Meet TI Teacher of the Month: Stacy Thibodeaux
Meet TI Teacher of the Month: Stacy Thibodeaux
We’re celebrating teachers, like you, who make a difference in the classroom. This month, join us in getting to know Stacy Thibodeaux, a biology teacher from Youngsville, Louisiana, who strives to instill a love of learning in her students.
Fast facts about Stacy:
- TEACHES WHAT: Chemistry
- TEACHES WHERE: Southside High School in Youngsville, Louisiana
- TEACHING FOR HOW LONG: 18 years
Stacy in her own words:
Why did you become a teacher?
In college, I was a pre-med major who wanted to be a doctor. My anatomy and physiology teacher suggested that I help tutor and eventually told me she thought I should be a teacher. At the time, I didn’t think I wanted to. But, when recruiters came to the university looking to fill a teaching position, I thought, “Why don’t I try this?” So I got hired and have stayed since. It was hard the first year. However, once I started getting more excited about what I was teaching, I recognized my passion and love of learning.
"Even though concepts are hard, having a relationship with students helps them feel comfortable talking to me about what they are finding difficult"
Stacy Thibodeaux, TI Teacher of the Month
What advice would you give to your first-year teaching self?
First, believe in yourself more. Second, it is important to form relationships with your students early on in the school year. In the beginning of my teaching career, I took the advice of older teachers. They told me to be strict, never smile, and to wait to show students who you are in order to earn their respect. Since then, I've learned that it’s actually the opposite — students need to know that you care.
What do you love most about teaching?
I love the relationships that you build with your students and getting to see their love for learning science. It’s important to me to make sure that my students have cool experiences with labs, as it grows their love for the subject. Whether or not they decide to major in science, I ultimately want them to look back fondly and remember Ms. Thibodeaux’s science class.
What TI technology do you use in the classroom, and how do you use it?
I have TI-Nspire™ CX graphing calculators and TI-Nspire™ Navigator™ technology, as well as several different Vernier sensors in my classroom right now. I also have TI-Innovator™ Hubs , which are used in both my after-school STEM club and with our local GEAR UP chapter.
How do you help your students learn difficult concepts?
I really try to use all different mechanisms — for a problem, we may write it, speak it, see it and model it. If I know one student is struggling, then I group them with another student who isn’t struggling. Then, the three of us can work on a problem together instead of it being just me and one student. Even though concepts are hard, having a relationship with students helps them feel comfortable talking to me about what they are finding difficult.
If you could thank your teachers, what would you say?
My teachers pushed me to become the person I am today. I would desperately want them to know how much I appreciate them and am thankful for them. I want to be just like them, which is why I do what I do.
Tagcloud
Archive
- 2024
-
2023
- January (3)
- February (3)
- March (5)
- April (3)
- May (3)
- June (3)
- July (2)
-
August (6)
- 5 Ways to Spruce Up Your Classroom for Back to School
- Day of the Dog: Which Dog Is Roundest?
- Women Who Code: A TI Intern’s Fascinating STEM Journey
- 6 Sensational TI Resources to Jump-Start Your School Year
- 3 Back-to-School Math Activities to Reenergize Your Students
- A New School Year — A New You(Tube)!
- September (2)
- October (3)
- November (2)
- 2022
-
2021
- January (2)
- February (3)
- March (5)
-
April (7)
- Top Tips for Tackling the SAT® with the TI-84 Plus CE
- Monday Night Calculus With Steve Kokoska and Tom Dick
- Which TI Calculator for the SAT® and Why?
- Top Tips From a Math Teacher for Taking the Online AP® Exam
- Celebrate National Robotics Week With Supervised Teardowns
- How To Use the TI-84 Plus Family of Graphing Calculators To Succeed on the ACT®
- AP® Statistics: 6 Math Functions You Must Know for the TI-84 Plus
- May (1)
- June (3)
- July (2)
- August (5)
- September (2)
-
October (4)
- Transformation Graphing — the Families of Functions Modular Video Series to the Rescue!
- Top 3 Halloween-Themed Classroom Activities
- In Honor of National Chemistry Week, 5 “Organic” Ways to Incorporate TI Technology Into Chemistry Class
- 5 Spook-tacular Ways to Bring the Halloween “Spirits” Into Your Classroom
- November (4)
- December (1)
-
2020
- January (2)
- February (1)
- March (3)
- April (1)
- May (2)
- July (1)
- August (2)
- September (3)
-
October (7)
- Tips for Teachers in the time of COVID-19
- Top 10 Features of TI-84 Plus for Taking the ACT®
- TI Codes Contest Winners Revealed
- Best of Chemistry Activities for the Fall Semester
- Best of Biology Activities for the Fall Semester
- Best of Physics Activities for the Fall Semester
- Best of Middle Grades Science Activities
- November (1)
- December (2)
- 2019
-
2018
- January (1)
- February (5)
- March (4)
- April (5)
- May (4)
- June (4)
- July (4)
- August (4)
- September (5)
-
October (9)
- Art in Chemistry
- Which Texas Instruments (TI) Calculator for the ACT® and Why?
- Meet TI Teacher of the Month: Jessica Kohout
- Innovation in Biology
- Learning With Your Students
- A first-of-its-kind STEM strategy charts path to help educators
- #NCTMregionals Hartford 2018 Recap
- The Math Behind “Going Viral”
- Real-World Applications of Chemistry
-
November (8)
- Testing Tips: Using Calculators on Class Assessments
- Girls in STEM: A Personal Perspective
- 5 Teachers You Should Be Following on Instagram Right Now
- Meet TI Teacher of the Month: Katie England
- End-of-Marking Period Feedback Is a Two-Way Street
- #NCTMregionals Kansas City 2018 Recap
- Slope: It Shouldn’t Just Be a Formula
- Hit a high note exploring the math behind music
- December (5)
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015