Noyce Scholar Profile
Lourdes Sanchez
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Algebra, Geometry, pre-Calculus, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
San Diego State University
Current academic or teaching status:
20 years teaching experience
School and school district:
Samuel F.B. Morse High School, San Diego Unified School District
Background:
I am the middle child of a family of seven children. I am the first one in my family to graduate from college. I was born in Texas, and raised in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico and National City, California. I graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1987. After high school, I entered San Diego State University where I completed my bachelor’s degree and teaching credential. I was also involved in the San Diego Math Project for 5 years in the beginning of my teaching career. I am a bilingual and bicultural Mexican American teacher of mathematics.
Why do you want to teach:
Teaching is one of my passions. It is through teaching that I have found I am able to make a difference in this world. I want to teach because it is through teaching that I know I am able to make a positive impact in peoples’ lives. Each person is a life. We all depend on each other. We need students who are thinkers and who care about themselves, other people and our planet. We need students who are capable of applying math concepts for the good of our society and our planet. Thus, I decided to become a teacher.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
Memorable teaching experiences occur to me every year. It is hard to choose. What really makes my day is to see students who are motivated to learn. They get to the point where they teach the class. Nonetheless, I must say that the MESA program is a memorable teaching experience. For the last two years, Morse MESA students have been teaching 5th graders how to complete mini pre-engineering projects. For the last two years I have witnessed my students making lesson plans, preparing materials for these 5th graders with little help from me. This is important to me because as a teacher I would like to see my students reason by themselves. This is memorable because students are learning and teaching because they care for others as much as they enjoy math, science and engineering.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program is a great opportunity to grow professionally. It is significant to me because it provides me with tools to become a better teacher and help my students learn more. I am reflecting on the teaching and learning that occurs in my classroom through regular video tape recording. I am learning ways to take advantage of technology to facilitate the improvement of my teaching and learning. I am really thankful for the Noyce program.
