Noyce Scholar Profile
Nathan Glover
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Earth and Space Science in Secondary Education
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Secondary Education 9-12, Earth science
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
ASU STARR Noyce Scholarship Program
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior, Fifth year in college
School and school district:
Internship at McClintock High School in block three of program
Background:
I am a student at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, and have been for the past two and a half years. I am 28 years old and am currently a senior in the Professional Teaching Program where I am specializing in Earth and Space Science, graduating in the spring of 2011. Before transferring to Arizona State University last year, I studied Biology in Secondary Education at Montana State University, Montana.
Prior to attending college I served as a United States Marine Corp Sergeant attached to both 3rd Battalion 8th Marines and 3rd Battalion 6th Marines Regiments, part of the 2nd Marine Division out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. As part of the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines unit I operated as a Team Leader and Squad Leader directing Marines and operations in hostile environments such as Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines, and Haiti. Between combat operations I instructed and taught Marines in areas of, but not limited to: Anti-Terrorism Tactics, Close in Shooting Techniques, Complex Urban Tactical Skills, and International Terrorism Dynamics.
Why do you want to teach:
Following my enlistment, I enrolled into college seeking to perform the calling I had found in my previous years: teaching. As a formal educator in the military, I feel these previous experiences will inevitably facilitate my ability to teach in any school, especially a high needs school. Separate from the majority of my peers I am older, more disciplined, and experienced in dealing with individuals of a high need nature. I am determined to share my knowledge, experiences, and all that I have learned with the upcoming generations, along with being a positive role model in the lives of young adults.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
While in the Marine Corps I taught a rowdy bunch of young Marines preparing to deploy to Iraq for the first time. Only one month after taking my course, these Marines found themselves in the desert operating under conditions I had only just prepared them for. Nine months after graduating, they returned to Camp Lejeune from their first deployment and stopped by to say hello. They told me “thank you” for preparing them, and also informed me that some of the skills and tactics they learned in my facility helped to save their lives.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
As an individual devoted to the pursuit of lifelong learning, I feel privileged to once again dedicate my life to the service of others. By being granted this scholarship I hope to be able to become a more proficient science teacher through many of the opportunities that it provides. Many of the little things such as the reimbursements for science seminars and additional allowances for lab materials should greatly help me in that pursuit.
