Noyce Scholar Profile
Emily Goodale
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Physics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Honors Physics, grade 12; AP Statistics
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Virginia Commonwealth University
Current academic or teaching status:
1
School and school district:
Richmond Community High School, Richmond Public Schools
Background:
I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and was a very active, occasionally troublesome child. I did well in all subjects and really loved athletics, drama, and singing as well as math and science. I went to the College of William and Mary and got my undergraduate degree in Physics with a minor in music. Being at a liberal arts school was great for me because I was able to study a wide range of other things too and indulge my fascinations in people, culture, the nature of creativity and how people learn and think.
After college I worked for a few years doing different things. I was an editor for a textbook company working on early childhood developmental assessment materials. Then I was an assistant teacher in the toddler room of a Montessori school and a gardner in an organic vegetable garden. Now I teach high school.
Why do you want to teach:
I find that teaching ties together many of my interests. I am an extroverted person so I get a lot out of interacting with and facilitating students. I like to be on my feet all day and doing different things. I love problem solving and figuring out the way different student learn. In addition to all that, teaching jives very well with my beliefs and philosophies. I believe that all humans not only have a right to be educated, they have a right to be respected, listened to, and allowed to make their own choices. I also believe that the kind of critical thinking and problem solving that I promote in my classroom will benefit all of my students throughout their lives. It is my first year as a certified secondary science and math teacher and so far I love what I do.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
Let me think about it.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program helped get me where I am today. I knew I was interested in teaching, but since I had little experience in it, I was not ready to take the leap and incur more student debt to get my master’s degree. The Noyce program helped make that decision easier. The program has also provided professional development opportunities and connected me with like-minded science teachers.
