Tomorrow begins Week 2 at the Nature Research Center, which is part of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Many of us have already expressed disappointment that Week 1 is over… this experience has been amazing.

I believe that we learn best through experiencing things. We learn our best lessons about interpersonal relationships through making and maintaining friendships, but also through losing touch with people or sometimes actively choosing to end friendships. We learn our best lessons about how to be good employees through gaining promotions, being written up, and setting and maintaining personal goals.

It only logically follows that we learn our best lessons about how to be an attentive scientist, an inspired historian, a talented linguist, a brilliant artist or a curious mathematician through experience.

The good folks at the Kenan Fellows Program completely immerse you in your fellowship. You have no choice but to learn through experience. As an educator, I strive to do the same for my students–and at times, I succeed. I try to design lessons to hit the senses and get kids active, but there is always room to grow. And this is one area in which my fellowship has already inspired me to be a better educator.

We have a long list of goals that we are tackling in the next couple of weeks. We’re delegating some, sharing some, and peer-editing all of them.

I can’t wait to inspire the same sense of awe and curiosity about mammals that Dr. Schuttler and Dr. Kays have inspired in me.

Week 2 holds a lot–small mammal trapping, curriculum development, data analysis, field guide creation, and more…

Also, Week 2 holds my third anniversary with this lovely lady:

Life’s good.