Noyce Scholar Profile
Jacob Perry
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics 9 - 12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Wake Forest University/Wake Innovative Noyce Scholars
Current academic or teaching status:
First Year post-Baccalaureate
School and school district:
East Forsyth High School, Winston-Salem/Forsyth Public Schools
Background:
I graduated from Freedom High School in Morganton, North Carolina, and then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics with Honors and Distinction.
Why do you want to teach:
In the course of my education, and in particular during my years in high school, it was the passion and talent of my teachers that inspired me to develop a love for learning. However, many of my fellow students were not similarly inspired since not all teachers are as passioned and talented as the teachers I had, and so I want to be an educator so that I can try to foster in my students the love for learning that my teachers fostered in me.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
The best experiences for math educators are those moments when the light bulb clicks on for a student who was previously unable to understand. I have had various such moments, and one in particular that I can think of involves helping students understand and simplify rational expressions. I was working one on one with a student who was just struggling, and the teacher had just zero success. So I started from the beginning, went over fractions with just integers, and then progressed to ratios of algebraic monomials, and finally polynomials. Once the student was able to see the connection, he easily understood.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce Program at Wake Forest has provided me with the necessary training, guidance, and support to allow to become a successful professional educator. Without it, I may not have been able to enroll in a teacher training program, at least not without significant student loans, and I definitely not would have been able to attend such a competitive and strong teacher training program.
