Noyce Scholar Profile
Heidi Arnold
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: B.S., Industrial & Systems Engineering
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Wake Forest University
Current academic or teaching status:
1st year Master's student
School and school district:
Parkland High School, Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools
Background:
I graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. After graduation, I worked for a Global Fortune 500 company and completed a management trainee program. During this program I worked as a lean manufacturing engineer and redesigned assembly lines, managed over $70M in spend as a buyer, and worked as in analyst in supply chain. I have also worked for two other Global Fortune 500 companies as an Industrial Engineering co-op during my time at Georgia Tech. I am passionate about mathematics and teaching students the applications of math in everyday life.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to be a teacher, because I want a career that is professionally and personally satisfying. I want to help students achieve their goals and help prepare them to succeed in the 21st century. Looking back on my high school career, I recall a handful of teachers who made their classes challenging, but who were always willing to help students get to the next level. I aspire to become one of these teachers who makes a lasting impact years after high school.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
During my teaching observations this semester, I had the privilege to observe many seasoned teachers. During one observation, I watched a teacher scaffold, encourage, and lead a student who had very little confidence to the correct answer. The teacher called on this particular student, and the student immediately began stating her self-doubt, “I don’t know how to do this problem. I can’t do this. Don’t call on me.” The teacher very calmly responded, “Don’t tell me that you have learned absolutely nothing in the past two weeks. Don’t sell you or me short. We will get through this together.” The teacher broke the problem down step by step and if the student stumbled, she asked the student a guiding question to get her back on track. In the end, the student responded with, “See, I got it. I’m smart.” You could tell that both the student and the teacher were proud. I was impressed with the high standards that the teacher has for her students and the respect and camaraderie that I felt in the classroom. The sense of community and support in the room were overwhelming.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
Without the Noyce program, I would not be following my passion. I would not be back in school obtaining an MAEd without the Noyce Scholarship Program. It has allowed me to pursue teaching without compromising my financial stability. I am grateful for this opportunity and am excited to begin a new chapter in my life.
