Noyce Scholar Profile
Janet Bean
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Master of Arts in Teaching
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Secondary Mathematics
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Louisiana State University
Current academic or teaching status:
first year teacher
School and school district:
LSVI-Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired
Background:
My undergraduate degree is in Chemical Engineering, but I was most recently working in retail management.
Why do you want to teach:
Becoming a math teacher allowed me to combine my engineering background with my love of working with people. It has always bothered me for anyone to say, “I can’t do math!” My theory is not that they “can’t,” but that just haven’t been taught. I want to share my joy in making sense of math with my students, and am particularly excited to work students who have special needs.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
During my student teaching, I spent some time in a community-based classroom. One of the students was so excited that she could confidently add zero to any number and always get the right answer. She encouraged me to see that ALL students can learn math and gain confidence in their abilities.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program means that I can pursue my Visual Impairment certification without having to hope that state funding will be available.
