Terri Bernstein

Professor

“It’s easy to go off into the world of numbers. But I always bring theory back to what it means in terms of human life.”

A “zillion” isn’t a number you’re likely to encounter in typical accounting classes. But Terri Bernstein’s classes are far from typical. “Have you read about the Hollywood actors not getting their fair share of movie proceeds?” she asks indignantly. “Well, if you take accounting, you’ll know when things like that are going wrong. You learn how to read more aggressively and see how people twist statistics to mislead you. Accounting helps you arrive at your own conclusions, which are probably going to be closer to the truth,” she continues. “And it can be made simple and fun. I mean we’re not talking about brain surgery here!”

Terri bristles with enthusiasm about her chosen field and about SMC, where she has taught for 10 years. “Most of my students won’t be accountants,” she says. “But they will all benefit from learning the subject, no matter what business they eventually wind up in.” She says, “I love the environment at SMC and what goes on in my classes. In a classroom, you’ve got to carve out your own little world and create the standards you want to live up to. And you make an environment where—even when dealing with numbers—you can always relate things back to the humanity of the situation.”

“SMC’s diverse student population has been very good for me,” says Terri. “I feel I’ve learned so much about the world’s people.” She howls with laughter when asked what does to relax. “I have a three-year-old and I’m pregnant,” she chimes. “So much for free time.”

Back