Noyce Scholar Profile
Stephanie Clark
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Biology with a secondary education emphasis
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: biology, life sciences, middle / high school
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Northern Colorado
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior
School and school district:
Heath Middle School, District 6
Background:
I grew up in Littleton, Colorado and moved to Windsor about 8 years ago. I graduated from Windsor High School in 2011 as Valedictorian. I played three sports in high school and I am blessed enough to continue my athletic career into college by competing in two sports, both cross country and track. I have a large family and two dogs. I enjoy helping others and making people smile. I also enjoy reading and watching movies in my free time. My greatest goal in life is to have a positive impact on the world in some way.
Why do you want to teach:
Entering college, I had originally looked at studying biology with a pre-med emphasis in order to become a pediatrician. This quickly changed after I realized just how influential all of my teachers had been, especially my science teachers. Also, I thought about at which grade levels the teachers in my life had made the greatest impact. I found that my middle school and high school teachers were the ones who helped me most through school and also helped aid in shaping me into the person I am today. I decided that I would like to help students through that pivotal stage in life and be a positive role model for them as they are discovering new things about themselves on a daily basis.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
One memorable experience about teaching occurred last year at the school I was observing. The class I was observing was a middle school science class and the students were to complete an assignment before the class period was over otherwise it would be homework. Well, most of the students did not care if they needed to take the assignment home so there were not diligently working. Some of the students were working hard to get the assignment done so they would not have homework. One boy, who was at a table of unfocused students, decided that he did want to get his work done. He asked the students around him several times if they would leave him alone so he could complete his work. The other students did not listen and continued to be disruptive. This boy decided to separate himself from the distractions and moved to a different table. The boy did not complete his homework before the class period was over, but he decided to stay in the class during part of his lunch in order to finish it.
This memory sticks out in my mind because it is a great example of the type of influence I want to have on my students. I want to give my students the drive and determination to complete each task that is given to them right away. I want to encourage students to have confidence in themselves and to be able to understand that they have the power to remove themselves from distractions in order to get their work done.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
This program has given me an opportunity to branch out and experience more diversity than I am normally accustomed to. It has given me the opportunity to give back to the community and the school districts in Colorado. Also, this program has given me a greater understanding of the true purpose of teaching. I have learned that teaching is not simply about the subject and sharing knowledge with students. Teaching is also about helping the students grow into individuals that can look at themselves each day and be proud of who they are, as well as increasing the students’ knowledge of subject matter.
