Noyce Scholar Profile
Angelle Whittington
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: MAT Secondary Mathematics Education
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:
Georgia State University/Urban Mathematics Education Program
Current academic or teaching status:
Fifth Year
School and school district:
Peach County High School, Peach County, GA
Background:
I worked in engineering for 8 years before teaching. I wanted to make a profound difference in the lives of youth. Georgia State University (GSU) prepared me very well to meet this challenge. Despite my few years of teaching experience, I feel very comfortable as a new teacher and am always striving to increase my effectiveness.
Why do you want to teach:
I have always loved mathematics! Teaching was by choice and not necessity. I wanted to make a profound difference in the lives of youth just as someone did for me.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
My most memorable teaching experience is when a student who I taught during my first year of teaching called to tell me that she had graduated from high school and was now in college. She also said that I had helped her meet this goal by showing concern and encouraging her to succeed when I was her teacher. She also said that I had helped her with her temper. This moment was really touching and memorable for me. As a new teacher, it reaffirmed to me that I was making a difference in the lives of my students.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program enabled me to become a teacher while helping to support my family. At the time that I was looking for a teacher preparation program, there were few in Georgia that would admit an engineering graduate into a Masters of Education program and help you get certified to teach. The GSU program was like a miracle! I am always striving to increase my effectiveness as a teacher. Participation in the GSU Noyce Scholar Professional Learning Community has helped me with this goal. It provides opportunities for me to relate with peers of similar experiences and with professors who have vast content and pedagogical knowledge. I believe that this program has contributed to my remaining a teacher despite the organizational and pedagogical challenges that teachers face every day in the classroom.
