Noyce Scholar Profile
Hattie Schiavone
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 6-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
College of William and Mary
Current academic or teaching status:
Graduate Student, no formal teaching experience
School and school district:
Practicums at Spring Ridge Elementary in St. Mary's County, MD
Background:
I completed my BA in Mathematics at St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2013. During my time at St. Mary’s, I swam on the varsity swim team and engaged in a variety of volunteer work. During summer 2012, I studied anthropology in The Gambia, West Africa. For two months I completed an ethnographical project in a small primary school in the village of Berefet. From my times in West Africa to my years of being a swim coach for a small team in Winchester, VA, I have grown to love teaching.
Why do you want to teach:
My desire to share my knowledge and skills with others that began as a coach and then volunteer has grown tremendously. I’m ready to bring my excitement about mathematics to the classroom and share it with young people.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
One morning during my placement portion of an undergraduate education course, a 7th grade student heard me say, “hot-diggity-dog” when I got excited when another student got a correct answer. Her response while laughing was, “That’s something my grandmother would say,” but then followed up with, “but I like it!” It was a light hearted moment that gave me a little insight on that child’s personality but it also showed her and the girl I was working with how excited I am about the topic of math without me having to directly tell them.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has means a lot to me because it shows how greatly supported we science and math teachers are. It allows us to come together and truly value what our courses have to offer all the while giving a chance to learn together on how best to teach our subjects.
