Hello world, my name is Shannon Bowman. I am a 2019-2020 Kenan Fellow. A little about me is that I am a middle school teacher in Raleigh, NC and I have a beautiful family complete with my husband and 3 children. I am a passionate educator who strongly believes that all students can achieve, are capable of meeting high standards, and are deserving of love and second chances. I consider myself a lifelong learner and genuinely look forward to meaningful professional development.
When I hit submit on my Kenan Fellows application, my full intentions were to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I am not the most outgoing person at first and I am relatively new to NC to I wanted an avenue to stretch my boundaries. On top of that, my passion for education has pushed me to want to help and do more within the education profession. I would like to use this opportunity to become a mentor for future teachers.
Something new about me that I am discovering is that more than ever, I am interested in helping educational companies develop curriculum as well as change the way professional development is delivered in all professions. I believe lessons can be fun, diverse, and informative regardless of the topic. I want to help change the way that not only children are taught, but also adults. I hope that the networking opportunities with this fellowship help me grow as an educator. I hope to understand the corporate world better so that I can help guide my students into the workforce as meaningful contributors to society. In addition, I would enjoy helping corporations find more engaging and meaningful ways to roll out initiatives for their staff.
I have a lot of hopes for this fellowship but above all else, I hope to discover new things about myself. Ready or not, here I come.