Month: March 2017

My students were working on a project to create a trap to catch a leprechaun.  They had to work in groups/learning teams.  They each had a job in their project and their job had to be completed in order for the trap to be “successful.”  One student was slacking on their part and the group realized their trap would not work if he did not finish.  The light bulb turned on for this little boy and motivated him to complete his part in the group project.  It was definitely a moment to celebrate.

That moment definitely grew from my experience as a Kenan Fellow.  I saw first hand the importance of a team pulling together to complete a project. It makes me proud to see my students see the importance as well.

My fellowship has definitely changed me as a teacher.  I have been a leader at my school, but now have taken more of a leadership role in the county.  I’m part of a K-8 math team and we have a common goal to improve math scores in our county.  There is frequent collaboration of math vocabulary, math strategies, and pros/cons of our math curriculum.

I am also more aware of what is going on in my classroom.  I’ve been more intentional at planning more group work and using higher order questions.  I learned how important problem solving was and is throughout my fellowship.