Tired, but Incredibly Inspired

This is my first blog post, ever- so please bear with me! My name is Caroline Olson and I am a 2019-2020 Kenan Fellow. I just completed my 4^th year of teaching high school special education in Raleigh, North Carolina. Applying to this program, I was aware that it was geared towards STEM teachers. After I received my acceptance letter, I was super excited but also admittedly nervous, as I anticipated that I would be a ‘fish out of water’ in comparison to the STEM experts that would likely make up this cohort. As I’m nearing the end of our Summer Institute at NCCAT, I am blown away by how diverse this group is and the unique contributions that each of us bring to the table. Each one of us has our own area of expertise, purposefully crafted together to complete a puzzle that makes us stronger together as a Fellows unit. Whether we are specialists in pedagogy, physics, math, biology, literacy, technology, or teaching English as a second language, we are all working towards a common goal of improving the lives of the students in our classrooms. Therefore, the highlight of my week was making connections with fellow educators through cross curricular collaborations. Making connections not only took place in our classroom PD sessions, but also on walks, scavenger hunts, kayak rides, and evening patio PD. My ‘gratitude tank’ is full.

One thing that I plan to implement in my classroom is a scavenger hunt using apps such as GooseChase and iNaturalist. GooseChase would work really well for my students because I am able to differentiate the means by which students submit evidence (photos, text, GPS, videos). This is not only engaging, but meets the learners where they are in terms of reading and writing levels. Including iNaturalist would allow for hands-on instruction in our school environment as well as our local community as we document our “finds” as Citizen Scientists.

This week of PD was very different from other PDs that I have attended in the past. The main reason for this is that all of the presenters (mainly from Steering Committee) have been in our shoes at some point in their career (all Kenan Fellows). Because of this, the enthusiasm and investment on their end was obvious and sustained throughout the entire week. One of my favorite “mantras” reads- ‘Wherever you are, be all there.’ I truly felt like everyone at NCCAT was present every day. This is not the case with other PDs that I have attended. We engaged, laughed, bonded, and learned from one another. I am excited to see where this journey will take all of us!

-Caroline