Our professional development institutes are packed full of teaching strategies and teacher leadership sessions. The extensive planning behind the institutes is obvious. (Thank you, Lisa, Craig, Elaine, Randy, and Amneris!) My time spent at these institutes has been well worth it, because it has been unlike any other professional development I have ever had.
It is difficult to identify which institute was the most meaningful, because each institute fulfilled a special purpose in the Kenan Fellows Program mission. I feel many of us walked into our first session with the deer in the headlights look. Because the Kenan experience is so unique, it is hard to know what to expect. For me, the biggest take-aways of the first session was building a network among the fellows and learning what our experience would entail. It sounds simple enough, but it was necessary to make every other part of our fellowship meaningful.
My favorite part of the July institute was the part when the NC Museum of Natural Science leaders shared how to do citizen science in our classroom. I am excited about using the INaturalist app in my classroom during our ecosystems unit this spring. One of the most practical takeaways was the time we took to familiarize ourselves with our elected officials. Because so much of our field is dictated by the political realm, we need to stay informed. As both a teacher and as a citizen, I desire to stay informed. Usually around election season, I do a good job of researching candidates to become an informed voter, but I do not stay on top of things as much as I should during the “election off season.” After this session, I went home and contacted each of my legislators at the state and national level.
The most significant parts of the October institute for me were the NC Spin and meeting the legislators. I liked that the NC Spin participants were mostly respectful of each other and targeted the issue, rather than the person. Later that day, when our representatives arrived, I was happy I was able to recognize the face of the person who represents my district in the NC House of Representatives. Seeing someone in person, shaking their hand, and seeing how they talk can change your perception of a legislator. A website or thirty second television ad can only tell you so much about a candidate. As mentioned in a previous blog, Representative Stam will be visiting my classroom in February, because of the connections I have made during the KFP institutes. I am glad my students will have the same opportunity to meet their representative in person, talk with him, and shake his hand as I did.
The Kenan Fellows Program professional development is very different than any other professional development experience I have had in the past. For starters, within the last few years, districts have transitioned to a more local model with PD to reduce registration and travel expenses to state and national conferences. Although I understand the reasoning behind the change, it can be limited. About 90% of the professional development I have had outside of my Kenan Fellows Program experience has been within the confines on my building. Fortunately, there are some amazing teachers within my building, and I have learned so much from them. However, it is easy to become near sighted when all professional development is localized.
Additionally, after ten years in this profession, I have never had a the benefit of a mentor or trainer to show me the ropes of navigating the political landscape as a full time teacher. It is so important that TEACHERS are advocating for EDUCATION, because we are the experts, but we are not the experts of politics, at least I am not. The KFP institutes gave me strategies for interacting within the political realm of education, while still doing what I want to do – teach.
My favorite things about my Kenan experience really isn’t the big take aways, but rather the small, manageable changes I am making and have mentioned throughout my blogs. When I do my “stump speech” about what my fellowship means to me, I almost feel like I’m making a list. It’s so hard to summarize it in a few minutes. (Yes, Craig, I’ll continue to practice to make it better.) I thought I’d end this blog with just a couple of pictures (worth more than 1,000 words, right?) which captured moments in my classroom that never would have occurred without my Kenan experience.
