It's just that simple...... Math is Key!

You won’t find two people who want kids to succeed in math more than Jim and Simone Bellamy.

Owners and hands-on operators of the local franchises of Mathnasium in both Little Rock and Benton, Arkansas, these two are a formidable team fighting against kids being left behind in math. Simone is a pharmacist at Arkansas Heart Hospital and Jim is a professor at Old Dominion University in Virginia, but both find the time to be fully focused on the success of their students at Mathnasium.

In Jim’s role as a professor at UAMS for twelve years, he witnessed first-hand students getting to the college level that were barely able to perform basic math. They were less and less ready every year, as new students arrived. He knew the problem started many years ago, in the student’s early education journey.

In an effort to help students get on their grade level and make it through their college years successfully, he began to offer personal tutoring.  But he knew the problem was so much greater than just the few students he could actually help on a one-on-one basis.  There just simply was not enough time in the day, week, or month, to help the number of students who could benefit from it.

 Jim knew this was a prevalent need in the community for more than just students. Everyone, in all walks of life, needs a proper understanding of math.  From home banking to calculating recipes, people use math in everyday life.  Tradespeople such as carpenters, construction managers, and electricians all have to have a good grasp of math to be able to perform their jobs. 

He began to research how he could help more kids get a better start. He and Simone knew that if they were ever going to be able to make an impact, they had to catch kids early, on the front end.

He came across the Mathnasium concept and was excited about their principles and concepts of teaching math. He found out the franchise area of Benton just happened to be open. After talking to Mathnasium franchise owners across the country, he and Simone bought the Benton, Arkansas, franchise in March of 2018, opening in November of that same year.

They started the Benton location from scratch and have grown enrollment to over 50 students, which is an amazing feat considering the pandemic started only a few months after their first anniversary.  Their first center director was their son, James Bellamy.

In December of that same year, the owner of the Little Rock franchise offered that location for sale to Jim and Simone and they purchased it, as well. Now in charge of two locations, they were tasked with the challenge of finding those students who had fallen through the cracks.

With current enrollment of over 100 students between both locations, they feel they are starting to make a difference. That was their goal all along. Their greatest joy is helping kids reach their goals, knowing that those with the opportunity to learn math properly would be able to do whatever they wanted in life. 

It’s just that simple.  Math is key.