Noyce Scholar Profile
Linda Killian
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: BS, Natural Resources
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Middle School Science
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Current academic or teaching status:
3rd year, I am a TA in public school system
School and school district:
N/A
Background:
I am a parent of five kids who have been through the school system. I started substituting in 2002, and in 2004 I was hired as a full time teaching assistant. I have been in three different schools with different populations. I decided to go back to college as my last child was in the final years of middle school and pursue my certification.
Why do you want to teach:
I realized after volunteering for years in my children’s classrooms, I like working with kids. In fact, I am really more comfortable working with kids than adults. I loved being a substitute. I loved the challenge of each new class, meeting new kids, and doing something different each day. I can’t remember a time when I had a really bad day so I had a lot of positive experiences. I was then hired as a full-time employee. I was moved around a lot due to changing population numbers, and finally, I have been put in pre-K due to the downturn in the economy. That was my signal that I wanted to have my own classroom with older children.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I was working with a student in first grade who was learning to read. As we were reading, he got this look on his face, and I could see that the light bulb went off, and he realized then that he could read. He got it. I have never forgotten that look.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
It means that I do not have to raid the family finances or take out a loan to finish my education.
