Noyce Scholar Profile
Carmen J. Velázquez
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grade 8
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus
Current academic or teaching status:
9 years
School and school district:
Sor Isolina Ferre School
Background:
I previously worked in the Family Department for the Government of Puerto Rico. This experience allowed me to view up close our student’s problems. This experience motivates me to study Education with the final goal of helping our students. For that, I have taken professional development courses where I have learned about effective strategies that maintain the student’s interest in math.
Why do you want to teach:
I am a Mathematics teacher because I want to teach others the knowledge that I have acquired throughout my professional preparation. I do not want to teach just for the sake of teaching, but I want to become a guide for my students in the world that encompasses Mathematics. I want to help my students to adequately construct their knowledge in this area. Teaching is an ability that was presented to us by the greatest teacher of us all, Jesus Christ. Sadly, I have witnessed many teachers who are not committed to their profession. These “employees” do not motivate, inspire or love what they are doing and then they call themselves “teachers.” These are not teachers; they are imitators or an undesirable copy of what a real teacher should be. Mathematics is a subject area which many students do not enjoy. My promise, commitment, and goal towards my profession is to help my students to see Math as a simple, pleasant game that anyone can achieve!
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
My most memorable experience was when a Special Education Student was able to understand and even re-teach a Statistical graph related to a survey to another Special Education student. The student who understood my lesson was of a severe condition, and the second student did not have a severe learning disability. Incredibly, these students were able to comprehend and even transmit what they had learned in this most difficult lesson. I was proud of them, as well as myself!
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce Program has helped me look introspectively at my teaching abilities. It has helped me to improve my teaching skills, even though I believe that the learning process of a good teacher is constant and never ending. I have acquired tools to help me learn new techniques that have proven to be innovative and interesting for all my students. With this knowledge, I hope to reach my goal of being the best Mathematics teacher I can possibly be. Mathematics is the most important subject area for the future of our society. We must continue to improve our teachers’ knowledge in order to directly improve our students’ knowledge!
