Darl Rassi

Professor Rassi joined Olivet’s full-time faculty in 2015. He has a strong interest in preparing teachers for math education. “I’m very excited about math education!” he says. “I’m a Dan Meyer fan. I think teaching math is one of the most rewarding and challenging careers.” Professor Rassi completed his PhD in Math Education at Illinois State University in August 2020.

His professional experience includes nine years of teaching pre-algebra through calculus, as well as dual credit finite and statistics at the high school level. He has also served as a consultant/workshop presenter for the Iroquois-Kankakee Regional Office of Education.

As a presenter for several professional conferences, Professor Rassi has researched and spoken on a variety of topics, including “Can You Build the Best Boat?” and “Gain Mathematical Power in Calculus through Multiple Representations.” In 2014, one of his students named him as her Most Influential Teacher as part of her award through the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) and North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA).

All is not classroom and research in Professor Rassi’s life, however. In his leisure time, he enjoys reading, singing, working on home construction projects and playing board games. The beauty and adventure of the outdoors often call to him, and he is a hiking and camping enthusiast. During his Bible study time, he especially appreciates the book of Romans.

He and his wife, Janelle, are the parents of four children: Kyla, Layna, Trevin and Treyson. Spending time with his family is one of his greatest pleasures.