Noyce Scholar Profile
Valerie Spencer
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Middle School
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
California State University, San Bernardino
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior
School and school district:
Richardson Prep Hi School
Background:
I am a fourth year student at Cal State San Bernardino. I am very outgoing and love to be around people. I love Algebra and my ultimate goal is to teach Algebra at the middle school level.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to make a difference in the eyes of math. I believe many kids are afraid of math and I want to make it fun and exciting for them.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I was in the classroom with a substitute teacher observing the differences that students act with her compared to their regular teacher was quite entertaining. During the lesson the substitute was doing the problems wrong. I didn’t know how to be nice about telling her she was doing all the problems wrong, since I was only suppose to be observing. After the second class that she was still messing up, I told her and she thanked me for reminding her. She then asked me to teach the lesson. I was very nervous but at the same time I felt very comfortable with the class and the material. At the end of that day, I felt so accomplished and that I could see myself teaching for years to come.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
This program will hopefully make me be the best math teacher I can be. I have already made a close bond with my mentor teacher, but at our Noyce meetings it helps me get closer to other students also in the program along with other teachers in the district that I want to teach in.
