I applied for the Kenan Fellowship this year because of the strong encouragement from my colleagues.  All three of them told me that the Kenan program opened several doors for them by helping them to create connections with scientists and other enthusiastic teachers.  They said the relationships they formed throughout the program have lasted years and have made them better teachers.  So I am looking forward to meeting more of the current Kenan Fellows next week at our professional development.  I have already formed connections with my mentor and the other people here at the Morehead Planetarium where I have been working this week.  It is so beneficial to have access to resources outside of my school and I’m excited to build on these relationships throughout my teaching career.

The second goal is to improve my technology skills.  It is so important to (attempt to) stay current on the new technologies that are being developed.  I try hard to keep up with my students, but I find that more often than not, they are the ones who end up teaching me about technology.  So I was hoping that throughout the process of working with professionals and challenging myself to complete the Kenan program, I would enhance my abilities this summer.

My last goal is specific to my fellowship.  I am working on creating a high school component for the NC Science Festival that involves a “Discussion Room” where students debate current issues in science.  I love to do this in my own classroom, but I do not feel that I am experienced enough to do it well.  Holding a debate about a controversial topic with teenagers requires a definite skill!  I am hoping to improve that skill this summer because I really believe that bringing real world discussions into my lessons will help make chemistry seem more applicable to my students’ lives.