Noyce Scholar Profile
Nancy Aguirre
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Texas at El Paso
Current academic or teaching status:
Junior
School and school district:
Math Tutor, Ysleta Independent School District; Gear-Up Math Tutor, El Paso Independent School District
Background:
I am currently a junior at the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) pursuing a major in Mathematics with Secondary Education as my minor. I graduated from Riverside High School in 2008 and started college at El Paso Community College; two years later I tranferred to UTEP. My second semester at UTEP I was accepted into the SABE MAS Academy where I participated in the Kaleidoscope Conference Spring 2011. Now I have the pleasure to be a Robert Noyce Scholar. This is my first semester in the program and thus far it’s so much fun. I am also the secretary of FEMaS (Future Educators of Math and Science). This organization has allowed me to learn so much about the requirements for becoming a teacher. My first teaching experience was about two years ago when I worked at Parkland Middle School. When their program ended, I applied at Andress High School and got the job. I have worked at three schools in total, including Riverside High School.
Why do you want to teach:
I must admit that I had the best math teachers during my high school years. Four different teachers and each one of them inspired me to become a teacher. I always knew I had a passion for math since I transferred from Juarez, Chihuahua to El Paso in fourth grade. I am not good at math, but I love it, and that is what makes me try hard. Many students don’t like math and struggle with their math courses more than any others. It is why I want to become a teacher, to show these students that math can be really fun and isn’t so hard to learn. I believe that the key to being a good teacher and student is motivation. To motivate students to try their best and not to give up is what I would like to portray in my classroom once I become a teacher.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I have had many memorable teaching experiences, each of them stand in my mind and remind me of the reason why I want to be a teacher. One in particular was when I had to teach a Pre-Calculus class at Andress High School. One student came to me after the lesson and said “For once I understand why I have to do this.” It was the fact that she said “why” and not “how” that impressed me. I think one of the reasons students don’t appreciate math is because they are told how to do it. Students like to relate math into their world. That student put a smile on my face, and I felt like I had done my job, and it made me happy.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
To be a Robert Noyce Scholar means so much to me. I feel like this program will help me meet my goals. I like the fact that besides the financial help we, the scholars, are provided with information and sources which helps us prepare to become good teachers.
