Let me start by the beautiful views as we entered Cullowhee and the pond on campus. AMAZING and made it feel so peaceful as we arrived.

All of our presenters were phenomenal and really motivated me with ideas for my classroom with the energy they exhibited. I can’t wait to test some of the technology tools and share the tools on “flipping” the classroom with some of my upper grade colleagues. One thing that really stood out was the Home Base team and their presentation. I loved the skit, but loved seeing that so many resources are going to be in ONE PLACE with ONE PASSWORD!!!

 I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the interactions with other amazing educators in the wonderful state of North Carolina.

When I first applied for this fellowship I thought about how much this could enhance my teaching and the connections I could make in our state. I knew there would be presenting workshops and leading meetings, but I wasn’t initially thinking I would be picked for engineering in kindergarten. Once I was asked to interview for this position I could see tons of possibilities.

Now after meeting with our mentors I see there is so much that I could do that I can do, but I will have to pull in the reigns a touch. My expectations are changing. The primary focus is no longer about how I can improve but how I can expand my student’s knowledge and increase their exposure to the engineering industry. So I have to rely heavily on my mentor’s help and guidance to make sure I present these ideas in the appropriate and correct manner for my students. It needs to be fun, easy to understand and make real-world connections. I will also need the support of our team with Kenan Fellows to make sure the lessons I plan are quality lessons that can benefit more than just my class. It will be a long journey, but an exciting one for my students and me!

Last week Siobhan and I met with Mark Meno at FRC and discovered everything that goes on at this location and the wide range of engineering positions. It was exciting, overwhelming, intriguing and inspiring. We received a crash course into various departments at FRC as well as the personnel behind these departments.

The next day we met with Bill Fortney to gain more insight into the engineering process and see some things they have done in their engineering courses. It is a little intimidating trying to develop the best possible lesson plans for my kindergarten students, but I have no doubt in my mind that with the help of both of my mentors the lessons will be fantastic and exciting.