In my internship, my goals are many: learn how to utilize various laboratory techniques, assist with lab goals/projects, and come away with deepened content knowledge that I can share with my students. As an educator, it behooves me to stay current with my content and with innovative technology. The only way to get students to buy in to my dense curriculum is if I have the skills and knowledge to back it up. As such, my internship is providing me with the credibility to make my curriculum as engaging and tangible as possible.
The unexpected outcomes of my internship so far are my comfort and confidence in trying new things, working independently, and “translating” my educational life into this new laboratory setting. These are skills and personal traits that I did not expect to gain from my internship experience. Having this new self-assurance is something that I hope to instill not only in my students, but also in my department members and school. I want to encourage others to take risks; to step outside of their comfort zone; to try something just for the sake of learning. I truly hope that both my expected goals and unexpected outcomes are life skills that I can use to inspire my students and motivate other educators (cheesy as it sounds).
I’m having a lot of fun as a Kenan Fellow and learning a lot. My experience so far has far exceeded my expectations.