One of my students had a “light bulb” moment that has stuck with me this entire school year. It didn’t have to do with the content, but with their learning in general. I try and stress to my students that physics is difficult, but it is something they can all master. I also make sure to let them know that grades are not everything. It’s hard to say something like that to a group of juniors and seniors in high school, because, for them, grades actually are everything. The students I teach mostly come from loving homes and the most stress that they encounter comes from which 4 year university they’ll go to. Not whether or not college is something they will do after high school, but WHICH college they will go to after high school. This one young lady was very adamant about getting an A. She had always gotten As in high school and she was worried that physics would ruin that streak. By the end of the semester that worry wasn’t there anymore. You may think that’s because it was the end of the semester and she got the grade she wanted, but it wasn’t. I have my students write a letter to future AP Physics students and share with them whatever wisdom they wished was shared with them before they started the class. She had shared that this was one of the toughest classes she had taken, but as soon as she let go of the expectation of getting an A she learned the most.

Did that moment grow from my experience as a Kenan Fellow? I’m honestly not sure, but it didn’t hurt that I spent my fellowship with a lot of teachers that liked to focus on reflection rather than grades. I think that I ended up providing more feedback to back up the grades in that class and that could have helped this young lady grow as a student and reach her “light bulb” moment.