Noyce Scholar Profile
Mollie Sacra
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Masters of Arts in Teaching
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Secondary Education Mathematics
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Boston University School of Education
Current academic or teaching status:
First year of graduate school
School and school district:
Waltham High School, Watham, MA
Background:
I graduated from Columbia University with a degree in civil engineering, and went to work as a structural engineer. I worked for a consulting firm designing mid- and high-rise buildings in New York City. After 3½ years I decided to leave the field of structural engineering and pursue my interest in education, at which time I enrolled in the Masters of Arts in Teaching program at Boston University.
Why do you want to teach:
I have wanted to be a teacher since I was very young. Initially, I did not understand the reason why, but as I grew up and had more experiences teaching people, I discovered just how wonderful it feels to work with a student towards a moment of inspiration and awareness of new knowledge. These “Ah-ha” moments when a student finally grasps a new concept or when a question you ask finally prompts a connection between the material and the student’s own background are really what I am working for.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
When I think of the many different experiences that made me want to become a teacher, one in particular stands out. I was volunteering as a tutor at a Harlem elementary school while an undergraduate, and I worked with a group of ten to twelve students after school. On my first day with them, I was simultaneously awed by how creative the students were and how actively they learned, and dismayed by how little they knew and the method in which they were being taught. I managed to make progress with them by teaching using concrete, real life examples, and expecting more of them than their teachers did. I have always remembered this event and strongly believe that these students deserve just as enriched a learning experience as their peers on the Upper West Side.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
First, the Noyce program is providing the means for me to make a dramatic change in my life and to pursue a new and very fulfilling career. Moreover, the program provides the additional information and support to help me not only succeed, but thrive, in what would otherwise be a very difficult demographic of education.
