Noyce Scholar Profile
Aimee Deconinck
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Marine Biology
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Biology and Chemistry; High School
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship
Current academic or teaching status:
Student Teaching
School and school district:
Long Beach Polytechnic High School; Long Beach Unified School District
Background:
I graduated in 2008 with a B.S. in Marine Biology from CSULB, and enrolled in the Single Subject Credential program at the same school. I worked part time as a SI leader (similar to a TA) while attending, and loved working with the diversity of students who attend CSULB. I could not meet the requirements of my position while student teaching, so I applied and was granted the Noyce Scholarship. It allows me to focus on my students instead of worrying about balancing a part time job to meet my financial needs.
Why do you want to teach:
I had some amazing (and some not so amazing) teachers that inspired me to pursue science. My goal is to become the same kind of teacher to my students. I loved helping students grasp concepts in my part time job and becoming a teacher was a natural extension of that.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I have a student who has a speech impediment and reduced motor skills but is intelligent and able to grasp concepts in an accelerated biology course. We had met before the class began and discussed accomodations he would need to be successful in my class and what my expectations of him would be. Throughout the semester he has been an involved participant in discussions, labs, group work, and other activities, and although I never expected less from him than from my other students. It was shocking, therefore, that I learned at a SST meeting later that he was not this way in his other classes. His other teachers, especially English, corrected him as he was speaking, and the necessity of editting his speech while simultaneously expressing himself caused him anxiety that he preferred to avoid. I tended to wait until he was finished speaking before prompting or correcting his speech. It stood out to me because it brought to light how small actions and decisions about how to teach could have dramatic results.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
As I alluded to before, the Noyce program has meant being a full time teacher to my students. It has given me the freedom to focus on their needs without having to balance them with my own. In addition, the seminar meetings have been extremely helpful because they cover content I am concerned about.
