At first glance, you might think that someone who traditionally teaches literacy might not be able to work in the homogenization of mouse organs into the everyday learning of elementary students.  In fact, many of the lab experiences I have taken part in this summer are out of the realm of what is expected of most 5 to 11 year olds.  What has become increasingly evident is the need for continued education in the area of food safety.

Though our work has been primarily around salmonella, we have continued to learn about other types of bacteria.  What we keep coming back to is the idea of the importance of the educational piece.  For me personally, I can see many areas to use my learning in the classroom.  Of course our ultimate goal is to create a curriculum as a team with lessons that are vertically connected K-12.  My goal is going to also include another piece.

It has been fortunate that the Eggstatic group has been able to work with two sets of mentors: those primarily involved in research at the lab and those primarily involved in the curriculum end at 4H.  I definitely had the wrong idea about 4H when I began this project.  Although it was the piece that initially drew me into this project, I, like many others, believed that 4H was simply a wonderful program primarily built on agriculture.  Fortunately over these past weeks, I have learned differently.  My personal connection for this externship is going to be starting a 4H club at my school.  It is my hope to not only take back the curriculum we develop, but the ideas that can only be achieved with starting an on-site club.  I truly feel the connections and take-backs with this externship will only be limited by how far I want to take them.

What does it mean to be literate as a learner in the 21st century classroom?  I think we have probably heard this asked and thought this through about a million times since we first heard rumblings of the Common Core.  Years ago, when education looked like desks in straight rows and a teacher who held the majority of knowledge on her given subject or grade, literate meant reader.  Someone who could proficiently read and write, one who could articulate their thoughts well enough to work in a family business or a trade job was typically proficient.  But this is no longer the case.  Literate for the modern day learner means reading to find information and the ability to discern whether or not the information we find is valid.  It means becoming a global citizen who can publish and evaluate works of literature as well as pieces of informational text.  The expectations upon educators through the lens of the Common Core is now to empower students through the use of technology-though this seems like an easy task with iPads and Apps at easy disposal for most schools, it is a little more complicated.  On the plus side, for perhaps the first time in formal education settings, there is an expectation to utilize technology.  For teachers who are afraid to step away from the dry erase markers, this pushes them into a new normal.  My fear for them, however, is that a SmartBoard will simply be a high dollar projection screen and internet use will become so guarded that no authentic learning takes place.  Somewhere between the standards’ expectations, the new teacher appraisal instrument and preparing students to be college and career ready, we must find a balance.  In order for technology to be truly empowering for students we as educators must continue to learn.  We must seek out the new and different, the exciting and industrious, the useful and the necessary and the give students the keys for the journey and step back as they embark.

Sometimes I think we all get a little too caught up in pacing guides and deadlines to remember why we became educators.  For me it was a few different things colliding that helped to guide me toward education.  Mrs. Hornowski’s third grade classroom and the excitement that came with each day I spent there, a few too many boring middle and high schools classes with teachers who cared, just not about enhancing my love for learning, and parents who instilled a loved for travel and literacy at a young age.

Days like the one we experienced on the river help to remind me about some of the why’s of education.  Like many teachers in out state, I teach children who never travel outside of their own county or community.  They are the students who, when asked to think back to a time in their lives when…there simply isn’t an experience to think about.  In working in conjunction with 4-H through my Kenan project, I am reminded of the importance of experiential learning and the need to build background for students in order for everyone to be successful.

Although we can’t take our students rafting for each lesson we teach, we can provide for them great experiences that will enhance their learning in the short time we have with them.  Despite the fact that I could not raft with our group, I still consider the day I spent with the other land lubbers a highlight of the week at NCCAT.  The beautiful scenery and relationships we built that day were a great alternative to the icy waters and Class 3 falls.  I will look back on the day we spent at Nantahala both for the great experience as well as for the gentle reminder of what a day outside of the usual classroom setting can provide for a student’s mindset.

Five years ago I came out of the classroom to work as a Literacy Coach.  Although the move was positive, it still had certain uncertainties.  Similarly, I look ahead to my Kenan experience.  This experience will certainly take me out of my comfort zone of teaching and working mostly with literacy and place me in a world unfamiliar.  I am excited and nervous to think of spending my days in a microbiology lab.  The curriculum development portion of this project is far more similar to my usual work, but one of the things I hope to gain from this experience is that which is new and different.  However, no matter how much new learning I gain, I believe that the relationships with colleagues from across the state will be the greatest take away.

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