My experience as a Kenan Fellow has not changed my outlook on education;it has provided me with the tools to continue developing my ever-evolving teaching style. Primarily, at the first professional development session held in Cullowee, I learned about new instructional tools and concepts that I may use to engage my students. These sessions were extremely powerful because I was able learn as well as enjoy nature. There is something about the mountains that provide such peace and clarity. I believe the theme of the first round of professional development sessions was if we create meaningful, relevant lessons then students will WANT to learn. They will be engaged. Designing lessons that challenge students will ALWAYS yield engagement. Engagement will yield learning. Learning will yield students who are prepared for the 21st century workforce!
The second round of professional development was held in Hunt library. These sessions were extremely enlightening. I believe that if we (teachers) are to make change in education then we have to learn how to interact with the politicians who make decisions about our profession. There are two simple ways to engage a politician: (1) ask them for coffee, and/or (2) invite them to your class. As a result of this training, I will make an effort to really be an agent of change for teachers and students. I plan to reach out to our local politicians and invite them to my class.
During the training at Hunt Library, we engaged in an “Mock House/Senate exercise. We were charged with creating budget with 21 billion dollars. During this time, we were pulled to speak with various lobbyist. While, all this was happening we were informed that the budget had changed. This process was extremely stressful and difficult to make things happen. This activity really provided me with a unique experience of how difficult the jobs our politicians are. It makes me want to focus even more on working with teams and managing tasks in my classes. These are such an important skills. Only through practice will our students be prepared to work effectively in collaborative teams to produce positive results. Just imagine a world where there is no teamwork……
