Noyce Scholar Profile
Shane Phillips
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Biology
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Science, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
California State University Long Beach
Current academic or teaching status:
In teaching credential program, will student teach during the Spring 2011 semester
School and school district:
Pioneer High School, Whittier Union High
Background:
I was born in New York and moved to California with my family when I was 4 years old. I grew up with two older brothers and a single mother, and have played baseball my entire life. My elementary education was in Palmdale and was in the Long Beach School District for middle school and high school. I received a B.S. in Biology at California State Long Beach (CSULB). I’m currently in the teaching credential program at CSULB and will be student teaching during the Spring 2011 semester at Pioneer High School in the Whittier Union High District.
Why do you want to teach:
I have a passion for science and want to teach high school Biology and Chemistry. I would also love to coach baseball as well.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
During my senior year in high school, I had an amazing science teacher who was my mentor and kept me in line with his authoritative figure. He motivated me over an entire school year to be an overachiever. I was the first student in his years of teaching to earn over 100% in his class. This is where I learned how much of a passion I have for science.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
It has given me a chance to focus on my academics and not have to work full time. It has also given me practical skills that I have been able to learn while working with a teacher one-on-one at the school site where I was placed.
