There is a growing need for professionals in the science and mathematics fields, and yet our public schools, especially those in low-income communities, are failing to adequately prepare enough students for these careers. Through Teach For America, science and mathematics majors can help expand and diversify the pipeline of future scientists and mathematicians by providing more students in urban and rural public schools with the skills they need to be successful. You are uniquely positioned to make a significant impact on your students' understanding of science and mathematics, and to inspire them to pursue a career in one of those fields. At the same time, you'll gain valuable insight into this issue by working with students and families and seeing from the inside how the system is set up-or not-to meet their needs. Many alumni in the science and mathematics fields tell us that spending two years teaching profoundly impacted their thinking and the skill set that they brought with them into their graduate studies.
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I've always been socially active, but my parents-a professor and a school teacher-sparked my interest in teaching. In college, I volunteered at local schools and spent one summer as an assistant teacher. I was considering graduate school for neuroscience or applied mathematics after college, but I wanted to get some real-life experience and make a tangible contribution to the world. My mother suggested Teach For America.
Even though I had a bit of classroom experience, I was nervous about being an effective teacher. The support and resources Teach For America provided were a huge help-my fellow corps members and other teachers at my school were supportive throughout my teaching experience.
I found that my advanced mathematics knowledge enabled me to make lessons engaging for my students. I was able to develop projects tailored to their interests, and they appreciated that attention and belief in their abilities. I began to see dramatic academic gains. In my AP calculus class, for example, 30 students passed the AP exam, compared with three the previous year.
I influenced my students on a more personal level as well. One of my students was learning English as a second language, and language issues impeded his progress in mathematics. I worked with him after school, and I found out from his English teacher that he wrote in his journal about how that experience made him want to be a mathematics teacher. Another one of my students ended up joining Teach For America when he graduated from college.
Being able to motivate my students gave me confidence that I was lacking during my undergraduate career, and that helped me when I went back to school. In graduate school I had no problem talking to my professors or presenting my research effectively. My department actually asked me to lead seminars for graduate students to develop their lecture skills.
Mathematicians typically do postdoctoral programs before they apply for tenure-track positions, but I secured one immediately after my Ph.D. because of my Teach For America experience. The university wanted someone with an education background to teach the methods portion of its secondary education program. Now I have the opportunity to conduct my mathematical research and be involved in teacher education.
One thing that continues to motivate me is the knowledge that excellent teaching provides kids with opportunities in life. It's rewarding to have a career that allows me to be socially engaged yet still close my door and work on some good mathematics problems.
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As a teacher, I quickly discovered that interactive learning was the key to student achievement. When my students struggled with graphing skills, we brought all the desks together in the center of the classroom to form graph paper on a more human scale. To measure acceleration due to gravity, we dropped balls in the atrium. Some of my students learned to build a simple robot from a kit provided by the local chapter of IEEE and took second prize in a competition with a field of 30 teams. For me, teaching in an under-resourced school system sparked a lot of my creativity and resourcefulness. Also, the interpersonal and communication skills I gained were valuable assets as a graduate student in the hard sciences. I learned how to negotiate delicate social situations and to deliver compelling presentations. The keys to success in the classroom became the keys to success in
research.
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I didn't want to go to grad school just because 'it was the next thing to do' - I wanted to feel like it was a choice I was making after being informed about other things. Teaching helped give me a true reason to come back to grad school: I want to learn as much as I can about science, and delve into cutting-edge research in order to devise creative ways to connect youth with exciting scientific research in the future. Having taught, I am more mature in approaching stressful situations and much more aware of how I learn. I feel that I am a better student because of it.
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The skills I gained during my teaching experience- the ability to motivate students to take an interest in science, and the capacity to speak in front of large groups-were highly valued by my peers and professors at the University of Chicago. More importantly, I gained insight into one of the most fundamental and formative institutions of our society that I could not have gotten without being in the classroom.
Learn more about alumni effecting fundamental change
The future success of the United States requires not only well-trained scientists, but also a public that understands the nature of science. To help create a more rational world, we will also need scientifically trained leaders in all sectors of society. The scientific community must therefore pay much more attention to science education at all levels, from elementary school through the university, and we must work to steer our science students to many different career outcomes. In preparing thousands of our nation's most talented college graduates to teach in our nation's lowest performing schools, Teach For America is a major contributor to this ambitious agenda. Their corps members significantly impact the academic achievement of hundreds of thousands of students. And, as their alumni pursue careers in science, education, and other sectors, they will be much more effective as leaders because of the many skills they gain through their Teach For America experience.
- Bruce Alberts
Professor, Biochemistry and Biophysics, UCSF
President, National Academy of Science, 1993-2005
President-elect, American Society for Cell Biology
A growing number of physical sciences and mathematics graduate programs partner with Teach For America to offer special benefits for corps members and alumni, such as a two-year deferral and scholarships. They recognize that alumni have gone through a highly selective process and have engaged in a challenging professional experience. Click here to search our complete database.
Amgen Fellows Program
Together with Amgen, our National Math and Science Partner, we have created the Amgen Fellowship program, which provides 50 math, science and engineering majors with $2,000 signing bonuses for joining Teach For America and includes an all-expenses paid trip to an annual symposium in Washington, D.C. in the spring of each year in the corps. To learn more visit
www.teachforamerica.org/admissions/amgen.
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