Noyce Scholar Profile
Cynthia Coss
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Intergrated Science
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Science, grades 7-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Ohio University
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior
School and school district:
Nelsonville-York
Background:
I was born and raised in Southeast Ohio, and my husband and I have three grown boys. When I finish college, I hope to teach science at Pickaway Juvenile Correctional Facility. My background is in informal education with major emphases on flora and fauna. I have been a naturalist for many years.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to teach because I want to help spark a child’s interest in science. It is important to create opportunities for students that they might never have had before. It gives them the chance to find out where they want to go in life and gives me the feeling of satisfaction when I have helped a child.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
One memorable teaching experience happened while teaching about animal tracks. I was a naturalist with Hocking Hills State Park. I had planned an activity teaching about animals and the tracks they made. It started out with participants learning how to identify tracks using certain indicators. I was showing how to do this by looking at the number of toe prints a track has. This allows you to eliminate certain animals. I stated that “like humans, raccoons have five toes.” A little boy proceeded to tell us that he has four toes on one foot and five on the other. He then took his shoe off to show the other participants. I thought that this was quite funny, but not wanting to skip this wonderful opportunity, we talked about how every living thing can have defects or injuries, and that there are exceptions to every rule.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program means so much to me. I feel that it gives me the chance to learn with some of the best science and math teachers in the field. It also give me the opportunity to work in an area that means so much to me. I hope the knowledge and advantages that the Noyce program gives me will help me to be the best teacher possible.
