On September 25th, 2023 I attended the 2nd Year September Forum where we asked questions to a panel of teaching fellow alumnae who are in their first years of teaching. This panel was my favorite event this semester because I think the experiences and opinions that these alumnae shared are so valuable and honest about the teaching profession. These panels also really inspire me and make me excited to learn about all the opportunities and experiences that are in my near future. 

For the September All Fellows Forum, we listened to our speaker, North Carolina's Teacher of the Year. During this forum she shared her experience in education as a student and as a teacher. From this forum I learned that it is important to be transparent and vulnerable with your students, and to give everyone grace, especially on bad days. I cherished her advice to be vulnerable to your students because it important that as teachers we take ourselves off a pedestal and connect with our students on their level in order to form the best relationships.

On October 30th I attended our forum where Captain Tomczak spoke to us about Student Resource Officers and Critical Incidents within schools. This forum was very important because I learned a lot of information about Student Resource Officers such as what their jobs are and how to best utalize their skills. I also found this forum interesting because there are so much about SRO's that I did not know before. I will definitely use what I learned in this forum to form a relationship with the SRO in the school I teach in.

During this All Fellow Forum we heard from the WCPSS Teacher of the Year, Terry Hennings as he talked about equity in the classroom. I found his story very interesting and encouraging because Mr Hennings had not started his career in education, rather he found a passion for teaching later in his life and then really excelled at his job by being a voice for his students. His passion and love for his students was inspiring to listen to and I plan on taking his advice about advocating for every student into my career. 

For an optional Teaching Fellow event, I attended Building Bridges where we learned about non-profit organizations that support schools and students who are underprivileged. An example of a profit I talked with was the Boys and Girls Club. I learned so much important information as we discussed the importance of after-school care. I learned that, especially in lower-income areas, after-school care is critical for the success of many children who do not have academic and social resources provided to them at home. After this event, I am aware of more issues that may arise in my students' home lives and will refer students and families to after-school care programs available in the area.