Noyce Scholar Profile
Benjamin Johnson
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mechanical Engineering
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Current academic or teaching status:
Post-Baccalaureate
School and school district:
Mathematics Credential Student
Background:
My undergraduate and graduate work at California Polytechnic State, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) was completed under the Mechanical Engineering major. During that time, I found my desires for engineering drawing me to a career in teaching mathematics. Currently, I am pursuing a credential at Cal Poly SLO with hopes of finishing in Spring 2012.
Why do you want to teach:
It has been my experience that those with a solid education have the greatest impact on shaping the world around them. My hope is that I can be a teacher who encourages others to pursue their dreams, as well as equip them with the knowledge and wisdom to attain them.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
Since the spring of 2009, I have been employed as a tutor by a local company in San Luis Obispo. I have tutored many engineering courses, including heat transfer, dynamics, fluid mechanics, mechanical engineering design, and others. One of the most recent students who I tutored during spring quarter of 2011 was struggling in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. After tutoring him for a few hours, I realized that he thought very differently from me in how he approached problems and engineering concepts. As I tutored him, I learned how to communicate with him in an effective and encouraging way that allowed him to gain an appreciation for each subject and receive an A in both courses. Knowing that tutoring him has grown me as a teacher and has impacted his life in a positive way encourages and reminds me that I am making a difference, if only one student at a time.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
This scholarship has provided the financial resources to pursue a career in teaching and has also given me a network of people to collaborate and grow with as we begin our careers. Thank you for making this possible.
