Noyce Scholar Profile
Michelle Bousquet
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 6-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
College of William and Mary
Current academic or teaching status:
First Year Teaching beginning Fall 2013
School and school district:
Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
Background:
I received my B.S. in mathematics and my MaEd in Curriculum and Instruction from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. I applied to the Noyce Scholars Program because of my desire to teach in a Title I school. As part of the Noyce program, I interned at NASA Langley Research Center, where I learned the many applications of STEM subjects to NASA. I plan to use these applications in my own teaching. During the 2012-2013 school year, I student taught at Hampton High School, a school in a Title I school district in Hampton, VA. I look forward to continuing to teach students in a Title I school in Nashville, TN this year.
Why do you want to teach:
As a math major, I had my share of courses that were difficult and frustrating. I want to show any struggling students that I can relate to them and that persistence and practice pay off. Additionally, many math students are famous for saying, “When are we ever going to use this?” I want to teach applications of each math topic to things or topics in my students’ lives so that they learn to enjoy the subject.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
As a student teacher of Geometry in a high-need school, I had many students who had taken Geometry multiple times. One of those students often failed tests. After my first unit of student teaching, this student passed his test. He told me the new way of teaching in my unit was easier for him to understand, and thus he scored higher. This stands out to me because it was one of my first experiences during student teaching, and it gave me a lot of motivation to continue pushing the students who expect themselves to fail.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has introduced me to a great group of friends/colleagues that I will continue to stay in touch with throughout my teaching career. The additional courses I took as part of the program have prepared me for my future teaching in a Title I school. I am thankful that this program exists to help me pay for my education, while teaching me and encouraging me to work with the students who need me the most.
