I am so excited to have the opportunity to be a Kenan Fellow for many reasons:

1. I love to be a learner.
2. I’m excited to get kids excited about STEM in elementary school.
3. I have more questions than answers.
4. I enjoy collaborative learning.
5. Thinking all the time!

I will teach third grade at Washington GT Elementary School in Raleigh. I am a second career teacher. Or maybe third or fourth career … I started my professional journey in the high-tech industry as a QA  engineer and then product manager in the 80s. I was constantly learning and trying new things. I was fortunate to stay at home when my daughter was born. However, I could not “just” be a stay at home mom, though I loved it. I joined several boards and organizations to keep my skills sharp. I became a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and worked hard to bring paper crafting to others. Then, my husband said it was time to be a teacher.

I was accepted to Lesley University’s Elementary Cohort. Talk about fun!! I loved learning how to be a teacher. I loved the others in my cohort, We would share all our ideas and experiences. Learning at it’s best.

My first teaching position was 4th grade at Pawtucketville Elementary School in Lowell MA. An urban school with a diverse population. I did not have much parent support so I asked my friends to be my “room mom”. In my town, there was a rush to be the room mom. But in Lowell, most parents worked.

Then, my family moved to Raleigh. I interviewed at several schools, but knew that Combs Elementary School was the place for me. After 8 years at Combs, I was ready for a change. I am starting at Washington GT Elementary School in August. I am excited to be at Washington. I hope to develop an elective for innovation or engineering for the school and Wake County.

A long-winded history, but this is important because my fellowship fits me to a T! I am working with Lee who is all about innovation and thinking differently. She provides me many opportunities to learn about the business and the market. My goal from my internship is to gather some great cooperative learning projects and have my students THINK about what direction they should go. To challenge my students to make some dotted-line connections to other topics or learning opportunities.

I’m not sure what it will look like in the end, but it will definitely be about THINKING!