Noyce Scholar Profile
Caitlin Hussey
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Master's of Arts in Teaching
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Physics, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Vermont Noyce Scholarship
Current academic or teaching status:
Graduate Student
School and school district:
Montpelier High School, Montpelier, VT
Background:
I grew up in Vassalboro, a small town in Maine. For high school I attended a College Prep school named Kents Hill School. I have loved science since I was in middle school and I have wanted to be a teacher every since taking high school Physics. My teacher was fun and quirky, and I learned a lot from him. I went on to do my undergraduate schooling at Bennington College where I studied Teaching and Physics, making my own curriculum as I went. My senior thesis was a study on the effectiveness of guided discovery and hands-on learning.
Why do you want to teach:
Because I love science! And because I love kids and I want to make a difference by playing a role in the shaping of students. It also seems like it is one of the most fun and rewarding jobs, if a person’s heart is really in it.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
In a high school class I was deriving the Range Equations at the board. I was cognizant of talking to the students while I was up there, going slowly and checking for comprehension. Most of the students seemed engaged and focused, but one girl was pretty lost. I sat down with her after the derivation and talked her through it, gave her a copy of my lecture notes and explained the purpose behind understanding the derivation. At the end of the class, she told me that she finally understood it and even helped out another student with the math. This experience not only gave my self-confidence as a teacher a boost, it also proved to me that with time and effort, I will be able to reach all of my students in one way or another.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
It means that I can actually participate in the Master’s of Arts in Teaching program, because I would not have been able to afford it without the scholarship. It also opens a door to collegiality, mentorship and support which will be invaluable in the future, as it is now. All of the meetings and development programs that we do also add a lot to my already well-rounded curriculum, giving me more ideas and resources.
