Math Whisperer Dr. Carol Weideman Helps Students Overcome Math Anxiety

3/5/2025

With a doctorate in statistics, you might think longtime St. Petersburg College Math Professor Dr. Carol Weideman is steeped in academia and
complex numeric formulations. But to the students she has taught over the years, Weideman is more like a medical doctor — a math psychologist, if you will, helping them overcome their deep-rooted math anxiety.

For the past 25 years, the Philadelphia area native has specialized in making math friendly and understandable to all manner of SPC students who have feared — and often failed — the subject. And two years ago, when Advisor Leah Deranian noticed an alarming trend of students missing math credits or actively avoiding those required classes, she reached out to the perfect person to help solve this most difficult math problem.

The collaboration with Deranian led to a math class designed to make the subject unthreatening and easy to grasp — a 10-week online course called Math2Finish, part of the Math for Liberal Arts track. A tutor, Jason Brierton, was enlisted to assist, and Weideman went about doing what she does best: developing an innovative module to help students grasp real-world examples of math concepts, make the subject as worry-free as possible, and build skills to help them earn required credits for graduation.

Advisors throughout SPC coaxed 22 students to sign up for the course, and Weideman went to work. Initially, she contacted a friend at math publisher Pearson and the company gave her free access to course materials. But then Deranian suggested that they apply in 2023 for a Titan Award through the SPC Foundation, leading to a grant of $4,000 that covered the cost of students’ books and calculators, and a meet-and-greet event before the semester to create a relaxed atmosphere and instill trust among the students.

But what truly has made the difference — as much as the course material — was Weideman’s enthusiastic approach and ability to make a previously impenetrable subject for the students easy to comprehend.

“I love math, and they’ll sit there and say, ‘Why do you love it so much?’ and I say ‘because math is patterns,’ ” she said. “I see patterns wherever I go. It’s something I intuitively notice. I have a passion for it and I think I translate that to my students.”

The results were indisputable — with 93% of the students passing Math2Finish. Prior to taking the course, more than 54% of students stated they had experienced anxiety over math — compared to just more than 10% upon completion.

“I know that my students are not going to become scientists, mathematicians, or engineers,” she said. “But they may go into a field in which they’ll need to use math, such as nursing. And, of course, they need their math credits to complete their education and graduate, so that’s where I can help."

Weideman’s methods over the years — and particularly with the online
course — demonstrate that almost anyone can gain a working knowledge of the subject. She also has an idea of what causes some students to develop math anxiety, and it has nothing to do with whether or not they have a natural aptitude for the material.

“I think a lot of times, as early as elementary school, a child gets a teacher who also has math anxiety and the subject isn’t taught well or in a fun way,” she said. “And if a student senses that the teacher doesn’t like math, they’ll end up not liking it either. In addition, they may not have role models at home who are good at math, so they don’t receive any encouragement.”

Weideman employs reading materials, videos and games when she teaches in order to get students engaged with the topics. And she finds it particularly helpful to provide examples from daily life to make concepts understandable.

“For instance, today in one of my classes we were talking about unit pricing at the store — and many of them had no idea what that meant,” she said. “So I said that we’re looking at two sizes of shampoo and figured out which one was cheaper when we looked at cost per ounce. That’s a simple concept that makes it real, and that’s the key.”

Weideman also is a major proponent of flexibility and patience. “If a student doesn’t do an assignment, I give them some leeway, because I want them to pass,” she said. “They may have personal issues or be juggling school and a job. So I have no hesitation about giving them another chance. What’s the point of failing them if I can help them pass?”

On one occasion, she learned that a student planned to take her class without access to a computer. He assured her that he could simply use  his smartphone. Instead, Weideman put the student in touch with a lending program offered by the school, and he was given a laptop for the semester.

“These are things we have to do as faculty,” she said. As a child, Weideman always liked math but her options were somewhat limited. “I was from a generation where women were just not encouraged to pursue higher education,” she said.

“I was a good student, but my dad said, ‘Well, you could be a teacher or a nurse,’ and I wasn’t really interested in either of those options.”

Weideman set out to get a two-year degree in math and biology, then landed a hospital job as a lab tech. In time, she earned her bachelor’s degree in medical technology and went to work at Hahnemann University Hospital in downtown Philadelphia, often utilizing math for medical calculations. But not wanting to make that her career, she enrolled at nearby Temple University and obtained her doctorate in statistics.

From there, Weideman went to work in labs for several drug companies, while teaching math as an adjunct professor to college students at Villanova University and several community colleges on the side. She and her husband moved to Florida in the late 1990s, with Weideman teaching for two years at Pasco-Hernando Community College, then taking a position for a medical device company in Largo, performing mathematical formulations for various products. The
company eventually was bought out, and Weideman was hired by BayCare to do clinical studies for three years.

But after getting laid off in 1999, she applied for a part-time math teaching position at SPC and got the job. She loved helping students who struggled with the subject. By 2002 Weideman was hired full time and has never looked back. Among her greatest satisfactions: the feedback she gets from past students.

“I have students come back and say, ‘You know, I really did learn something, and I’ve taken it with me, too,’ ” she said. “And now they’re able to teach their own children. It feels very good to have helped in that way.”