When I began my experience with the Kenan Fellows Program last year, I had no idea the opportunities it would bring.
Among other things, I can count the following as resulting (directly or indirectly) from my fellowship:
- Broader professional network
I can count my mentor (Dr. Stephanie Schuttler) at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and many of the people she works with as friends and professional resources. I have connected with over three-fourths of the people in my cohort on social media. Many of us get together every couple of months to check in with each other.
I look forward to our Kenan gatherings with great anticipation. The teachers in the program are positive, motivated solution-seekers and enjoy discussing various aspects of education. You will be pushed to think in new ways and entertain new perspectives. There were a few exercises that we did at the Professional Advancement Institutes that felt like getting a peek behind the curtain that is public education.
- Practice writing legitimate science curriculum
Just today, I finished my final draft of my curriculum. My students are loving their experience combining science and literacy in the eMammal program. Each time we check the memory cards to see what animals passed through our schoolyard, the students wait with bated breath. Coyotes, deer, foxes, raccoons, possums, and squirrels surprise the students each time. We do close readings on various mammal-related scientific texts and students are practicing standards-based reading and writing skills while learning about the nature that exists around them.
- NCCAT visit
Have you been to the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching? It is INCREDIBLE. If you are an educator in North Carolina, you must sign up for one of their professional development offerings. In the first week of the Kenan Fellows Program, you will travel to Cullowhee, NC and spend a week diving into your fellowship. You’ll develop relationships, feel inspired, build confidence in terms of approaching your fellowship, and participate in TOP-NOTCH professional development.
- More money in my savings account
I can’t look past it–one benefit of the fellowship is that it is paid. As a teacher, if I can spend part of my summer improving my craft and putting money in the bank, that is a great opportunity.
I am undoubtedly a better teacher for having participated in the Kenan Fellows Program, and I am immensely grateful.