By Terra Avilla
Oh, my sweet, sweet Melissa. You know those people you’ve technically known of forever, but never actually gotten to know? That was me and Melissa Eid.
Now I’ve been a big fan of the entire Eid family at its core for a while, so I’ve always known who she was—but somehow, through all the years and everyday “hey-how’s-it-going” moments, I never really knew her.
Our paths just didn’t cross as much as they did with Todd or Jessica.
But that all changed, we started working together here at the college.
Melissa teaches math – let’s pause there for a second because, in my personal opinion, math has got to be the hardest subject to teach. Maybe it’s also because I still use my fingers to help me add and subtract basic math problems, but I digress…
Melissa takes this very objective subject matter and teaches it with so much joy. She does it with this mix of humor, patience, and pure math genius that makes you actually want to learn. I know because I have students who have had her class and they all love her.
And by talking to her it is evident that she’s the kind of teacher every student hopes they’ll get because she is the one who truly cares.
But here’s the thing about Melissa: she’s absolutely hilarious. Like, laugh-until-you-snort hilarious. And she doesn’t even try – she just is. She does her own thing in this adorably genuine, totally authentic way, and every single time I talk with her, I walk away thinking, “Man, I just love her even more.”
I wish I’d had a math teacher like Melissa back in college because, honestly, math might’ve been my favorite subject if it came with her energy, compassion, and quick wit.
Heck, maybe I wouldn’t be using my phone calculator to divide if I had had her as my teacher. She’s one of those rare people who make the place you work feel more like the place you want to be, which in a college setting with students who are already stressing out about so much, what more could we ask for here in our little hometown?
So, here’s to Melissa Eid – our brilliant, hilarious, big-hearted math mastermind. We absolutely love this place a little more because she’s in it.
