeling confident to problem solve one step at a time.” Students who learn to break problems into steps and recognize small successes tend to be better prepared over time. This approach keeps the growth mindset central to their learning. It shifts the focus from simply getting the right answer to understanding how to get there. It is often through mistakes that the most meaningful learning occurs. “When a student gets a question wrong, it’s because they had the courage to try,” Dawson said. “The success is not in getting it right. The success is finding the mistakes and asking how we move forward.” She added that traditional classroom norms can discourage that mindset. “For so long, we’ve been taught not to speak unless we have the right answer,” Dawson said. “The real power is recognizing that making mistakes is where growth happens.” Anyone Can Do Math   GRCC’s Mathematics department works to put the growth mindset principles at the center of its classrooms, with the goal of helping every student feel capable and supported. “There are always people who say math isn’t their favorite or they’re not good at it,” Merrill said. “But you have to keep trying. If teachers give up, students will, too.” That persistence is key to building trust in the learning process. Faculty work to reinforce the value of effort and consistency, helping students see progress over time. Teaching with a growth mindset requires planning and patience. It can also require more time in the classroom, particularly when students are encouraged to approach problems in different ways. “I think one of the differences with a growth-minded professor is being okay with 20 students getting the correct answer using 20 different methods,” Dawson said. “It’s much easier to have everyone use the same method, but it’s not as rewarding.” For Dawson, the payoff comes in watching students change how they see themselves. “Seeing students go from believing they’re not math-minded to knowing they’re capable—that’s a refreshing and uplifting feeling as an educator,” she said. Visit the Mathematics department web page to learn more about their areas of study. This story was reported by Anjula Caldwell.

April 2, 2026 Grand Rapids Community College’s GRCC Players will perform CONTINUITY , a production highlighting the gap between art and science and the role of storytelling in our current environmental crisis. CONTINUITY tells the story of Maria, an independent film writer and director whose script on climate change has been picked up by a Hollywood studio for a feature film production. What starts as an earnest film about climate change turns into a blockbuster action movie taking place on an arctic (styrofoam) ice floe, and features an ecoterrorist plotting a bombing mission to save all of humankind (supposedly). “We selected this show because of its catty humor, metacommentary on the friction between art and business and the larger debate it initiates about the climate in the real world.” said Jason Flannery, GRCC theater instructor. “A benefit of the play is its unadorned look at our current environmental situation, with no alteration to make the story ‘satisfying’ or ‘narratively sound.’ The truth is the truth, and bending it to fit a prescribed story is a disservice to all.” CONTINUITY has prompted a wide array of responses within the GRCC Theater department; some bleak, some hopeful, some mixed. “I hope this production works like a call to action,” said Kayden Bravata, playing the role of Hollywood writer (and Maria’s ex), David Caxton. “I’d like the audience to come away with a new understanding of media portrayal on important topics, like climate change.” Kiera Zittel, who plays Maria, says being a part of this production has motivated her to create more spaces for creativity and collaboration. “Theather is a great source of community. I hope people walk out with realization that awareness without action is ultimately passivity. We all have a choice every day to work towards a better tomorrow.” Information and Tickets April 9-11, 2026  7:30 p.m. Spectrum Theater, Main Stage $18  General Admission |  $12  GRCC Faculty and Staff | $5  GRCC Student  Directed by Jason Flannery Stage Manager -  Rhonda Lehan Assistant Stage Manager -  Benjamin Dixon CAST  Maria - Kiera Zittel David - Kayden Bravata Nicole - Sevi Cullum Jake - Ian Santoyo Lily - Madina Nalwanga Larry - Santiago Mejia PA - Jason Perez-Velasquez 1st AD - Lauren Hambelton 2nd AD - Sara Brock Camera Op - Jacob Creager Sound Guy - Kyle Jackson 2nd PA - Sam Temple Tickets: grcctheater.ludus.com or call (616) 234-3946.

March 31, 2026 If there’s one thing common to most people working in quality control, it’s the fact that they didn’t choose the job. As Chris McDonald, department head and assistant professor of the Quality Science program can tell you, most of the people who come through the program have been “volun-told” into the position. “Most of our students have been in the workforce for five or six years,” McDonald said. “They may have started as operators, then moved around to material handling, or shipping and receiving. If they have a knack for problem solving and attention to detail, they often get tapped on the shoulder for a quality control position.”  Frame a New Role With Learning  Why does quality control matter? Jessica Butler, a student in the program and Gentex employee, can tell you exactly why.   “After working for six months at Gentex, I was asked to be a line supervisor in quality control,” Butler said. “I did that job for three or four years and really enjoyed it, even though I had no formal training. One day, a part came through that was making a clicking noise it shouldn’t have been making. I refused to pass it. In fact, I stopped production. At first, that didn’t go over so well! After more investigation, we found that we had to scrap 4,000 pieces due to a defect.”   Butler stopped production because her instinct told her it was the right thing to do. Now, as she’s completing her Quality Science Certificate , she has the knowledge to back up her decision. “I can associate what we’re reading with things that happen at work every day,” Butler said. “Looking back, I now know that my decision to stop production, and the reason the higher-ups backed me on it, was because we were looking at long-term goals versus short-term goals. In the short term, shutting down production hurt. We didn’t make our ship date. But if we had shipped defective parts to meet a short-term goal, they would have been returned for rework, which is expensive. More importantly, we might have lost the customer. In this case, the long-term goal of customer satisfaction was far more important than the short-term goal of on-time shipment.” Butler had attended a couple semesters of college many years ago but didn’t feel compelled to finish a degree. Now she found herself wanting more knowledge in order to keep advancing. “I like solving problems and I saw the promotion opportunities that were open to me if I had more skills,” Butler said. “My husband has been urging me to go to school, but I didn’t know how to juggle a full-time job and three kids, plus more education. Then I found the GRCC certificate program. The online format fit my life, so I signed up.”   Resources for Returning Students     Jamila Williams is also taking the quality science certificate program this semester. She’s coming from the opposite end of the educational spectrum, having already earned an associate degree from GRCC, then a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from GVSU. She has also come back for a Plastics-Polymer Engineering Technology Certificate , and then again for a Supply Chain Operations Management Certificate . So why in the world is Williams back in school yet again? “Quality was definitely not on my radar,” Williams says. “But I was recently promoted into a quality position at Cascade Engineering . I wanted the background knowledge to understand the ‘why’ behind the work. That thirst for knowledge is why I’ve come back to GRCC so many times. I’ve had such incredible experiences here. I knew this was where I could find the education I needed in this specialty.” Williams, too, is juggling the demands of full-time employment and a family. She, like Butler, loves the convenience of the online program. “I don’t have to make a class fit my life,” Williams said. “Instead, I can do the work when I have time. Now I’m learning the terminology and the theory to back up my hands-on experience. The professors are great and they have tremendous experience in the field.”  Career Opportunities at Little to No Cost Chris McDonald is quick to point out that both Butler and Williams are reaping the benefits of a certificate program with no out-of-pocket cost. “Very few, if any, students pay for this program themselves,” McDonald said. “Either their company has an educational reimbursement program, or they qualify for free education through Michigan Reconnect. Not only are they gaining valuable knowledge at no cost, they are also making themselves more valuable and creating advancement opportunities.”   Williams confirmed that the career implications of her studies are real. “Cascade Engineering promotes from within first,” Williams said. “When you prove your abilities, they will help you advance. It’s easy for them to get more operators from a temp agency, but more advanced skill sets are harder to find. Having this kind of education just makes me more valuable and gives me more options for my career. I already have a potential opportunity to advance into Quality Assurance Systems this fall.” Coming Soon: Associate Degree in Quality Science  McDonald is excited about bringing additional learning opportunities to students next year through an associate degree in quality science. “The certificate is a great way to get started in quality,” McDonald said. “Students learn to use the tools the right way, which doesn’t always happen with on-the-job training. Starting with the Winter 2027 semester, people who find quality to be their niche will be able to continue learning and pursue their associate degree.” Learn more about quality science at GRCC on the Quality Science department web page . This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.