As I sit reflecting on the first three days of the 2019 Summer Institute I find myself experiencing a myriad emotions and thoughts. The sheer volume of information I have received in this short period feels like trying to take a drink from a fire hose. Some of it has hit me hard and smack in my face, other parts have glanced off my ears and top of my head and landed beside or behind me, but with such emphasis I know it is still there.
Thankfully I am not the only one. Other fellows are looking just as dazed as I am feeling, and I know that I have a list of their email addresses that will allow me to connect with them in the days and weeks to come while I continue to sort through and process the information I’ve received. For this I am immeasurably grateful! Having like-minded professionals to turn to is both a comfort and an encouragement.
My journey to Kenan has been unexpected. When I first received information on the fellowship I had not previously heard about it. As a 5th year teacher who took over 10 years off between years 2 and 3, I had fallen off the educational radar to some degree. Policies, procedures, even terminology have changed radically since I first received my certification in 2004. Not teaching during those years means I was out of the loop, and not only had to reinstate my certification, but also learn many of the day to day aspects of modern education whose evolution I missed. I applied for the fellowship not expecting to make the first round of finalists, much less be awarded a position.
I repeatedly come back to the idea of gratitude as I begin my Kenan journey. Gratitude for the Principal who sent me the information about Kenan; gratitude towards those who wrote my recommendations; gratitude for my family and friends who cheered me on and expressed their confidence in me; and gratitude for this amazing group of teacher leaders that I now call friends and colleagues.
I imagine all 27 of us standing in a line in front of that fire hose. Whatever missed my face directly may have smacked one of you front and center. I know that I can turn to you for that information because we are a team. We are one. We are Kenan.
So, I’m a little behind the eight-ball. What is this fellowship? What are they teaching you? It it to enhance your teaching skills?
Yes! It’s a program designed to create teacher leaders in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). It partners teachers with community businesses to allows us to create programs in our classrooms that guide students to careers in these fields. More information is available at http://www.KenanFellows.org