When planning the field trip for 110+ students to visit Bayer, I would have never predicted that a student would fall so much in love with the company itself. As we were loading buses to leave a co-worker pulled me aside to jokingly warn me that one of her students was ready to bombard me with questions about how he could get a job at Bayer when grew up because he wanted one. This teacher was unaware that said student had already presented me with  a masterpiece he had created on scrap paper: he had added a heart to enclose the Bayer logo we are all familiar with.

While this post is delayed, I’m glad that I have a chance to capture the excitement from our field trip that took place last Friday. What was special about the student mentioned above is that while this student was not particularly at-risk, he was also a difficult student to authentically engage in learning. More exciting than a light bulb moment, is when a light-bulb moment appears and we least expect it. My co-worker was really surprised by his reaction to the trip because she said that he has rarely shown that level of engagement in anything they have learned about this year in her classroom.

I’ve always been concerned that I was not doing enough to make my fellowship experience accessible to students beyond my classroom. After completing this field trip, I see this as an opportunity that we can continue to collaborate with Bayer on in the future so that future fifth grade students at our school have this experience.

Will the student mentioned above become an employee of Bayer? Who knows? What I do know is that he will never forget how he felt at the end of that trip when he spent an entire day seeing what it could be like to be employed as a scientist somewhere one day.

In my last blog post I discussed some of the research I learned about this summer during my internship. A valuable part of observing research was considering how the research process enabled employees to grow within their positions. And isn’t this what we want out of our education system more than anything; to find a way to enable our students to grow in their role as students?

It was very exciting to consider the research and innovation that employees contribute to their everyday work duties. For example, when working with greenhouse employees I met an employee who has recently completely restructured pest control within the greenhouses onsite at RTP. As sealed as the greenhouse is, pests are still able to find their way into the greenhouse and interact with plants. After spending a significant amount of time spraying for the pests, an employee successfully piloted a program that uses biological control agents to eradicate the greenhouse of pests. Due to the success of this program, the greenhouse is only conducting 8% of the sprays that it was performing prior to the introduction of biological control agents. What was so neat to me about this situation was that conducting the sprays was one seemingly small aspect of this employee’s job; yet, he took it upon himself to think about alternatives to the time consuming practice and make a positive change.

Learning this new information was accompanied by a few challenges. I still do not feel like I have a strong comprehension of the process that occurs when using agrobacterium for the transformation of plants. Scientifically, I have seen diagrams and listened to a few employees describe it. Unfortunately, it did not work out that I had an opportunity to spend time at the innovation center where this takes place. The innovation center is crucial because it is the starting point of all of the research that is conducted. Once plants have been deemed successful enough they are transplanted and moved to the greenhouses at the RTP site in addition to some greenhouse space that Bayer has leased at Duke University for further testing. If the plants are successful in the greenhouse, they can be transplanted to actual fields. Without spending time at the innovation center I feel like I know that I have missed on some of the cutting-edge research taking place at Bayer CropScience.

While I may have missed out on some of the DNA and plant research taking place, I had no shortage of exposure to the research being conducted to ensure bee care health. Bayer is passionate about bee care health due to the connection of bees as pollinators. I had the opportunity to visit a bee research facility in Clayton, North Carolina as well as the onsite bee research center at RTP. In all cases, research is constantly being done to determine the decline of bee populations. At this point many contributing factors have been identified: queen failure, genetic weakness, parasites, pesticides, diseases, beekeeping practices, weather patterns, and nutrition access. Varroa and tracheal mites have devastated bee hives. Bayer has been researching solutions for the varroa mite by designing an apparatus at the entrance of a bee hive that removes mites from afflicted bees before they enter the hive. To help solve the mite problem one strategy has been to improve management practices. It has been determined that the best management practices are intensive and constant of keeping hives free of mites.

I had the opportunity to attend a Bayer hosted training for local beekeepers to inform them about how to manage their hives based on the most current research. Another example of public outreach from the research that has been conducted is the “Feed a bee” campaign. Lack of food for bees has been cited as a cause of declining bee populations so Bayer started a campaign by offering wildflower seeds to individuals and organizations to provide food for bees. Partners of the project include the NC Department of Transportation (planting flowers on medians and shoulders of interstates) and golf courses. These examples of public outreach demonstrate that it is not just research that is important, but also how research translates into practice. In these instances, I was surprised to see the public outreach connections created from scientific research. I would be curious to learn about other examples of public outreach driven by scientific research in this way from other companies.

While the preceding examples capture just a few of the many exposures to scientific research that I encountered this summer, they were examples that stood out during my experiences. Another connection that I made throughout my research observations was the importance of lab safety throughout the many lab settings that I encountered. I found this emphasis reassuring of the time teachers spend in in middle grades and high school emphasizing lab safety. The practices for science and engineering outlined by the Next Generations Science Standards framework make a lot of sense when I consider the research that I observed and the research that continues to occur. The practices, if followed with accountability and fidelity, will lead students to be successful in settings where research takes place. I hope that partnerships such as Kenan Fellows between education and industry continue to grow to make stronger connections where both sides can continue to exchange ideas and learn from each other.

Learning about current research and scientific practices was a highlight of my fellowship with Bayer CropScience. Prior to my time at Bayer, I had little background knowledge of the agriculture industry itself so I was prepared to spend time learning a significant amount of new information. What I had not considered was the immense innovation of technology in agricultural science. Taking only intro level science courses in college life, physical, and earth sciences have always felt separated to me. This summer I was able to see all of these sciences applied through the agriculture industry. It makes sense that this application of technology is necessary because according to statistics shared with me at Bayer, worldwide we will need to produce 60% more food than we do today in order to sustain the anticipated population growth.

After spending time with the EnSa (environmental safety) team, I had a better sense of how numbers of such small value could have great meaning. The EnSa team works to understand what happens to a pesticide in nature and analyzes samples to detect levels of pesticides on food/water. I spent time learning about what would be equivalent to a ppm (part per million) and ppb (part per billion). An equivalent to 1 ppb is a single drop of a substance in a gasoline tanker. The resources that the EnSa team has at its disposal can detect traces of pesticides at this level. This learning was particularly exciting for me to think about because in fifth grade math we encounter values at this level. Working with the EnSa team to learn about how they use these small values in their findings to create risk assessments was a neat way to think about how such tiny numbers are applied on a daily basis.

The research that the EnSa team is conducting to determine the impact of pesticides on soil and water sources after hours, days, months, and even years of initial and repeated applications is critical for the product cycle. Our culture is hyperaware of the facts that it wants to be aware of in relation to pesticide use and the EnSa research can be used to support the work being conducted at Bayer that may otherwise be criticized. It was new for me to consider how strong the connection between research and public relations could be for a company. Of course, I must also consider that the research is conducted in the depth that it is mainly due to EPA standards and regulations and not for the sole purpose of public relations, but it was an interesting connection to consider nonetheless.

Often people envy a teacher’s job solely for a chance at having summers “off” forever.  Of course anyone with a third or even sixth degree connection to a teacher knows that we are never off, but always thinking with our classrooms in mind. It is clear that the Kenan Fellows program is an outstanding example of what a teacher’s summer should look like. Relaxing, reflecting, redefining goals, and doing something professional were outlined as keys to a meaningful summer for teachers. Kenan Fellows provided me opportunities for all of the preceding components.

Breaks and downtime were strategically placed throughout our professional development sessions in order to provide time for us to relax in the company of other energized, passionate, and hard-working colleagues. The relaxation and reflection pieces were often intertwined. Some of my most meaningful conversations from this program took place during the less structured downtimes. Having the chance to listen and think about what science instruction looks like across both grade levels and communities in comparison to the varied summer internship experiences as Kenan Fellows allowed us all to have a different perspective on science instruction in our own classrooms. How could I connect my classroom with others in the school? This was a question that I had not considered before my experiences, but after listening to ways that fellows had already used or planned to use to connect their students with their school communities my brain was flowing with ideas for my students to work with others when I returned in August. One teacher spoke about starting a school garden as a PBL. Another teacher spoke about her upper grades students mentoring lower grades students as they grew plants by helping the lower grades students design scientific questions to ask throughout their trials in order to help upper grade students develop a stronger understanding of the scientific method. Together, these ideas inspired me to write a grant to receive materials to begin a school compost. My students are currently working on figuring out how the compost will operate and how to involve our entire school community in the project. And to think that all of this came from the “relaxing” part of my summer experience it is no wonder that my year has felt very different in a positive way in my classroom.

Being able to work in a professional setting allowed me to very naturally reflect on and redefine goals for my classroom setting. Keeping my classroom in mind, I was surprised at how hard I tried to find all of my students a potential job during my time at Bayer CropScience. Perhaps it was because I was moving from department to department at a rapid pace and was trying to make connections to better understand all of the new information I was taking in. Regardless of why, between the personalities that I encountered and specialized tasks for various jobs I found myself constantly thinking about which of my students would fit into certain positions where they could be successful. This wasn’t the case for solely my most recent students either, I was suddenly thinking of students from years past as well. As the experience remains fresh in my mind, I have continued this thinking in the new school year and have made post-internship assessments of what positions my new students could fit into. Reflecting in this way allowed me to see that there is truly a place for everyone in scientific settings. This has led me on a mission of finding ways to make a place for all students in my science lessons.

There are countless other curriculum-based connections and reflections I made throughout my internship at Bayer that have led to adjustments in my goals for student outcomes. However numerous these may be, I keep coming back to the importance of finding a comfortable “niche” for all students in the science classroom because as with anything in teaching, the relationship piece is so vital. With many of my previous students having a natural affinity for science lessons due to nuance and curiosity, I realized this summer that I had not given as much thought as I am capable of giving to ensure that students not only find roles, but find the best roles for their learning in science.

My reflections and realizations could not have happened as part of my day-to-day mentality that is driven by my classroom and role as a teacher. To someone outside of the world of education it may appear contradictory that I would need to step out of my classroom in order to better my teaching; but because I was able to step out of my classroom while keeping my classroom in mind, I was able to have paradigm shifts in my concepts of what teaching and learning could look like in my classroom.

What I’m trying to say here is that I’m not sure there is one particular advancement institute that was my favorite because the parts I have truly been able to take away from each are equally important. It is difficult to separate the institutes because I see them each as puzzle pieces that come together to form part of a puzzle that I am always putting together in my journey as a teacher.

Habitable Hornets is the title of a Bright Ideas grant that I have applied for. I first found about about this grant opportunity through our July advancement institute. At this point I have successfully submitted the grant application.

The project will consist of a team of fifth grade students leading our school in starting a composting program. In addition to recording data from the compost, students will design and implement a plan to train and monitor students in lower grades.

The project consists of three main goals:

1. Sustainability-authentically introduce students to one method of sustainable living: composting.
2. Leadership skills- fifth grade students will develop leadership skills by researching how to use a compost and create an implementation method for the entire school.
3. Content-this project relates to many specific content goals in math and science at various grade levels. For example, as part of the project fifth grade students will be responsible for monitoring the temperature of the compost to make sure that it remains stable. Reading and interpreting data would be a mathematical content goal as well as a science goal of using instruments to make accurate observations.

In addition to the PD opportunity to speculate ideas for the grant through our institutes, I also attribute my interest to composting from my fellowship at Bayer. Understanding the mission of Bayer and need for their mission helped me realize the limits that farmers are currently working with in order to sustain and feed a world. I have always been aware of the need for sustainable living, but working more closely with the numbers and furthering my understanding has increased my interest.

Apply for this grant is just one example of how the Kenan fellowship has already impacted my school year, I look forward to seeing what comes next!

As I consider my summer experience at Bayer I realize that it provided me with a unique opportunity to grow as both a person and educator. Having the experience of working outside of the education sector, but still being able to contribute my education knowledge and background left me with a meaningful connection to Bayer and an increased passion for my role as an educator in my classroom.

I spent a lot of time being a genuine student over the summer and this was a useful part of the experience for me. Although this is only my fourth year teaching and I recently attended Duke for my gifted education licensure all of the settings that I have participated in as a student in recent years have been in an area that is my forte—education. This summer I was a student in an area that I had little background knowledge in (crop science) and it opened me to the experience that my students most likely encounter on a daily basis in regards to at least subject area that is taught. I also have to consider that I had an advantage over my students: I didn’t have to worry about receiving a formal grade for my work and experiences. A number of my specific take away ideas from the summer stem from this root of being a genuine student tasked with learning about product cycle of Bayer CropScience.

From this experience of being a student I have intentions of shifting my vocabulary instruction. In various ways I had been taught that ideally vocabulary should be taught in context so that students could make meaning of the new words presented to them. Even better, would be if students “discovered” the words along the way through a problem-based learning task or full blown project-based learning. What I found out this summer in my role as student was quite contrary to the concept of vocabulary in context. What I longed for over and over was a preview of the vocabulary words so that I could see, hear, and touch the words before I went into the meetings where every fourth word was unfamiliar to me. I was meeting with new and varied departments each day and it was difficult to keep up with the masses of information that I needed to take in. As a result of this experience, my intention is to specifically preview vocabulary words with students both at the beginning of a unit and the start of lessons in order to lay a foundation for when I do bring the vocabulary into context. I used to think that it would not benefit students to show them new words in isolation but I realize now that hearing and seeing a word before being expected to apply it to a new skill or concept is valuable.

Being a teacher leader is so much easier said than done. A lot of our professional development has centered around empowering us to be leaders in both our individual schools and districts. Fortunately, I have already had many opportunities to lead in my school and district. What I have found frustrating and troubling is the general morale and work ethic of teachers. I haven’t been teaching long enough to know if this is typical or if there is a correlation between public policy and its effect on teachers. I think that our professional development topics related to teacher leadership have been beneficial, but I also am not sure that I feel equipped the way that the program wants me to be in order to be a successful change agent in my current setting. Something I struggle with is that as a teacher leader I genuinely want to learn and know as much as I can about my students, for my students, from others. I want to collaborate and have targeted conversations with those around me to find out what can work for our students. That culture does not exist everywhere and I often found myself daydreaming this summer of the potential of ideas for working collaboratively but now that I am back in school reality sinks in.

Being inspired by the EdCamp model that we were introduced to at our June PD summit at NCCAT, I thought about offering a miniature EdCamp at our school during staff meeting time since many co-workers have mentioned a lack of quality PD and I have experienced success with this model. I surveyed my staff and asked the following questions 1) what is your top PD need? 2) what is a secondary PD need? 3) what PD area/topic do you feel like you could contribute to? It was a quick Google survey…or so I thought. After sending the survey twice, I received only five responses from a staff of about forty teachers. I feel like for the EdCamp model to work, individuals need to be invested in it, and if people are not willing to complete the survey, I would be surprised if they would be willing to try out this new structure. Examples of situations like this come up often in my working environment that make me question the usefulness of the teacher leadership PD if we know that many teachers are content with their current situations and not looking to partner or collaborate with others. In my experience the most successful examples of collaboration with other teachers have been those in which both parties were genuinely invested in the project/idea. This brings me back to the fact that I was able to absorb the teacher leadership PD information in such a way that has enabled me to meet goals that the Kenan Fellows program has outline for participants.

The examples are endless of what I have been able to take away and use with my students from my experiences this summer with Bayer CropScience. A more direct link is that as a result of my work with the Passage Home program, I am now the field trip coordinator on a my grade level. I know that throughout the year and hopefully in future years, my opportunity with this fellowship will continue to surprise me in new ways as I find multiple applications of my project and work that can lead to positive outcomes for my students.

Imagine my surprise when I am sitting in back to school PD and a fellow teacher presents something identical to mite research that I had observed during my Bayer experience. A slight difference was that trees were being used instead of mites. How could mites and trees even remotely resemble each other? The teacher had arbitrarily selected something that could be copy and pasted all over a piece of paper. Students were tasked with estimating how many trees were on the page. The teacher led us through different strategies and ways that students could use equations to determine how many trees were on the page. All that I could see were the quadrants that bee researchers used in the Bee Care center to count mites.

A strategy used by researchers to help count all of the mites is to break up the samples into quadrants so that the total number of mites can be estimated with greater accuracy. Sure enough, the teacher proceeded to present examples of students who had broken up their page of trees into different area to help count the trees on the page. So I started thinking how neat it would be to do this lesson with my students and use the mite example to help students see how research use some of the same skills they are capable of, even as fifth graders.

I developed a lesson plan that can be found by clicking on this link to share at the district level: Mites Lesson. My students have not yet arrived and I can already see how I will be able to use my summer experience to enrich learning for my students. Had I not had the fellowship I did, I would never have made this connection while the teacher was presenting.

Through the professional advancement institutes and my development dialogue at Bayer, I have determined professional development goals for my year ahead. By working on these goals, I hope that my instruction will improve and that student achievement and engagement will increase. As teachers we are dedicated to forever being lifelong learners. The chart below details the goals, resources needed, and potential barriers to reaching these goals.