The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program

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Nancy

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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.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant Numbers DUE-2041597 and DUE-1548986. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

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