(This is my Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) cohort at our very first meeting in Colorado. I'm the one with braids.)This weekend I was asked to be a "candidate mother" at KSTF's annual selection meeting. Knowles thought it would be good to have current fellows there to answer the questions (and calm the nerves) of the interviewees. There were four of us fellows there and our job was basically to talk to the candidates all day, which was wonderful and exhausting. There were some really amazing people there, and I've got my fingers crossed for some of them (including my student teacher). We'll find out in April who made it! There were 24 science, 18 math, and 12 biology candidates (if my memory serves).
Those who are offered fellowships will be required to participate in an online discussion board with other fellows, create a portfolio of their progress for each year of the fellowship (renewable for up to five years), participate in professional development during the summer, attend three fellows meetings per year, and either pursue their licensure in education or hold a full-time teaching position. In return, the foundation gives the fellows a stipend in the summer, financial support for a mentor of their choosing, membership in a professional association like NSTA, funding for academic year and summertime professional development
as well as the three fellows meetings, mini-grants for classroom materials, and they give each fellow copies of the best science or math curricula available (like ASU's Modeling Curriculum, or Physics by Inquiry, or Living By Science).
There are so many things I'm leaving out here (like funding for National Board Certification, and professional observation, and Lesson Study)... but the point, anyway, is that if you know any soon-to-be science or math teachers you should totally tell them to apply.
As cheesy as it sounds, this fellowship has made me into the teacher I am today.
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