RALEIGH, N.C. —The Fall Professional Learning Institute for the 2022-23 Kenan Fellows was on Oct. 20-21 at the NC Farm Bureau headquarters in Raleigh. This is the second of three professional development institutes that Kenan Fellows attend as part of the yearlong fellowship.
The institute’s theme is Nurturing a Culture of Positivity and the two-day seminar provided strategies to help Kenan Fellows build a productive and healthy classroom and school community. Members of the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership Faculty, along with subject matter experts, designed and delivered the sessions.
Phil Boyte of Learning for Living shared techniques and best practices on fostering connection and engagement to create a positive school culture. Carrie Horton, program manager, and Paul Cancellieri, alum and faculty member, provided a framework for having difficult conversations while maintaining a culture of trust. Cancellieri and Amy Houser, a middle school educator, shared tools for creating a culture of feedback through student empowerment.
Faculty members and alumni, Alphonso Donaldson and Keith Burgess, shared strategies for culturally relevant teaching. Donaldson and Dr. Jamie Lathan, another faculty member and alum, led a book study on diversity, equity and inclusion. Below are photos from the two-day institute.
This experience has given me tools and more confidence in areas that I have only dreamt about.
CMS Duke Energy Kenan Fellow Karen Kyei-Fordjour
