What a great day to be in the mountains of NC. It has been years since I last visited this beautiful landscape. When I think of a mountaintop experience, I think of exactly what the vision NCCAT has for teachers here – a renewing of the mind and soul.

This past year has been the toughest year in my teaching career. I went from just teaching 6th grade science, to teaching both science and math in 6th grade. A lot of things just didn’t work out. My students’ standardized test scores were… not great. Honestly, it was a year I was happy to get through and get done, and get ready to move on.

So I’m ready for the renewal, and its been a great day just to be on the mountain with some phenomenal teachers from across the state.

I think I’m also going to find renewal through this Kenan Fellowship. When I discuss the program with others, some cringe with the amount of work that they perceive needs to be done. I don’t see it that way. I see it as an opportunity to reset my career, charge my batteries, experience a renaissance. I look forward to the challenges that the opportunity presents.

What excites me most is the chance that students will get to participate in “real” science. The model of citizen science in the classroom (as radical as it might be) is intriguing, and I can only imagine students making new discoveries of the natural world.  As much as I hope for discovery – I also look forward to the failures and “missteps” that students might experience. That’s how “real” science works, right?

Professionally, I believe this fellowship will be a stepping stone in my career. Not necessarily out of the classroom, but to be a better educator.

Lastly, I’m already enjoying the new friends and colleagues I’m meeting here in Cullowhee. Our first day activities have already brought out the creativity in the group and the fun. The Students Discover cohort of the 2014-15 Kenan Fellows established a new record in the marble/pipe pass activity with a time of 12 seconds. Check out the video below.