Noyce Scholar Profile
Christina Barton
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: High School Math
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Boston University
Current academic or teaching status:
First Year Grad Student
School and school district:
Practicum: Waltham High School
Background:
I grew up in a small town near Worcester, Massachusetts, and decided to stay in the state for college. I entered with an undecided major, but consistently enrolled in math classes because I thought learning mathematics was essential to my education. After realizing my views about math, I switched my major, and in May 2010, I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Mathematics.
Why do you want to teach:
For most of my education, I did not see the importance of mathematics. Luckily, I discovered ways in which the subject is used in everyday life as I was entering high school. I started to notice the math that I used when in the car, out shopping, or when cooking. For years, I watched as my peers wrote math off as a subject they would never need to use after school was over. They hated math, and never gave themselves the chance to recognize its essentialness. I want to become a math teacher so I can show students that they use math in everyday instances often without even realizing it. For those kids that never discovered the importance of math on their own, I want to be the teacher to help them do this.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
During college, I worked with some high school students to help them improve their SAT scores. All of them had the dream to go to college, but could not quite reach it because of their trouble on the test. We reviewed the SAT math material for weeks, working through sample tests together and practicing different strategies. Watching them come to the realization that they could achieve their goal by improving scores was inspiring and rewarding. The whole program was a memorable experience for me because it solidified the idea that teaching was the right career path for me.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has given me the opportunity to attend a great school for my graduate degree which will provide the training and mentoring necessary to become a successful teacher. Along with these financial resources, it has given me the chance to explore different school districts that will enrich my experience as a teacher.
