Last week I officially started working with my Kenan Fellow mentor, Amanda Bradshaw with the Sampson County Cooperative Extension Service. In just the few times we have met I have found her to be full of information and so well rounded. She possesses such a broad understanding of agriculture, education, politics, and industry and I am so excited to learn from her in the coming weeks.

My experience revolves around the growing alternative fuels energy, especially here in Sampson County. Last week, I was part of a workshop for teachers my mentor was leading about a new Biofuels Curriculum that she and the state have been developing over the past few years.

Maybe I’m just extra nerdy, but I couldn’t get enough of biofuels. We started with the curriculum and then visited the research farms that were fueling (ha… see what I did there?) the need for this curriculum and then visited some local businesses that were putting the concepts in the curriculum to work in real life. I went home everyday talking about what I’d learned to anyone (my poor husband) and anything (yes, my dogs got some knowledge dropped on them too) that would listen. It was so exciting  to see alternative fuels in action. I had this misconception that this was the waves of the future and that these technologies were years down the road but in just a few days my eyes were opened to the fact that they are here! Right now! Being used to fuel our cars, power feed mills, heat water, run farm equipment, and so much more. And this is just the beginning! I am so excited to see what else Amanda has in store for the rest of the summer!

Another aspect of my Kenan experience involves helping my mentor with teaching some of the summer workshops they offer through 4-H. You would think as a teacher that this part would come very easily and naturally to me but as it turns out, this part has caused me to stretch the most and the workshops haven’t even happened yet!

My workshop participants  vary in age from “a little younger than what I’m used to” all the way to “a LOT younger than what I’m used to.” Because of this, I know that they will come in and be at all different levels– academically and emotionally. This has posed some challenging questions: How can I modify an activity for a child who hasn’t learned to read yet? How can I explain a scientific concept in terms that a six year old can understand? How can I keep a child engaged who has never sat in a formal classroom?

Finding answers to these questions has required  me to get creative. It has been a challenge and a stretch so far but I truly feel this will ultimately carry over to improve my teaching in the classroom as well. As sad as it may be, I encounter high school students who present the same challenges types of challenges: illiteracy, lack of prior knowledge, behavioral challenges. And if I can get creative enough, this experience will help me meet each child on his own level.

And so it begins, a summer of growth and challenge and thinking outside of the box. I have already learned so much and we’re just getting started! I can’t wait to see what the rest of this experience holds!