“I could never catch up,” she says. “I took it again in ninth grade and a light bulb lit up. I know what it is like not to understand something.”

Today she has a reputation for being able to teach even the most number-phobic.

“My goal is to demystify math,” she says.

Cohen recently has found that she can bring in-class collaboration to her online math course.

“I act more like a facilitator and a resource person than a professor,” she says. “The students interact with each other to discuss finding solutions to a problem. I am there to lead them back on track if they fall off.”

Cohen applies her “silence-is-deafening” technique to her online classrooms. As soon as she sees a student not participating in the discussion board, she will step in to make sure the student understands.

For 26 years, Cohen has been preparing high school students for the SATs and building their confidence for college math courses. She  also is involved with curriculum development at a nearby high school and researches standards and best practices for high schools.

“To be a successful teacher, you have to care about students’ success,” she says.

Cohen is her students’ cheerleader: She even hands out pencils that read “believe in yourself and you will succeed” to her undergraduate day students.

“If you believe in yourself then you will succeed. Confidence is everything,” she says. “I just give students the tools to get over some speed bumps.”

The recipient of the university’s Excellence in Teaching Award, Cohen is proud to be in her profession. 

“It inspires me knowing that a student understands and says to themselves, ‘that’s neat.’ My challenge is to find new ways of explaining things so all students can say that.”