Noyce Scholar Profile
Amanda Kelly
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Biology
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Biology, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
East Tennessee State University
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior, Student Teaching
School and school district:
Science Hill High School, Johnson City, TN
Background:
I am a first generation college student and am originally from Sevierville, TN. I come from a very large family and consider them the most important thing in my life. I have always had a passion for biology, so it was the perfect major for me when I began at East Tennessee State University.
Why do you want to teach:
I would say that the teachers I have had in the past are the ones who motivated me to become a teacher. Good, bad, or indifferent, I learned from each of them what I liked and didn’t like. I know the impact that each teacher made on me. I want to impress upon students how education can benefit them and how increasing their knowledge, especially in the biology field, is useful in everyday life.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
Being an older sister, I took every opportunity to use my life as a teaching experience. My sister is four years younger than I am, and early on I realized she followed my lead. It was at this point that I decided the choices I made would influence her choices later on. I continue to work hard and make good choices for myself to set an example for her. This past May, my sister graduated from high school as her class valedictorian. I can say this is a memorable teaching experience because, as a teacher, it is important to realize the impact you are having on your students by the choices you make. It is my firm belief that if you show your students you believe they can succeed, they will.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has given me the opportunity to work toward my goals and set new goals to achieve. Through the Noyce program, I am able to take what I have learned through my integrated Math and Biology Education and showcase this type of learning to my students, taking the blocks of information they have and giving them the tools to draw connections and build a wall.
