I am so excited to be a Kenan Fellow! Most people that I’ve told, however, have reacted with confusion…
But you’re an English teacher, right?
I think many don’t understand why a literature teacher is interested in STEM education, or what genetics could possibly have to do with her subject. I tell them that I aced biology courses in college, that I find genetics fascinating, that there are absolutely valuable connections to English…
They nod. They smile. The imagine, perhaps, me catching my lab coat on fire.
When I decided to become a teacher, I knew I wanted to push kids to take risks with their learning, to get outside their intellectual comfort zones. How can I expect kids to take risks if I don’t take them myself?
I love it! I’m a Chemistry/Earth & Environmental Science teacher with a passion for literature (I minored in American lit), and I’m always talking to my students about the importance of reading and writing and how literature helps reflect and shape our culture. I’m excited to have you as a fellow participant.
That’s awesome! I think kids listen when you plug something that’s not your subject. It doesn’t mean as much when I tell my kids to read (it’s my “thing” after all) as when their chemistry teacher does!