Every Week is a New Adventure

Coming down the final stretch of my student teaching experience, I couldn't believe what has happened and all that I have been through. Everything I have experienced so far has been amazing, and has shaped me in many ways to obtain my own identity as a future educator in any setting. This week was no different and I was able to plan and implement my own educational program, do some outreach for Shaver's Creek, and get into action teaching school children for our Guided Nature Center Visits. The weeks keep going faster and faster, but I feel like I am hitting my stride as an educator in many ways.

Monday, I was able to start my week off with another great faculty meeting, growing professionally as an educator. This week was especially fun for me because I actually had something good to say. On Sunday evening, I found out that   I passed both my Agriculture and General Sciences Praxis Exams! I was ecstatic about this accomplishment, especially because I took both on the same day and was completely drained after the whole ordeal. I was so proud I could share this with everyone at the faculty meeting, and it truly felt like a  burden was lifted off my shoulders. After the meeting, I had another mission. On Tuesday, I would be running my own program to a school of students from John Browne High School. I was given the opportunity to create my own program for them, and I had to create all of the logistics and oversee two other staff members at Shaver's Creek to accomplish this. It was a bit hectic trying to get everything ready, but I had a good team and we got items figured out and ready for the next day.

Tuesday, boy was it a crazy day. All morning I had to help the other Shaver's Creek staff with their Guided Nature Center Visits as a logistics coordinator and observer. Once that part of my day was over, I jumped right into my other role, as program coordinator, to prepare my staff and our stations for the high school students coming from Flushing, New York. We met the students and provided a great program for about 60, 10th and 11th grade students rotating around wildlife conservation, reptiles and amphibians, and Birds of Prey. We worked this program around their needs, because it was the first time ever visiting Shaver's Creek. After the program, their teacher, an Ag teacher actually, told me how much  she enjoyed the program and would want to come back in the coming years. I was so nervous throughout the whole day, but once I started the program it went very smoothly and in a blink of an eye it was over. The day was an awesome mixture of teaching and coordinating, and I grew so much from combining both roles. I had a long day, but I had so many other things to look forward too the rest of the week.

After Tuesday, I was really excited to do another program, but this one would be completely different than I was used to. I was working today on my first Traveling Bird Show. I was going with two other interns to the Ag Day in the HUB at Penn State, and I was going to be educating about Shaver's Creek and the opportunities it encompasses with agriculture education and the natural world. I experienced first hand the cooperation, planning, and skills necessary to make a good program to a large public crowd. I had a blast during the day and taught many people, of all ages, about the animals and opportunities at Shaver's Creek. I was even featured on one of the Penn State News websites holding a Black Rat Snake as one of the interesting photos of the day. I had so much fun, and it was a good way to understand audiences, vary teaching techniques, and reach multiple knowledge levels. I used numerous animals as education tools and was very passionate about the information I conveyed to the public.

The last part of the week was going to be spent working back at Shaver's Creek on educating through nature center visits. On Thursday, I did my final observation for the field walks because there are a few different types, so I finally had all of the knowledge necessary to provide a quality program for our audiences. On Friday, I was teaching kindergarten and first grade students about many different wildlife species. I had to know about eight different wildlife stations for the day, but once I started it was like riding a bike again. I had a blast with the small children in my group, and used many techniques throughout the day to manage and teach the group about everything. I definitely see growth in my tone and voice used when teaching, and also the connections, objectives, and themes that I try to create for my students as take home messages. All things considered, it was another hectic week, but very fun and interesting.

Through all of my teaching experiences so far, I am still unsure about where and what I want to do when I graduate. I see the merit in both formal and non-formall educational settings, but I can't limit myself to one choice right now. I have had many numerous "aha!" moments throughout student teaching at both sites so far, so I feel both are in play for me as a future educator. Most importantly, though, I feel like I'm building my professional portfolio to greater heights to be the best educator I can be.

It was a pleasure to write for you.