Believe it or not it was much tamer than the everyday stress of trying to get a 1 and 3 year old out of bed in the morning for daycare, rushing to pick them up after my externship and the nightly routine of getting them to bed.  Don’t get me wrong it was very difficult to be away but the time away allowed for better team building and focus while meeting all the fellows.

The 2 things that pop into my mind when thinking about the highlights of the trip are getting a chance to interact and see what the Kenan Fellow alumni are doing and of course getting know and spend time with 49 of NC’s finest teachers.

Actually witnessing and speaking to the likes of Paul, Justin and the many other alumni was a valuable experience.  I was able to get an idea of the places we can go and what innovative things we are expected to do.  This was probably the most exciting aspect as well as the most concerning.  We are expected to experiment and try new things which for many of us involves changing the way we have done things, not easy once we get comfortable.  This idea that we need to grow and innovate within our classrooms to lead fellow teachers did not hit me until end of the week when I had a chance to digest a little bit on the drive home.  As I have been thinking about this leading the way and changing our practices, my second highlight came into my mindset.

We are in a group of nearly fifty extraordinary teachers who all have their own strengths.  After spending our week together this was very evident.  From team building day 1, to rafting to struggling through technology issues to learn the new things that were presented, we have all the resources within our group to be successful.  Spending time and learning about everyone shows that we are a diverse group that can accomplish great things in many different areas.

How do we take all of our learning back so that our colleagues can gain from the experiences?

Do I have the drive to change and try new techniques in my classroom?