I wasn’t sure what I was walking into heading up to Cullowhee for NCCAT this week. I knew it was a week of professional development, I know we were going white water rafting, I knew that I would get to meet all the other amazing Kenan Fellows that form the 2015-2016 cohort. I hoped that it would make me a better teacher and I hoped that I would get a sense of what amazing things were going on in other unique and innovative classrooms.

Well just two days in I feel I am already becoming a better teacher because of the amazing teachers around me. I have been humbled and amazed by the talent and enthusiasm around me. The fellows here in my cohort and from previous cohorts truly are teacher leaders who are transforming education. These are teachers who thrive on collaboration and actively talk about what they’re doing in their own classrooms and are more than happy to share ideas.This kind of active sharing and listening happens all the time at meals, in PD sessions, even on hikes up the mountain. It’s awe inspiring to see the focus and drive of all these amazing educators here together.

I keep thinking of all the challenges we face in education and the longer I’m here the more I realize that this is how we rise to those challenges, this collaboration and connection between passionate educators who aren’t afraid to break the mold. I am now realizing just how important advocating for this profession we all love so dearly is: these are outstanding people who are passionate about what they do and work amazingly hard for their students and schools everyday. Surrounding myself with these outstanding teachers is also how I’ll become a better teacher, these are people who are in a classroom everyday trying to better themselves and hearing how they would teach something or what unique aspects of themselves they bring into their classrooms that I could make my own will undoubtedly make me a better teacher.