A Year in the Life of an Einstein Fellow
Terrie Rust

INSTALLMENT TWO

June 2010
My first experience as an Einstein Fellow took place June 27-30, 2010. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Einstein Fellowship, there was a summit held in Washington, DC. The E20 Summit’s purpose was to bring together Fellows from the 20 years of the program to discuss experiences and issues relating to STEM topics. A summary of the issues and suggestions discussed was then to be distributed to congressional offices for possible policy initiation. (Some of the Fellows personally delivered this policy statement the day after the Summit.)

About 80 former and current Fellows attended. I really appreciated hearing about the previous Fellows’ experiences. They varied according to the offices each worked for. One worked on the Hill with (then) Senator Obama. He is fortunate to now hold a position in the Education Department and advises (now) President Obama. WOW! 

Only about one-third of the Fellows went back to the classroom. These stories were often disheartening. While some schools welcomed their teachers back, some felt that the Fellows were now “above” teaching in their school and didn’t want them back! Instead of embracing what the teachers could contribute with their insights and experiences, some of their colleagues shunned them or looked at them with contempt for wanting to do more than the status quo at their schools and in their districts.

The other two-thirds of the Fellows had other options after their initial year as a Fellow. Some were invited to spend a second year as a Fellow in the same office. Others made some fabulous contacts and were offered jobs within the agencies where they spent their Fellowship or at other agencies. One of the benefits of the Fellowship, I was told, was the many contacts you make. These contacts were ones that Fellows benefitted from well beyond their year as a Fellow.

Although I spent a day and a half looking for housing, I was not successful.  I did, however, decide on two specific locations where I would focus my search.  There are lots of places to rent; they’re just very expensive, in general.  I am confident I’ll have housing secured before mid-July.  The job begins at the end of August.

One thing I realized after this weekend at the E20 Summit was that being selected as an Einstein Fellow is perhaps THE most prestigious position a teacher can hold in this country. A Fellow is looked upon as an expert in their field, and the agencies selecting you hold you in very high esteem. 

To say that I am extremely excited to move to the DC area and begin what I know will be an extraordinary year is an understatement. I look forward to sharing my experiences with my ITEEA colleagues. 

INSTALLMENT ONE

The First Steps
One of the best things I’ve discovered about ITEEA is the IdeaGarden listserv. During the past few years, some of our collective conversations have centered on the importance of ITEEA members making a difference in their communities and professions. Although I have been a voice on my campus, in my district, and in my state, I’ve often wondered how I could do more. So, in the fall of 2009, when someone in the Garden passed along the information regarding an opportunity to apply for the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, I decided my time to act was now. The Einstein Fellowship allows primary and secondary teachers of science, math, or technology a chance to work with federal agencies in Washington, DC, such as the NSF, NASA, DOE, NIST, and Congress. The goal is to provide our unique K-12 perspective to guide programs and/or legislation that affects education on a national level.   (See program details at: http://www.trianglecoalition.org/fellows/einapp.htm )

I spent about three weeks preparing the application in December and selected those who I believed would provide excellent references. Once the application was completed and submitted, the wait began! About mid-February I received word that I was one of the 50 (out of over 200) being considered. Those 50 would have their applications reviewed by the various agencies in search of Fellows for the 2010-2011 term and those candidates would be flown to Washington, DC in March for interviews. A week later I learned I was going to be offered the opportunity to interview with three divisions within the National Science Foundation. Thirty-eight of us made this important cut. Only 20 positions would be offered.

The trip to Washington, DC in March was just a few days before the ITEEA Conference in Charlotte. Meeting the other candidates was amazing. Each one had made outstanding contributions in their fields. I felt honored, but at the same time, humbled. We had time to speak with the 2009-2010 Fellows and toured the DC and Arlington areas to see neighborhoods for possible housing locations. We were also able to tour the NSF offices. All the interviews took place at the Department of Energy. A large reception room was prepared for us. It was here where we prepared our notes for our interviews, ate lunch, killed time, and chatted with each other as we returned from our interviews. After my interviews were finished, I was allowed to leave. The following day I was on a plane to Charlotte.

Many of the interviewers were going to the NSTA conference after the interviews, so we had been told that offers for Fellowship positions would be made by phone in approximately 10 days. As you can imagine, this waiting period seemed to stretch on for eternity! My phone call came on the 11th day. It was good news:  I was being offered a Fellowship with the NSF Lifelong Learning Cluster. 

In the following months I will be relating reports on my preparations to move to Washington, DC for the next school year and my experiences as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, a position I will hold with honor, as I represent my district, my state, my fellow technology teachers, and ITEEA.