Noyce Scholar Profile
Ron Tsui
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, Grade 9 - 12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
San Diego State University
Current academic or teaching status:
26 years of teaching
School and school district:
Scripps Ranch High School, San Diego Unified School District
Background:
After graduating from a high school in Hong Kong, I went to Canada to further my education. I got my B.Sc in Math and B.Ed degrees from the University of Alberta. After teaching two years at a high school in Ontario, Canada, I came to San Diego to teach in 1986. Besides teaching at middle and high school levels, I also involved myself in professional organizations. I have acted as a mentor teacher, beginning teacher support provider, math administrator, and master-teacher for different universities in San Diego. In 1993, I took a leave of absence and taught in Hong Kong for three years. To broaden my skills in different areas, I completed various programs and received my M.A. in Person-centered Education and Administrative credential. I truly believe all children can and will learn. The fact that I was not a math genius when I was in high school helped me understand how struggling students feel in learning math. I am always eager to improve my content knowledge and instructional skills to benefit my students
Why do you want to teach:
I truly enjoy teaching because I care about kids and their future. When I see them understand and learn something, I get excited. Everybody has a dream and I want to help my students develop their potential and see their dreams come true.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I am very approachable and value feedback from students, parents and colleagues. When I was teaching in Hong Kong, my principal told me my teaching changed the life of a female student. That student did not think she could do math because she always performed poorly in math. The year she was in my class, she understood what I taught her and she did very well on tests. Her success totally changed her perception of her ability to do math. She was very happy and told her parents about her experience. I get more motivated and work even harder every time I hear similar feedback from other students and parents. I take my job very seriously because it could have a huge impact on students and their future.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program gives me an opportunity to work with math experts from a local university and highly skilled and experienced teachers in my area. It means that we as a team will have opportunities to discuss math related issues, update our knowledge, observe and support our own instruction to benefit students and the entire educational community. Teachers cannot work in isolation. We must network, discuss and share what we know and what we have learned. The Noyce program means now I belong to a family whose members are always ready to support me professionally.
