Noyce Scholar Profile
Robyn Ruiz
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: B.S., Environmental Studies; graduate study in Childhood and Early Childhood Education
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Science, grades preK - 6
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
Buffalo State College Noyce Program
Current academic or teaching status:
Second year master's student
School and school district:
Practicum, Enterprise Charter School
Background:
I was raised on a dairy goat farm in Western New York by my father, who was a 7th grade life science teacher. I have always loved being outside, hiking, exploring or observing. I have my undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from SUNY School of Environmental Science and Forestry. Since having my own children, it has been my dream to work with children and share with them my passion for teaching and learning science.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to teach in order to share my love of nature and passion for learning with children. I want to help them be excited about science and the possibilities available to them.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
One teaching experience that comes to mind was when I was working with second graders who had been pulled out of their classroom to gain further practice with the idea of comparing and contrasting. I was using The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and a traditional text of the three little pigs to look at what was the same and what was different with the two books. I planned to use a large Venn Diagram on the floor and a box of props for the comparison. When I introduced the Venn Diagram, I told the students that we were going to do something really AWESOME to compare the books and that it was something that I didn’t even learn how to do until recently. With that lead-in, the hard-to-impress students were enthusiastic about the lesson and their participation was excellent. I often think about this lesson and how presentation, enthusiasm, and passion are contagious and can make all the difference.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
To me, the Noyce program has meant the ability to pour all my time and effort into the wholehearted pursuit of my teaching degree and professional development. With the assistance of the Noyce program, I am able to devote myself to becoming a more knowledgeable teacher and focus my energies on the field of science.
