Noyce Scholar Profile
Michelle Pound
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 5-8
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Current academic or teaching status:
First year teacher and graduate student
School and school district:
Roosevelt Middle School, New Bedford, MA
Background:
I went to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth from 2005-2009. Last year, I was a student/apprentice/substitute teacher. This year, I am a full-time teacher.
Why do you want to teach:
I have always wanted to work with children and thought my struggles with math in school would be beneficial to my becoming a good teacher.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I worked with an ELL student who was having a hard time writing her answer to a math problem in a sentence. This experience stood out because I realized that while she was not struggling with mathematical concepts (she participates in class, answers questions correctly, completes homework), she had a difficult time with this form of assessment. Interpreting the question and relaying the answer coherently was difficult for her and may be for other students. It has drastically changed the way I teach and assess, realizing the difference between students’ math knowledge and English fluency.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program is providing experience and knowledge to make sure that I am prepared to be the best teacher I can be.
