Noyce Scholar Profile
Margaret O'Connell
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: B.A. and M.A, Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, Computer Science, grades 6-8
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Harvard Graduate School of Education Noyce Scholar/Teaching Fellow
Current academic or teaching status:
Currently completing Ed.M. (expected May, 2011)
School and school district:
Clarence R. Edwards Middle School, Boston Public Schools
Background:
I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mathematics from Boston College over twenty-five years ago. My entire professional background since then has been in software engineering. On May 1, 2010, I quit my job as a Software Architect at IBM, where I had been working for the last 14 years, to embark on a career change and become a math and computer science teacher in the Boston Public Schools. I am currently enrolled in Harvard’s Ed.M./Teacher Education Program to prepare for my new career.
Why do you want to teach:
Teaching is a second career for me. I had heard the calls for more public school, teachers of mathematics and felt that my current teacher education preparation would put me in a great position to answer this call. I have chosen middle school as the grade level where I’d like to teach math because I believe that these are critical, foundational years for the rest of a student’s education. I believe that a good teacher who works diligently to dispel the myths that “math is too hard” and that “math has nothing to do with real life” can make a significant difference in how his or her students will perform in high school and beyond. I want to be that kind of difference-maker and do my part in giving the students in my city–Boston–the quality math education they deserve.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
My ninth grade math teacher, Mrs. Ann Pape, was the first teacher to pay attention to the fact that, even though I was very good at math, I went too fast and often made silly errors. She worked on me all year, mainly by kidding with me, but also by giving me extra work to focus me on becoming a careful and thoughtful mathematician.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce scholarship has allowed me to choose Harvard University as the place to earn my degree. As I move forward in my career as an urban mathematics and computer science teacher, I feel very fortunate that I will be a supported member of the Noyce and Harvard Graduate School of Education communities on an on-going basis. Thank you, Noyce!
