Noyce Scholar Profile
Bailey Elliott
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Math, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior
School and school district:
New Hanover County
Background:
I was born and raised in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. I am currently a senior at University of North Carolina Wilmington and love every moment of it. I am very involved in The Seahawk, the campus newspaper, and am going to miss college once my experience is over. I am a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and am very grateful for that experience. I have been teaching for as long as I can remember! I started teaching to the classroom of stuffed animals in my room, and look at me now!
Why do you want to teach:
This is supposed to be the easiest question to answer to any future educator, but for me it is answering “Why am I the way I am.” Being a teacher is the only thing I have ever wanted to be. Teaching is the only profession that is every profession. A teacher is a nurse when a student falls on the playground, a referee when a debate turns ugly, an astronaut flying through outer space, a therapist when a student needs someone to talk to, a cheerleader for every occasion; the list is endless. A teacher is sometimes the only consistent thing in a child’s life, and just being there is a blessing to that child. Teachers are changing our future, and there is no bigger honor.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I was a tutor at a local high school, and worked with the A.V.I.D program. This program is for those students who want to go to college, but need a little push academically, socially, and financially. We help the student with the classes they are in and help them fill out applications for college and scholarships. One particular student kept sleeping during class, and the teacher would just yell at her to “WAKE UP!” So I took the opportunity to take the student out to the hall to ask her if everything was OK. She told me that her parents were having dog fights in the living room in the middle of the night, and she was unable to sleep at home. She completely broke down and just cried and cried. When she finally pulled herself together, we went back into class, and we finished the day. She never slept in class, and I would like to think it is because she finally told someone and knew that someone cared.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
I am very new to this program, but am very excited about all the opportunities that it is going to give me. I am very interested in all the information that I will learn through the sessions that are offered with this program. I am also grateful for the help that I will receive when it comes time for me to look for a job.
