In a world full of technology, one can’t help but wonder how we got along before computers and the internet. It’s become the norm for everyone to have smartphones in their pockets and be able to search for anything and have the answer less than a second later. Do you remember when computers were first introduced to schools? The idea that a computer could teach your child seemed impossible at the time. Now, one can get a degree without ever leaving the comfort of their home. We talked with Marcia Bailey, an algebra teacher who helped create one of the first online algebra courses for schools.
Marcia lives in the CSRA with her husband and has taught mathematics for a total of twenty-eight years. “I taught three years in Richmond County, two years in Lumpkin County, twenty-two years in Columbia County, and retired in 2004,” says Marcia. In the late 1980s, the National Science Center approached Marcia with the idea of a computer-based, self-paced algebra 1 course called Learning Logic. “The National Science Center contacted me and asked if I would like to work on this program. I got to write some of the lessons and proofread some of the lessons that were already developed,” says Marcia.
The schools in Columbia County were the pilot schools for the Learning Logic program. “Our first year in Columbia County with Learning Logic was 1990,” says Marcia. She tells us what a typical day in her classroom with Learning Logic looked like; “Kids would come in, sit down at their desk, and login to the program. It kept up with where every student was at in the course so they would pick up where they left off. If they had finished a lesson the day before, then they had homework. It was randomly generated so that every homework assignment was different and students couldn’t copy each other.”
“The mathematically gifted would work fast, and then there were those who worked a little bit slower and were not as far along. We had a lot of leeway for them,” explains Marcia. “I would have labs after school, if they were behind and they wanted to, they could stay at school for an extra class session. I was also allowed to have classes on Saturdays a few times for those that were behind. We would let them come during post-planning, which is at the end of the school year. They could come and work all day for about three days, and some of them actually finished their course in those three days.”
“I thought it was an excellent program! We previously had quite a large percentage of students who did not succeed in algebra 1. I thought that students working at their own pace and having a teacher that came around and helped them individually whenever they needed it would help more students succeed, and it did,” says Marcia.
Marcia now teaches algebra and pre-algebra part-time at Logos Classical Academy in Evans. “I love the Christian atmosphere at Logos Classical Academy and that I’m able to pray with my students. I have a small class and they are all so polite and well behaved,” says Marcia. Logos Classical Academy is the first classical Christian academy in the greater Augusta area and meets at First Baptist Church of Evans. They are a K - 10th grade classical Christian academy that seeks to train students to think well, love rightly, and live wisely for the glory of God and the good of others.
Marcia has always had a love for mathematics and teaching her students. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting with friends and teaching Bible classes at Kiokee Baptist Church. With Marcia’s help, countless students have succeeded in their algebra classes. Thank you, Marcia, for your continued dedication to your students!