To say this year has been a challenge would be an understatement. Usually, I enjoy a challenge. I even seek out challenging opportunities like Kenan Fellowships. I love to learn new things and am constantly on the look out for new engaging materials and lessons for my students. I feel, however, like I have been on a moving train that changes direction constantly with a plethora of different compartments all needing attendance at once. That has been teaching in the year of COVID. I have stripped my curriculum to only the most important concepts – power units. I have taught on camera, in-person, on camera and in-person and completely remote in my room by myself at any different time throughout the year. I have changed my lessons from in-class and hands-on to virtual stand alone lessons with home hands-on that could be done safely. I moved from typical multiple choice and essay tests to a more open ended mini-projects based assessments run on an app.
The new technology I was exposed to over the Summer Institute allowed me to think outside the box in this new COVID educational world that is most certainly outside the box. The Summer Immersion experience at Eaton of Forest City provided the themes in which I would sculpt each unit PBL assessment, integrating my Eaton experiences with my classroom content. The constant offering of support from the Kenan program enabled me to go out on a different limb I may not have tried. Our educational world is ever changing (both for the good and the bad) and we that are in the trenches need programs like the Kenan Fellowhip to foster our growth potential and to provide us with new experiences that become part of our new armor of teaching. An armor that can withstand the demands of our job and change or morph for the betterment of our students. I was able to use an app called Goosechase to craft three power unit assessments that included concept understanding, engaging hands-on and over-arcing themes of social and professional skills needed for student growth in chemistry, communication and sustainability.
I am very honored to have been selected to be a Kenan Fellow this year and know that the skills, friendships and connections I have made this crazy year will continue to help me grow as a lifelong learner and teacher as I hope to continue to share with my students and my colleagues my year as a Kenan Fellow.
