Noyce Scholar Profile
Natasha Cox
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 8-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Kansas/UKanTeach
Current academic or teaching status:
Undergraduate Senior
School and school district:
Gardner Edgerton High School, Gardner Edgerton School District
Background:
I was born and raised in Olathe, Kansas. After I graduated high school, I decided to go to the University of Kansas. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to major in, but I found the UKanTeach program and then everything fell into place. I always knew I might want to teach and now I get to.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to teach because it is such a unique and important job. I love that I will get to influence students’ lives. I still think back to the teachers I had in high school and am glad that I had the opportunity to learn from them, both in and out of their subject areas. I also want to help rid students’ minds of the stigma and fear attached to math. I found math to be fun, and want to pass that along to students.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I once worked in a classroom with a special needs student who was having a bad day. He had trouble working in a normal classroom setting and accomplished almost nothing on a day-to-day basis. It was decided that I would work with him outside in the hallway. We both looked at the worksheet he was supposed to complete and I said, “I know you know how to do this. Remember what your teacher said to do?” All he said was, “Oh, yeah,” and finished the whole worksheet almost completely on his own. It is memorable to me for two reasons. One being that students need to know that you have confidence in them. The other reason is because it taught me that not all students learn in the same way. I watched this student shut down on a regular basis in the classroom, but after I worked with him individually, I saw that he almost always understood what to do. As a teacher you just have to put a student in the right environment for them.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has given me opportunities that I would not normally have had. Any college students will welcome financial help, and I am proud of myself and grateful for receiving it. I am also lucky that the program has so many resources and education opportunities in addition to the financial opportunities.
