Noyce Scholar Profile
Brent Larson
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics Education-Secondary (7-12)
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 7-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Current academic or teaching status:
11 years teaching
School and school district:
Central High School, Omaha Public Schools
Background:
I am from Omaha, NE. I received my bachelor’s from the University of Nebraska-Kearney and my master’s from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. I have taught at Omaha Central High School since 1999. I enjoy cycling, golfing, and camping.
Why do you want to teach:
Math has always been a subject I have enjoyed, and I have found a place to share this with others. Math is something that shows up everywhere, and I enjoy doing math with others.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I always enjoy running into past students who tell me that they left my class ready for the next step. They were ready to think, to learn, and to push themselves.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
Every year there are calls out to teachers to be involved in a variety of activities. It seems there is always a need for teachers to work on writing curriculum for the district. There are always requests for presenters at district curriculum days and in-service days within the building as well. Every year we have a number of college students coming to us to complete observation hours or student teaching. Being involved in the Master Teaching Fellowship (MTF) program will offer resources and tools to help me continue to be involved in the math department at my school and district. It will hopefully present more opportunities for me to be involved on a bigger scale such as presenting at district meetings, curriculum days, and other in-services. I truly love my role as a classroom teacher, but there are tools, skills, and knowledge that I can share with both new teachers to the profession and veteran teachers. After reading about the MTF program, here is another tremendous opportunity for professional development and an opportunity to gain skills that I can use in both my classroom and in my department. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to work with some of the brightest and most talented students and to have so many different opportunities to be involved at the secondary and post-secondary level. Participating in this program will open more doors for me at my school, the district level, and in teacher education.
