Sonia Ford

Sonia Ford knew as a little girl that she wanted to become a teacher. But, it was not until high school that this MC Assistant Professor of Mathematics discovered her love for math. She had a great geometry teacher whose passion for math was contagious. Sonia went on to receive her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics, Cum Laude, from Eastern New Mexico University.

Sonia has been a trailblazer since coming to Midland College. She was the first instructor to do online and hybrid courses for algebra and developmental math. She has even presented her curriculum development at the College Academic Success Programs Conference and the International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics. She also teaches for the Virtual College of Texas—serving students online, statewide—for which Midland College is a host college.

The other big program for which Sonia has been instrumental is the Texas Tech University/ Midland College pre-engineering program initiative. “This is huge for us!” Instructor Ford said. MC now offers a pre-engineering program so that students, when they finish their associate degree at MC, can automatically transfer into the engineering program at Tech and be on par with all other junior-level students. The first course was offered in the Fall of 2008 and a Circuits course is in progress this Spring 2009 semester. Another Introduction to Engineering Course is scheduled for Fall of 2009, as well.

Sonia enjoys the small classes at Midland College, which give her a chance to work closely with her students. “I love to teach … at all levels,” she said. The beginning students who cry, “I hate math” usually come out of her classes with a changed attitude, while the higher level students ask her challenging questions. “They make me stay current. Their motivation and enthusiasm renews me, too,” she added. She loves her subject for its beauty, but also its challenging nature, which she still finds “very humbling.” She loves that math moves into the theoretical world of the fourth dimension, fractals and probability, and that “it is often math that is used to explain something that has not happened yet.”

Summer 2009 found Ford is working on new Calculus I and II courses, which would incorporate MATLAB, a new software using an engineering program language. Considering her work with the hybrid and online algebra courses, and now these calculus classes, Ms. Ford is becoming quite the curriculum development expert. “I love to try new things … I love to experiment and give students different options to choose from, according to how they learn best,” she added.

It should not be surprising that this outstanding Midland College faculty member was recognized this year with a Teaching Excellence Award (TEA), the most prestigious award MC gives its faculty members. Ford was nominated and selected by her peers for this award, one of only two awards given to the entire MC faculty.

Her next new project will probably be to pursue her doctorate. But, she’s not in too big of a hurry. As a matter of fact, she thinks math should be taken slowly. “There is no time limit. Everyone should work at their own pace. It’s better to take the time to really learn it, especially math, because each course builds upon the one before it,” she said. Her advice to her students is the same she received from an advisor in her own, intensive math program at Eastern New Mexico University: “Don’t worry, you will build up to it.”

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