When you teach 170 students in 6 classes each day, you’re bound to experience many moments where the lightbulb finally goes off for a student. For me, this is most special when seen in my most challenging class. This particular class has a very interesting cast of characters. They are often unmotivated and uninterested in science concepts. This is in large part… Read more »
The KFP experience has definitely made a impact on me as an educator and as a person. Generally, I am quite introverted but definitely come alive and am very vocal within my classroom and with my students. Within this school year, I have seen myself begin to speak up much more within faculty meetings and be more outspoken about the… Read more »
Throughout the Kenan process the most valuable resource is definitely the Fellow-Mentor relationship. I had the honor of working with microbiologist Dr. Julia Stevens in the Genomics Lab of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science. While Julia was my primary mentor, we also had Dr. Julie Urban working in the lab with us most days. Both Julie and Julia… Read more »
During the KFP process, one of the most valuable components is the inclusion of three Professional Advancement Institutes throughout the year. During the institutes, we were able to discuss various topics that impact our lives as educators both in and outside of the classroom. Topics ranged from incorporating technology into the classroom to discussing decisions made by politicians and lawmakers that… Read more »
I am SIX weeks into my fourth year as a sixth grade science teacher! I have no idea where all of the time has gone. I have had a very interesting start to the year this year. I have taken on new leadership roles and have more students than I ever had before. This presents new obstacles but I feel… Read more »
I have honestly neglected keeping up with my blog since the last Professional Advancement session with the other Kenans in Raleigh….back in July! I have been travelling and getting ready for the new school year. This year, I have picked up a few new roles (6th grade team lead, cooperating teacher to a fantastic student teacher, and bringing on two… Read more »
This past Wednesday marked the end of my summer commitments to the Kenan Fellows Program. This is a bit surreal but I am definitely ready to feel like it’s actually Summer Break 🙂 However, this has been the most amazing non-break that I have ever been a part of. Working with my mentors was an experience that I will always… Read more »
One of the most important components of the citizen science project that I have been a part of is figuring out a way for any and every one to be able to contribute to the project in a very meaningful way. In a nutshell, our project focuses on finding plants that have similar microbial patterns as dandelions. Dandelions are very… Read more »
I’m just over two weeks into my experience at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and this has truly been a career and life changing experience! (I think I have said that 1 million times in the past two weeks!) We are working hard to create lessons and protocols that any teacher can use, regardless of experience, time, or funding…. Read more »
Coming in to this fellowship experience, my initial goals were very superficial. I thought that this experience would simply allow me to have a chance to actually do science to go back and share with my students by writing correlating curriculum. After only four days in the internship, I now see that my goals must be way deeper than that…. Read more »
