Noyce Scholar Profile
Darrin Bivens
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: MS, Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Utah / SMART Fellowship (Math for America)
Current academic or teaching status:
Graduate Student
School and school district:
Co-Teacher, Algebra and Geometry at Fort Herriman Middle School, Jordan School District (UT)
Background:
I attended Utah State University for my undergraduate degree. I worked at American Microsystems Inc. and Intel Corporation as a layout mask designer for about 6 years, then as a business analyst for Intel for another 5 years.
Why do you want to teach:
I have a lot of respect for the teaching profession and feel like I can make a difference in this career field. Not only are math, science, and technology of utmost importance for the future of this country, good teaching is also. The classes that I have already taken have just increased my passion to not only teach, but to teach effectively.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
Several experiences stand out for me because of teachers who took an interest in me as a person. Not so coincidentally, it was those teachers who inspired me to work harder than any others. My AP English teacher in my senior year of high school was one of those teachers. I remember how she lavished praise on several papers that I wrote, where I put forth good effort. Even though I personally felt some of my writing was a bit corny, I at least put a whole-hearted effort into being creative with my writing. However, on one particular paper I did not put very good effort into the writing. I will never forget when she handed it back to me with a ‘B’ grade and said, “I’m disappointed, only because I know you’re capable of much better work.”
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
Hey, I used to work for Intel, so the program is so exciting to me! I remember after having worked for Intel for over 10 years going to the Robert Noyce Building on the Intel Santa Clara campus for the first time. There, I saw a plaque with one of Noyce’s most famous quotes, “Don’t be encumbered by history, go out and do something wonderful.” I know I had a lot of doubts about my ability to get back in school and to do what it took to become a teacher. There were many financial and career concerns, even about what I would teach. Discovering this program was so exciting to me. Not only did it make attaining an educator license feasible, but the program has a very well developed roadmap on how to get there. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity.
