In a word, excitement…..that is what has developed from my creation of the unit for the Kenan Program. This excitement has developed in many ways, in my students, colleagues, administrator, and myself. Excitement for what we are learning in class, how lessons are written, activities that are planned…..what once may have been looked upon as a tedious activity is now looked upon with a new perspective.

My students display this excitement as we prepare for new activities. Prior to the use of the Kenan unit, my students had never been overly excited about poetry. It was hard, confusing, boring…all complaints I heard over the years. I chose to incorporate poetry into my Kenan unit, and to the wonderment of my students, they actually enjoyed (and understood) it!

My colleagues were excited to learn of my selection as a Kenan fellow and anticipated the unit I would produce. Sharing my work allowed them to see what was expected of lessons using specific strategies targeted towards ELA Common Core standards. As a result, they have shared many lessons asking for advice on acceptable strategies to use in instruction.

My administrator was thrilled at my selection and pleased to see the different strategies I was using in my ELA lessons. She was especially pleased to know that this unit and some of the lessons would be videotaped to share with other teachers across the state.

Finally, I have been impacted through my work with the Kenan unit, not only in my planning but also in how I approach lessons. Specifically, I chose to incorporate poetry into the unit to attack my own feelings of inadequacy in teaching this genre. Through work with my DPI mentor, I have learned different approaches to teaching poetry and strengthened my overall teaching of ELA standards. I know this will benefit my current and future students!