Noyce Scholar Profile

Elisabeth Ragle
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: BSIS INTERMEDIATE (GRADES 4-8)
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: 4-8 Math
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Texas at Tyler
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior
School and school district:
TISD- Hubbard Middle School
Background:
When I complete my degree, I will be the first person in my family to do so.
Why do you want to teach:
As a student in school I considered myself “below average”. I did not want to be called on because I never seemed to have the right answer. Often I would find myself getting in trouble for disrupting the class by talking. I was focused on just about everything else but what we were supposed to be learning. If it were not for teachers that were patient with me and passionate about the subject they were teaching I know that I would not have achieved as much as I did academically nor would my self-of-steam developed as much as it did from their discipleship. For this same reason I desire to teach so that not only are my students ready for the curriculum of the next grade, but that they are able to prove to themselves what they can do.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
In my recent experience in student teaching I had a student ask me why I was so patient. The students were not focused on what I was saying at that moment but instead of reacting in a way they were used to I gently redirected their attention to the task at hand. Education is more than getting kids through the curriculum, it’s about loving and developing the character of kids that will become men and women.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
My desire to be a part of this program is due to my interest in mathematics, and my aspiration to present it in an intriguing way. Since I can relate to a boring education in math and science, I want to be involved in the pioneering of redefining how society views math and science education. This program has allowed me to focus on my education without the fear of financial set backs.