As I have said before, this fellowship has had a huge impact on me personally and professionally! It has pushed me to be a better teacher in so many ways. I have began to look at my instruction from a very different perspective. I know that the curriculum guides my instruction but the ways in which I pursue it is very different. No longer do I rely on a text or pacing guide to drive my instruction. I am more focussed on meaningful activities that will help my students be more prepared for the real world.
I also feel that I have become even more of a teacher leader. I have always been willing to help others but I now reach out more often to other teachers to give and receive new ideas. I have also began collaborating with my science teacher to create curriculum that is going to cross over into both of our classrooms. Our students will be able to see a real-world connection between the scientific concepts that they are using within her classroom and how we can analyze the data that they are gathering within our math class. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity!