Describe a moment when your students experienced an “Ah-Ha” or “light bulb” moment because of something you taught them.

• Did that moment grow from your experience as a Kenan Fellow? If so, how?

My initial Ah-Ha moment was not Kenan related yet I’ve had some that were related to Kenan Fellows. At the beginning of the school year i teach my students the Art of Annotation.  I tech 6th grade so when they come to me they are not fully aware of Close Reading of text and how to break it down more.  While I was teaching, the kids were complaining about taking notes in the margin, underlining text, putting a cloud around key vocabulary words, etc.  I kept enforcing the importance of annotation and about a month into school, I heard a group of kids say that Annotation of the text made them feel smarter because they were getting the answer right when I called on them in class.  At that moment I felt super proud of my students as well as myself.

Describe ways your fellowship has changed you. Consider how you collaborate with peers, discover new talents and learn about STEM careers.

This fellowship has changed the way I teach.  I do more probing question type lessons that allows the students to research and come up with their own conclusion.

At the end of last year our school began renovations for our new STEM lab.  This particular change has been a huge eye opener for our staff and students.  Our students enjoy learning about robots, car mechanics, and other STEM related topics.  Since this new edition to our school, our school has begun taking trips to colleges that do lessons on STEM topics for our students to become more hands on.  This gives them the opportunity to problem solve on their own and accomplish some challenging tasks.

The Kenan Fellow/Mentor partnership is the foundation of our program. What does this partnership mean to you? This was an amazing experience to work in a place that I knew very little about.  My mentor was great.  He allowed me to work at my own pace and to have a chance to talk with many of the workers.  I realized that this company was more than just a job, it was a family.  At the very end of my internship, I created a presentation to present at the final meeting and I entitled it “We Are Family”.  This company is just that.

• Did you work with a single mentor or multiple professionals? Both. My mentor was Chris Jarman, but I also worked with the trainee of the company. I also was allowed to visit Mega Force weekly to look at potential workers for the company and James Sprunt Community College to meet with workers who had to complete a HRD course before working at National Spinning.
• Describe a time when your mentor helped you understand something or helped you have an “ah-ha” moment.  My ah-ha moment came when my mentor and I were touring the plant looking for some new hires to check on them and to see how they were progressing. As we were walking, some of the employees stopped my mentor and discussed some issues. Many people would have pushed the employees issues to the side but my mentor didn’t.  As soon as we got back to the office he talked to the supervisors about these issues and some of the problems were handled within the week.  He showed me that no matter how busy you may be, always take time for your workers.  I made sure I do that every day.  I make it a priority of mine to talk to every single student of mine on a daily basis.
• Discuss the working relationship between you and your mentor. Did you work side-by-side? Did he/she allow you to work on your own? After the first week I was able to work alone.  I reported to him on a daily basis.
• What do you consider to be the lasting impact of this relationship? The passion we have for seeing all be successful.
• Do you plan to work together after the fellowship ends? My mentor is no longer with National Spinning.  He is now self employed.  I actually incorporated his new business in my project that my students did for Kenan Fellows.

Having completed all three Professional Advancement Institutes, what does this experience mean to you?

All three Professional Institutes were beneficial.  They provided me with the opportunity to view all aspects of education and not just being in the classroom.  It made me  more aware of the way our government works and how it has to determine what our tax payer dollars should be spent on.  I was able to find out more about myself as well.  Being giving the opportunity to step outside of the classroom and look at it in a different light was an eye opener. I was able to relinquish more power to my students in order for them to become leaders in the classroom.

• Of the three institutes which one did you find the most valuable and why? I benefited from all three but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed our initial meeting in Cullowhee.  During the week, I was given so many new ideas to try in my class that made me realize that I needed to be the teacher that found ways to get all of my kids excited about education.  I use to be very formal and did things one way.  I realized that it was acceptable for my students to make their own rules for their PBL’s and to give them a way to show me what they have learned besides on paper.
• How do the three institutes compare to other PD that you have had in the past? Previous PD’s that I have attended were basic and did not really cater to my needs.  No not all of the sessions that I attended via Kenan were used in my classroom but I was able to share some of the ideas with other teachers on my team and they have been able to use ideas in their class as well.  Through this fellowship, I have begun to tune in more to NC Spin.