I enjoyed the three Kenan Fellows Professional Development Institutes and they impacted me in several ways. It was nice to get away and be pampered with good food I didn’t have to cook and a lovely place to stay that I didn’t have to clean.  I appreciated the time and energy Lisa and Craig put into organizing the workshops and the flexibility and grace with which they responded to things that came up (like Internet connectivity problems at NCCAT). Randy’s mellow, calm demeanor and helpfulness were really nice too. I enjoyed the evening activities, planned and unplanned. Salsa dancing with the international teachers in our dorm at WCU was the best! The raft trip was absolutely awesome and helped me deal with memories of nearly drowning on a prior raft trip in Arizona.

Even better than everything I just described was the chance to get together with the great people I met at these institutes: teachers, staff, and presenters. So many interesting, warm, wonderful people! I especially enjoyed getting to know the other Duplin County teachers (including our adopted Duplin teacher – Jennifer). Amy, Mendy, Ben, and Mary, I miss you. Amy, it was great carpooling with you and planning how to solve all of Duplin County’s problems. J Lisa, thanks for being supportive when all the tech troubles that day at NCCAT were so overwhelming.

The workshops themselves helped me to take great strides in getting over my fear of technology. I got new ideas that I am implementing in my classes. The PD helped me understand what was expected of the lessons we were to write. It was inspiring to hear about what current and previous Kenan Fellows were doing. It gave me perspective to hear how teachers all across the state are dealing with the same stresses, pressures, and issues.