The Possibilities are Endless

Working in my internship was an eye opening experience in many ways. After starting back on the workdays as a teacher, I was already starting to see how transformative of an experience my internship time was. We began talking about how Amazon is going to have a grocery store completely different than any that we have now. We looked at how an 18-wheeler truck company is making self-driving trucks. This spurred the conversation of how we teach our students. Many teachers shared how these new jobs scared them in a way.

After my time with LORD I began to see how we are preparing our students for jobs that we don’t even know exist yet, but that’s okay! At LORD they’re making thermally conductive batteries and adhesives that are better for the environment. The things they’re doing today were not products or ideas 100 years ago when the company was first started. Technology has always changed things. The thing about education is that we have to be adaptable. If we build a strong foundation and love of STEM, reading, etc, then we are preparing our students to succeed no matter what career they may choose. Even if it doesn’t yet exist!

Being a Teacher Extern

My experience as a LORD teacher extern has been filled with many ups, and a few downs as well. I had the opportunity to be involved in multiple parts of the LORD Corporation during my five short weeks this summer. One of my most interesting moments at LORD had to be when I first started working on my epoxy. I was given a recipe of chemicals and then had to go through the whole process of making both sides of the epoxy. It was really exciting to be able to say that I made this adhesive from start to finish! Another interesting moment, completely unrelated to my own project, was being able to get in LORD’s helicopter simulator! It was really awesome to see how LORD’s technology touches so many different fields.

My biggest challenge stands out vividly in my mind. After being so excited about having made an epoxy all on my own, I then had to test it and collect data. This was really neat until the data didn’t turn out the way that it should have. I immediately got frustrated with myself and my formulation. For as much as we tell our students that mistakes are great, I certainly wasn’t practicing what I preach in that moment. I went to my mentor and told him what happened. He seemed to think it was a possible simple fix such as how long we let the epoxy cure, or the time we gave it to stick together. But on the other hand it could have been how I made the epoxy and he suggested remaking it. I was so annoyed with myself. I hadn’t failed like this in so long! After fixing my epoxy and reflecting back, I was able to see from my students’ perspectives how frustrating it can be to make a mistake. This was a huge lesson for me so that I can frame mistakes for my students in a better, more relatable way. After figuring out the problem, I was so excited again. This really showed me the importance of perseverance after a failure.

One of my biggest takeaways from this experience other than what I learned from my mistake early on, was how invaluable hands-on experience is. We are always told as teachers to make learning fun and hands-on. But this can be a challenge. At the same time, without the opportunity to get my hands dirty and work on the epoxy myself, I don’t think I would have learned half as much in my time here at LORD. Being able to work through chemistry that I do not professional background in and yet be successful (with the support of a great team) has shown me how students who may not always have the best background knowledge or foundation can still succeed. This lesson is something that will stick with me for the rest of my career, and I hope will make me a better teacher in the end.

Lab -> Classroom

My experience with LORD, working in the labs has been one that I will never forget. I wouldn’t have ever guessed that I could learn so much in such a short amount of time. When I first started at LORD, I was overwhelmed with the information, technology, and resources in front of me. I sort of felt like there was so much technical stuff that there was no way I was going to be able to make this experience applicable to 4th grade and other elementary grade curriculum.

But luckily for me, my mentor had such a simple yet loaded idea for me. Variables.

Once we started talking about how variables affect so many things, from science to day-to-day life, my mind began bubbling with ideas! Then the problem went from no ideas to too many ideas. I had to snap myself back to reality and think about what sort of lessons and projects were achievable in my short time. I began working intently in the lab and learning about how my epoxy adhesive could be affected by so many different variables. I could have gone down a rabbit hole with all of the different variables!

When I started to think about classroom applications for variables and curriculum connections, my mind went to slime, literally. Then I had to figure out how to take slime and make it a learning experience. Magnets! Part of the 4th grade science curriculum deals with magnets. Then magnet slime and its variations came to mind. I was so excited to be able to take challenges that scientists face everyday and allow my students to experience that as well as formulate a love of STEM.

 

Summer Institute

I have had an incredible time at the KFP Summer Institute! The amount of useful information that I have gained is insane. I normally walk away from PD with a few ideas that I may or may not be able to easily put into action in my classroom. After this week at NCCAT, I am excited for the new school year to implement all of the amazing ideas that I have gotten. Plus, white water rafting was pretty awesome to do too!

The biggest thing that I plan to implement in my classroom isn’t a tangible thing or some cool app (although I plan to use plenty of those too!). I am going to implement my brand in the decisions that I make in my classroom. I feel as if I’ve been struggling to find my identity as a teacher. But I have a new sense of direction for my classroom that I am excited to put into action! By keeping my brand: Welcoming. Dynamic. Life Long Learning. in mind, I will have a clear direction with the decisions I make for and in my classroom.

I have a renewed sense of purpose for teaching after my time in the Summer Institute. Usually PD is a break from the everyday hustle and bustle of the classroom. There isn’t always some big take away that I can pinpoint and I don’t feel as if my perspective is always valued at other PD. However, this week I have felt important and that I have a say in what I am absorbing and taking back to my school community. I am excited to see where this experience plus my externship with LORD takes me as an educator!

 

Kenan Fellow Future

I hope to gain quite a few things from my experience as a Kenan Fellow. I want to further myself as a leader in my profession and as a learner. I believe if I can grow as a leader and a learner that this will impact my students positively as an effect. I also hope to directly impact my students by creating great STEM curriculum from the experiences provided through the Kenan Fellows program. Overall, I hope to gain a new sense of direction in my career that will elevate me as a professional for years to come!