Noyce Scholar Profile

Constance "Xandy" DeLaney
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Biology
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Biology-10 Environmental Sci-11
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
Louisiana Tech University Noyce Scholars
Current academic or teaching status:
1
School and school district:
Arcadia High School- Bienville Parish
Background:
I grew up in a small, nurturing environment in Southern Mississippi. I have an amazingly creative mother who continues to influence my lessons though the activities and crafts she created for me and my brothers when we were kids. I got my B.S. in Biology and my MAT in secondary science education from Louisiana Tech University.
Why do you want to teach:
I teach, because I love my job. I greatly enjoy motivating and inspiring students to find creative ways to challenge scientific phenomenon he/she observes in everyday life. Watching kids innovate, collaborate, and troubleshoot is both fascinating and rewarding.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
My most memorable teaching experience is when my kids cried, because every single one of them passed their end-of-course assessment. I was amazed at how happy and thankful they were. We immersed ourselves in a giant group hug and let the success and happiness overwhelm us as a cohesive group of young scientists who worked hard to accomplish a common goal.
My second most memorable teaching experience is they day I got told, “Ms. DeLaney you need to grow” as a young lady reached over my 5’2” stature to turn on the projector for me. Her gesture was endearing.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
Noyce program means collaborating with other individuals who live in a constant “STEM mindset”. Noyce has provided me with a surplus of individuals who challenge, help, and encourage me to be the most influential teacher I can be. I now always have someone to “nerd out” with when I read a novice, intriguing scientific article. I have someone to add to my ideas and to point out a means of concluding I would not have reached merely on my own.