Noyce Scholar Profile
Marion Maentz
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Biomedical Engineering
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 7-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh act! Program
Current academic or teaching status:
Completed program, looking for a job
School and school district:
Not currently teaching in a district.
Background:
I graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering. Upon completion of my degree I worked for two Fortune 500 companies. Most of my career was spent in research and development designing and improving products made by the companies. At the end of my career I moved into Marketing Research, designing focus group research and survey research to understand the needs of consumers. Although, my experience with these companies was positive, other changes in my life (children) made me think about other career options. Teaching had always been in the back of my mind. I pursued this new career and was accepted into the act! Program at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. I completed the act! Program and received my Wisconsin Teaching License in June 2009. My family recently relocated to Pennsylvania in July 2009. Since then, I have been completing the requirements necessary to receive a PA Teaching License.
Why do you want to teach:
Mathematics has always been a subject that I enjoyed. There are teachers from high school and college who stood out to me and who I remember to this day. They cared about their students and displayed a passion for their subject matter. I want to be that teacher. I want a career working with people that is professionally satisfying. I’ve worked with many youth groups over the years, and I always felt that teaching them brought me true joy. I want that to translate into my classroom.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
As part of the Algebra curriculum, students must memorize the quadratic formula. While I was student teaching, I tried to find unique ways to make the memorization easy and fun. I came across many songs. I found one I thought the students would like. At first, being typical high school students, they didn’t want to join along in the song, but by the end of the class everyone was singing. The best moment came when they were taking the chapter exam. I heard several of them humming the tune to the song. It worked, and it was fun!!!
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program meant so much to me. I was able to follow my passion and pursue a career opportunity that I would otherwise not have been able to. The program allowed me the freedom to focus on my schooling and subsequent student teaching without worrying about finances. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a Noyce Scholar and what I learned from the program.
