Noyce Scholar Profile
Fred Smith
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: BA Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grade 9 to 12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
Csu Stanislaus
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior
School and school district:
Modesto High, Modesto City School District; Modesto Junior College, Pre-College Program
Background:
I was born in Walnut Creek, CA and live in Livermore, CA until 1993 when my family moved to Modesto, CA. I graduated from Davis High in 2007 and immediately went to CSU Stanislaus. I originally was working on a History B.A. degree but switched to mathematics after talking to a former math teacher of mine. I have been working in an AVID program as a tutor for seven years, this year. This year was my second year being an instructor for Upward Bound/TRiO, a college-preparation program for high school students through Modesto Junior College.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to teach because I have seen the effect that a teacher can have on a student, it is amazing. I have been very fortunate to have had several teachers be great role models and inspire me to teach. Students need help in learning the material in front of them. I want every student to realize that they can learn anything and it will better their future.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I share this moment all the time but it is my favorite teaching story. A few years ago in AVID, a student I work with had to miss an extended period of school because of something personal in Mexico. She asked me to help her learn all the material she missed when she return a couple weeks later. The teacher had given her a week to get all the assignments done and prepare for a test she had missed. I took the time to meet with her after school and during lunch to teach her the material she missed. The next time we had tutorials for AVID after her test, she stood up in front of the class to announce that she had passed the test with an A and to personally thank me for helping her with the work.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce Program is giving me a new “academic family” to support and help me through the process of becoming a teacher. My fellow scholars are here to provide feedback and foster new ideas for our development as teachers. The workshops and the conferences are going to provide new tools that I can draw upon in the classroom and when I my need them for my own scholarly work. Being a Noyce Scholar means that I will be a teacher and I will be greatly prepared so that I can teach my students in the best possible ways.
