What a week it has been!

Last Thursday we had a session with Capitol Hill staffers and Lobbyists to learn about how all of this whole thing works. My government class with Mr Gilstrap back at Pickens Middle School didn't quite cover all of these details. 
Then Friday I started work in my office. I got to meet some of the staff, met with my mentor Lauren, and got to shop in the office supplies to set my desk up. So many pretty notebooks and post it notes and stuff! I also got a phone, laptop, and my official email. I told mom I am not adult enough for all this. 
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Had a low key weekend, washed clothes, swept and mopped, and hung out with Dixie and Winston a bit. Then back to work. I have completed the trainings for working in the House. Learned all about ethics, cyber security, and how legislation works. Well not all of it, but I'm getting there! 

One of the things we do during the fellowship is a personal Professional Development plan. We pick three ways to grow and make a plan for how to manage it. Our areas of growth are leadership, teaching STEM, and helping grow the field of STEM. I'm still working all of it out, but I have a good start. I'm also planning a trip to Mew Mexico to visit the district. I will attend the New Mexico Science Teachers Conference, visit White Sands National Park, and hopefully meet teachers and do a listening session to help connect Washington with the area. I am excited!

Tonight some of the Fellows visited Nationals Park for a game against the Yankees. I forgot how much I love baseball. I only knew 2 Yankee players, Jazz and Stanton because they are former Marlins guys. And Aaron Judge because...he is Aaron Judge. It was a hot night, but a good time to relax with new friends. 

My husband Konstantin is coming Saturday. It's our anniversary and I have Monday off. We have big plans for the Library of Congress, Drunk Shakespeare, and a few surprises! 

It's past my bedtime so I will sign off. I'm excited to learn more about the inner working of government and maybe help make something useful happen for the future of education. 

Teacher friends if you are learning about our national monuments and want to zoom with me for a live or recorded visit...let me know! I would love to do STEM from the Capitol building! 

Hello friends!
Welcome to the first Washington Wednesday. Each week I will post an uodate of my adventures/misadventures in Washington as I explore, work, learn, and grow through my experience with the Albert Einstein Fellowship.
I have settled into my amazing apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. I am in what they call an English Garden Apartment, also known as a basement. It is small but just perfect for me. upstairs is a barber shop and Loc studio. They have been kind and helpful as I settle in. 

Monday 8/19 we started training with the Department of Energy and ORISE. There is so much information it becomes overwhelming at times. A cool thing we did today (8/21) was take our official photos with the Albert Einstein statue. I iwll post those official pictures when they are released, in the meantime enjoy these snapshots from Kelly Day from the Department of Energy and former Einstein Fellow. In the afternoon we spent time diving into our DiSC assessment results. I am an i which means I am energetic, expressive, loud, and enjoy being with people. I pull people in with my enthusiasm and can sometimes be over the top. I dont know where they got that...I am so quiet and demure....yea right. Check out the image with more information on DiSC. 

Tomorrow (8/22) I have training on Capitol Hill. I am excited to hear from longtime Hill staffers as they share the Do's and Don'ts, the Who, How, What, and When and so much more. 

On a personal note I have a theme for this year "I can do hard things". That was supposed to be my classroom theme, but became my personal mantra. I have managed to take out my own trash, walk to the grocery store alone, hang up art around the apartment, and navigate the metro all by myself and with my Fellow friends as well. As brave as I can be, this has been a challenge. I am still pushing myself to try new activities, foods, and travel opportunities. 

This weekend the plan is visiting the National Book Festival. (https://www.loc.gov/events/2024-national-book-festival/). There is also a cultural festivql I may try to hit up if the books don't keep me too busy! Next week I will be in the office and officially working! We have a baseball outing with the Fellows as well, so another crazy week!

If you are planning a trip to DC, let me know and we can meet up! If you need STEM ideas, reports from the monuments, government info, and more...reach out! We can do a live from DC it's Mrs. P time!

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