Excellent job presenting material. Horrible grading procedure.

As mentioned before, great at teaching the information. But hes a grading nazi taking a perfectly passing test and scribbling -1's all over it for small little things. If you are good at memorizing, memorize and learn his quirks and you should pass.

Excellent teacher! You will learn alot, but bewarned he is a tough grader!

An excellent teacher, very passionate about math. He's a tough grader and his tests can be a bit rough but it's all about making you think. If you are looking for an easy A, keep looking. If you want a challenge and some knowledge, this guy is for you.

great teacher. do the work & be as neat as possible. he will tell u exactly what he's looking for on homework & tests. don't miss lectures and u'll do fine.

He has a sick coloured pen fetish.

Has a human style of teaching that keeps students at ease and makes difficult math a little easier to take.

As seen below, people love him or hate him. The best math teacher I've ever had.

Yes, he has a colored pencil fetish and yes, he is thorough with his grading, but he is very fair. He will tell you what he expects to see on tests and homework and he keeps the class lively and attentive. Go to class, pay attention, do the homework, and you will do very well.

Very helpful. Has a very fun attitude and a great sense of humor. Is a stickler for proper documentation and his grading shows this. He does grade very fairly, and WANTS you to succeed. Unless you are a log, you will have fun in his class.

Steve is hands-down one of the best teachers I've ever had in any subject. Sure his tests aren't the easiest, but this guy flat knows how to teach math.

He is a terrific teacher. Makes a difficult class fun. Reviews the toughest problems that one will encounter in homework in class, but not easily accessible if you have questions. Requires a professional level of presentation for homework and tests. Highly recommend for engineering or math degree students.

Steve loves what he does and that shows in his teaching. I hate math but I am so glad that I had him as a teacher because he is a great teacher and will raise your math skills if you let him.

Simonds will challenge you, but he'll give you the tools to succeed. He shows his respect for his students by holding their work to high standards, yet he does this in an affable, even charming, way. Simonds is the bomb. Take his class and you'll done learn sumtin', son!

Great proffessor. Took his class two semesters in a row. Explains everything so well. Wish he was teaching MTH 95

Steve is a pretty good teacher. I'd been warned beforehand about his uptight tendencies, and they are somewhat true, but easy to work with. He holds students to high standards, but holds himself to the same. The way he does notes and handouts makes the class much easier to keep up with. Great instructor. Thinks he's funny, and he usually is.

The best math instructor I have ever had, hands down. Very thorough in explaining and instruction. Extremely passionate about math, and he will definitely challenge you. He holds everyone to high standards, even himself, and you'll finish his class with a strong knowledge of math and totally prepared for the next sequence. Highly recommended.

Very organized and particular, and expects the same from you. Important to attend all lectures and labs, he won't review the material for students who missed class. Weekly homework turned-in is excerpted from the lab work, which is done in small groups. His tests are hard but accurately cover the material from class and lab.

Very good teacher. His lectures and handout are really good.

At first I wanted to drop his class like a bad habit, but I'm glad I didn't. I learned more from him than any other Math teacher in college. Make sure you show your work EXACTLY the way he presents it in the lecture, because he is a stickler and shows NO mercy when grading homework and tests. Great handouts.

I heard all the rumors about how Steve is so hard, and they arn't all true. I got an A, and I suck at math. He's a great math teacher. I'm taking him fall term.

He is the best math teacher at Syl because he challenge you but help you to answer all of your confusions. Liston to him carefully in class and do what he wants to see in your solutions in tests. He gives you head points, so if you save points taken for the form errors of you solution, you are ahead of others.

He is a great teacher. He is very helpful and explains things in an easy to understand way. One of the best math teachers I have ever had!

Awesome teacher and very challenging. He's one of the best math teachers I've had so far, which is saying a lot.

Whoever wrote the last 2 comments must be in a different class than me. Steve does example after example showing what you do. Yeah he's picky, but he tells you what he wants. Plus 1/3 of my grade is based on attendence and group work.

he's very cool but very strict about you getting down the right notation for calculus

ometimes his wild style makes it hard to follow him, but he's always happy to explain it again. Extremely positive attitude toward students and teaching. Finnicky on presentation of work, but forgiving grader in other respects. If you are only taking this first term of Calculus you really don't need the book or the calculator.

This instructor is really thoughtfull,helpful, but his grading is to write the way he does in the class lecture. He is picky with little things in the grasing the test.You will learn more but don,t expect an easy or AVERAGE "A".Ishould not say AVOID but be carefull if you take his class and be prepered to work harder then you ever did.Great teacher

Very very helpful, but tough.

very helpful but hard too. he really cares about his students and wants them to do well. do your homework, or you WILL fall behind. believe me!

Great math professor!! Funny, awkward, ridiculous, everything a good math teacher should be.I meet with my lab partners before class for extra studying and good math laughs. Fun class:)Everything he's strict on is for a reason. Besides he starts you with a lot of extra points and always adds points to tests and only takes off 1/4 and 1/2 points.

Steve is awesome. He cares about his subject and his students. He spells out EXACTLY how to do the work and holds students accountable. Homework and tests are difficult, but rewarding. Attendance is mandatory, as his step-by-step instructions are critical. Funny and goofy. Has a cat. Logic and clarity rule.

He says, "I'm not going to hold you to a standard to which I don't hold myself," but that's exactly what he does. He'll take points away from you for doing the exact same relatively unimportant notational thing that he did in lecture. Here's a tip: don't learn the material, learn how to notate.

Mr. Simonds is the best math professor I have had so far, and I have had 2 others before. He holds you to a high standard, but at the same time is patient about answering questions and is Excellent at teaching the material. Class is designed so that nobody can fall behind and so that Everybody pays attention during lecture. Highly recommended

Very understanding and helpful. A fun class where I kept the knowledge I recieved

Simonds is a very good teacher with a quirky side that makes it fun. He is still enthusiastic about teaching math which makes it more interesting. He's a stickler about notation and organization which will help in later math courses. I don't agree with his excessive marking off for some of the notation though. But overall I would take him again.

He's really great at explaining but when it comes to grading, he is the worst teacher I've even seen. I made a mistake that I took his class. :(

Steve was a really good teacher.He has a good sense of humor and the amount of time he spends preparing for class and perfecting his own teaching ability is rarely seen even at the university level.I continue to use what I learned in his class.Steve being a stickler on notation has helped me in my Accounting classes.Steve, btw fractions dont happen

Great professor, very friendly. feel free to ask lots of questions and you will learn plenty. you have to want to learn from him or you won't pass though!

Mr Simonds was a joy to have as a teacher. He was very clear that if you do the homework and show up to class you will do well. Just follow his instructions and it will be great! He also adds a spark into Math that is rare to find! You will be lucky if he is your teacher!

He is very engaging and extremely helpful. Just follow his syllabus and listen to him and you will do great. I enjoy his class very much!

I accidentally rated him low on helpfulness in my previous post, sorry!

Mr. Simonds is the best math teacher ever. He is clear, concise and has a great attitude in class. Just follow his instructions and do your homework. Make sure you attend class everyday. He will catapult you to be a mathematical success!Be respectful too! The guy really knows his stuff so just listen. See him at his office anytime and he will help!

Steve is a great teacher! He is very rigid though. His rules are annoying, but on a long run very helpful. One thing I really liked about him is how organized he was, and his lecture notes are so useful! Wish every math teacher would do it the same way! Good teacher, overall.

I found Steve to be a great prof. He's enthusiastic about math and was always willing to field questions. Very approachable guy. HW was right out of the lab man., & tests were similiar. He is not an easy teacher, but he is a good teacher. You will need to memorize more than other teachers would make you, but you'll be much better prepared for 252.

Steve is an amazing professor. He is always knowledgeable about the subject, and his lectures are clear and easy to understand. His grading is a little harsh, but he always adds points back to the tests to make up for it. If you want a professor that truly cares and that you will learn a lot from, Steve is your guy.

If you have not taken other classes from Simonds, stay away from this one. You will be lost and frustrated by the third week, if you aren't sooner. The guy knows his math, but he seriously lacks people skills. I wish I had taken the class with another professor with what I now know.

He may have high standards but he makes them perfectly clear. He is a very good math teacher and hands out note sheets for every class, allowing you to focus on the material and not be feverishly writing the whole time. Homework is relevant and contains no busy work. I highly recommend him.

Excellent math professor! He gives very engaging tutorial style lectures with conceptual material added where it's relavent. His requirements regarding formatting are well established and reasonable. They're the equivalent of requiring proper grammar in a writing class. Be prepared to work hard. This is third term calculus. It's not easy.

He works hard for you to succeed! Steve is the most accurate, efficient, specific, and engaging math instructor I've had. I took Math 251, 253, and 254 with him and wish I had him for 252. Hands down he's the best math instructor I've had. If you want to develop your math skills, grammar and conceptual understanding then seek him out!

Steve is probably the best teacher I've had at PCC. He is super knowledgeable, super helpful and, bonus, hilarious. He is a tough grader and his tests are challenging, but he's very clear and gives tons of examples. I've taken a few of his classes and I think I'm a better mathematician for it. If you love math, take his class.

Steve Simonds clearly loves three things: math, teaching math and cats. You'll be hard-pressed to find a more excited, engaging and prepared teacher than he. That said, his high standards can come across as both punitive and arrogant. If you're serious about math (and cats), take his classes. Be prepared to work very hard for an A.

Have never been more grasped by math concepts. He is by far the best teacher I have had at PCC. Grades very hard but balances with good teaching would recommend it to anyone whos willing to work hard.

He is a good, engaging teacher and is a VERY tough grader. If you're not confident in math or are super busy, don't take him. Otherwise I would definitely recommend him because he does teach very well.

This is a hard review to write. Simonds is the coolest teacher at PCC. I don't think he is the best though. My classmates and I (who are all doing well) agree that his less structured and sometimes vague teaching style can make the material a bit harder to grasp than it needs to be.

Mr. Simonds is easily one of the best professors I have ever had. He is not the easiest grader however, if you follow his instructions you will not only earn full credit but will also become a better mathematician in the process. Those who have given him poor reviews on this site I suspect have a deep aversion to working hard or are just idiots.

Steve is an excellent teacher and his passion is inspiring. You do have to be your own advocate and ask for help with any concepts you don't understand (but I think that is true for most classes). I truly feel like Steve's goal is to help you grow as a math student with both concepts and proper math notation.

out of hundreds, this guy was among the best. If you have any aptitude for math whatsoever this guy will bring it out of you. Fantastic professor.

He takes you through exactly what he wants to see on tests and homework, but it can be a lot of formatting to remember. I really like his teaching style. The book is only used for optional practice homework that is never turned in, so I never used it.

Steve is a great math teacher. He is hard. If you get a good grade, there is no chance that you just skated. Because his classes are very disciplined, you will learn more, as long as you study. Keep in mind you may not have the same opinion, many students in the class never want to take him again.

He takes the extra time to make small packets of homework that show exactly what he is looking for on the test. If you aren't super strong in math it helps to do the ungraded hw he assigns. He doesn't take much off for improper format and if you pay attention to the comments he writes he'll take even less off! He is a hoot; I enjoyed his silliness.

It's calculus so there's gonna be alotta homework and studying needed outside of class to learn everything but Steve is really good at explaining the material and helping you through it.

Steve is passionate about mathematics, and has been teaching for something like 30 years. Unlike many teachers at this level, he's very interactive and requires participation. He creates his own packets worked as a class for lectures. He makes learning the material exciting and appreciates humor. Be prepared to work, and use proper nototation.

Prof. Simonds is seriously the greatest. He makes math so interesting, has tons of office hours, and explains concepts super clearly. He's perfect for serious math students that want to truly learn, not just pass the class.

Mr. Simonds is THE math guy at PCC. At least co author the lab manual. Best instructor I ever had. He's picky about the notation and how certain concepts are conveyed, but his care for his students is above and beyond. His course was structured so well I never had to open my book. As long as you follow his instructions you'll do great.

Mr Simmonds is one of the best math teachers at PCC. I worked hard, and regardless of the grade that I got, I was very satisfied with the class. He doesn't mind helping students after class; whether it be the tutoring center or in the office, he is there to help. The structure of his final exam gave the students an incentive to working harder.

The tests are mostly based off his notes (which cover the topics in the textbook), but he mostly goes more in depth in his lecture notes than the textbook, which he rarely references once in a while. He's tough on grading homework as well as tests, but is very intricate in telling you what you did wrong and gives good feedback (maybe too much). ^)

His pickiness for Mathematics notation is very reasonable. He really cares about student's success in class and students are his number one priority over all of his tasks. His lectures are very thorough and specific. Never skip his lectures, read his notes very closely, do homework and you will be fine!