For my blog post this week, I decided to mix it up and create a video blog. It is one of the first ones I have ever completed, so I hope you enjoy watching it. This was a test trial so hopefully in future weeks I can add to the videos and create a better viewing experience for my readers. I focused mostly on growing and changing some items this week, due to my supervisor visit occurring on Monday.
Here is the link to the video blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVeJRkmmY1M
It was a pleasure to write for you.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
The Third Week, Wait it's Already Over?!
It already seems that the week has come and gone, and I can't believe that I am already three weeks into my student teaching experience. This week was a bit crazy, and there were some firsts and other events that I have never experienced before.
On Monday, I had my first little hiccup as a student teacher. I took the students out to the greenhouse, and when they got there they said it was locked. I didn't think twice and ran back into the class to get a key. When I got into the class, I realized that there was no key for the greenhouse. Rookie mistake #1. As I went back out there was a few students who were acting up. I realized I had left the class alone. Rookie mistake #2. It was literally gone for 20 seconds, and this was a slap in the face that anything can happen with high school students. I really didn't think anything of it so I moved on with the class. I taught the rest of the class and then at the end I asked for one of the students to stay behind. My cooperating teacher stepped in to help, because he got the full story from one of the aids that were with the class. We talked to the students involved and got down to the bottom of it. It was nice to both handle the situation because they saw the severity of the incident and also gave me a bit more credibility by helping handle the situation. Everything ended up okay, but it was an interesting situation that was very unexpected.
STUDENT TEACHER LESSON OF THE DAY: DON'T LEAVE YOUR STUDENTS ALONE!!!
Now, this situation gave me a lot to think about, and I realized just asking a student to run in and get the specific thing, or just simply trying the door myself would have not put me in this situation. I like to think you can trust all students, but that's not always the case. I was happy to have a great learning experience, but I am just relieved that nothing worse happened.
As I taught on Tuesday, I kept the students very engaged with a guided study worksheet. It was a great technique to get all of the information across, while engaging the students throughout class. I was pleased with the lessons of the day, and it was a nice, smooth day after my Monday incident.
On Wednesday I experienced my first SNOW DAY!!!!! There was about a foot of snow on the ground, and I was shocked at how much came down. I wish I would have taken a picture, but there was an enormous amount. It was nice to get some items finished up and relax for a bit, because on Thursday and Friday I was going back to State College to experience my first Record Book Judging Contest.
I was very intrigued to how this judging would go, since I had never previously done it before. I worked with my students a bit to get their books ready, but I was still a rookie. I walked in knowing nothing, and when I walked out, I was exhausted. Both days were full of many record books and just a pure get it done work ethic. It was amazing to see some great agriculture teachers and the system to grade all of the books. Although I was tired after both days, it was a good learning experience to see the winners chosen and broaden my horizon through this professional development.
It was a pleasure to write for you.
On Monday, I had my first little hiccup as a student teacher. I took the students out to the greenhouse, and when they got there they said it was locked. I didn't think twice and ran back into the class to get a key. When I got into the class, I realized that there was no key for the greenhouse. Rookie mistake #1. As I went back out there was a few students who were acting up. I realized I had left the class alone. Rookie mistake #2. It was literally gone for 20 seconds, and this was a slap in the face that anything can happen with high school students. I really didn't think anything of it so I moved on with the class. I taught the rest of the class and then at the end I asked for one of the students to stay behind. My cooperating teacher stepped in to help, because he got the full story from one of the aids that were with the class. We talked to the students involved and got down to the bottom of it. It was nice to both handle the situation because they saw the severity of the incident and also gave me a bit more credibility by helping handle the situation. Everything ended up okay, but it was an interesting situation that was very unexpected.
STUDENT TEACHER LESSON OF THE DAY: DON'T LEAVE YOUR STUDENTS ALONE!!!
Now, this situation gave me a lot to think about, and I realized just asking a student to run in and get the specific thing, or just simply trying the door myself would have not put me in this situation. I like to think you can trust all students, but that's not always the case. I was happy to have a great learning experience, but I am just relieved that nothing worse happened.
As I taught on Tuesday, I kept the students very engaged with a guided study worksheet. It was a great technique to get all of the information across, while engaging the students throughout class. I was pleased with the lessons of the day, and it was a nice, smooth day after my Monday incident.
On Wednesday I experienced my first SNOW DAY!!!!! There was about a foot of snow on the ground, and I was shocked at how much came down. I wish I would have taken a picture, but there was an enormous amount. It was nice to get some items finished up and relax for a bit, because on Thursday and Friday I was going back to State College to experience my first Record Book Judging Contest.
I was very intrigued to how this judging would go, since I had never previously done it before. I worked with my students a bit to get their books ready, but I was still a rookie. I walked in knowing nothing, and when I walked out, I was exhausted. Both days were full of many record books and just a pure get it done work ethic. It was amazing to see some great agriculture teachers and the system to grade all of the books. Although I was tired after both days, it was a good learning experience to see the winners chosen and broaden my horizon through this professional development.
It was a pleasure to write for you.
Friday, January 31, 2014
The Second Week is in the Books! (Ag Science book that is)
As my second week of student teaching comes to an end, I feel I have done much more with my students. I feel that I am becoming part of the faculty, community, and school as a whole. This week seemed to go by pretty fast, and I was actually able to get into a routine with my classes, lessons, and then everything else in my life! The first week of teaching seemed to be a bit of a struggle in some areas, but this week seemed to even out a bit and I was able to view different perspectives and gain new knowledge.
This week was pretty much the same as the first week, but I could feel the students becoming more acclimated to my presence and teaching methods. They are more understanding of what the routine is in class and how each day is supposed to work. One of the items that is now becoming a ritual in my classes is bell work. It seemed like everyday last week I had to really pester the students to do the bell work, but this week, on Monday and Tuesday, I only had to mention it a few times to students who were late to class. I realized that collecting the bell work, which I did on Tuesday, and allotting points for the work is crucial to keep the students in check to complete it every day.
Towards the end of the week, I was able to see some actual lesson comprehension and hands-on activities. On Thursday, while being graced with Ms. Allison Hoover observing me, and taking all of these wonderful pictures, I tried a new strategy with my Horticulture 1 class. This class is very small, only 8 students, and I was not sure how this was going to turn out. I had the class debate about Sexual vs. Asexual Reproduction. To my surprise, the students used iPads very well and debated each other with great facts. I was able to wrap up the debate by revealing that there is not one right way to reproduce plants, with every situation calling for a specific method to create the intended outcome.
I was proud that this technique enriched my lesson and I could try something to create an effective outcome. I was also able to get out into the greenhouse on Friday to discuss plant propagation. This was my first time teaching the material, and managing students outside of our little classroom. To say the least, I was nervous. I had a mix of students and their engagement. Some were very excited, and I had one class that didn't want to go out there at all. I was shocked that they didn't want to participate, so I had to put my foot down and make sure they knew this was worth participating in. After that short little discussion, most of them came around to participate.
This week was pretty much the same as the first week, but I could feel the students becoming more acclimated to my presence and teaching methods. They are more understanding of what the routine is in class and how each day is supposed to work. One of the items that is now becoming a ritual in my classes is bell work. It seemed like everyday last week I had to really pester the students to do the bell work, but this week, on Monday and Tuesday, I only had to mention it a few times to students who were late to class. I realized that collecting the bell work, which I did on Tuesday, and allotting points for the work is crucial to keep the students in check to complete it every day.
 |
| "So, what did everyone put for question #1 of the bell work?" |
Towards the end of the week, I was able to see some actual lesson comprehension and hands-on activities. On Thursday, while being graced with Ms. Allison Hoover observing me, and taking all of these wonderful pictures, I tried a new strategy with my Horticulture 1 class. This class is very small, only 8 students, and I was not sure how this was going to turn out. I had the class debate about Sexual vs. Asexual Reproduction. To my surprise, the students used iPads very well and debated each other with great facts. I was able to wrap up the debate by revealing that there is not one right way to reproduce plants, with every situation calling for a specific method to create the intended outcome.
 |
| Discussion was fierce as I mediated the debate. |
I was proud that this technique enriched my lesson and I could try something to create an effective outcome. I was also able to get out into the greenhouse on Friday to discuss plant propagation. This was my first time teaching the material, and managing students outside of our little classroom. To say the least, I was nervous. I had a mix of students and their engagement. Some were very excited, and I had one class that didn't want to go out there at all. I was shocked that they didn't want to participate, so I had to put my foot down and make sure they knew this was worth participating in. After that short little discussion, most of them came around to participate.
The second week, overall, was a good one. I am starting to become more comfortable with my students and the rest of the faculty at Cowanesque Valley High School. Each lesson I teach gives me that much more experience to further my growth as an educator. I am interested to see what the new month of February will hold for me, especially because it is very busy and there are new experiences on the horizon.
I would just like to once again thank Allison Hoover for her contribution of photos. I am considering hiring her full time just to take pictures and market my program!!!!
It was a pleasure to write for you.
Friday, January 24, 2014
The First Week
I can really only express my first week in one sentence.
"Dive in head first."
Wow, you're still reading this blog? I said I could only describe it in one sentence….
Seriously, stop reading!
(Just kidding keep reading!)
I feel a little humor is always a good way to end a week that has thrown you into a new classroom, apartment, and life to say the least. A way of life that is completely opposite of what I've always known.
I could have had all of the training in the world, but that first day in the classroom is something no one can TRULY explain it or teach you how to handle it. I only say truly because their can be scenarios and teaching labs done, but it really is not a true first day. Everyone has their own experiences and stories, and very few are similar. Like I said in my one sentence description earlier, I dove in head first to student teaching. I was given the task of taking on the full course load of classes that I would be teaching in my formal high school setting. This only happened because of my split semester completing half of the time in a formal setting, while the other half in a non formal setting. I had no time to think, just react and teach.
Overall, my first week was exhausting, but only because I had never done this before. I had some good classes who seemed interested, but had others whom I knew were going to be a tough time. I realized how much teachers, well at least caring teachers, have to do during the day just to keep their students on task, get others caught up, and a million other things that happen during a school day. In one of my classes, I got interrupted by the phone
5 TIMES! I was almost at the point of unplugging it, but I kept calm and just tried to keep the lesson going. We all face challenges the first week, and I know some of mine were keeping students engaged and producing lessons that could be handled by students of multiple levels of intelligence. These practices only come with experience and repetition, but right now its still hasn't hit me on what I am currently doing and how to fix it.
I was able to get some great feedback from my cooperating teachers throughout the week, and they said many of my feelings and emotions were normal. There was no way I was going to come into the classroom and be a stellar teacher. They saw that I was doing my best, and produced advice to further help in the coming weeks.
Hopefully, this experience will allow me to change in certain ways, developing my future career goals and producing something I will never forget. I have many family members who speak about their student teaching experience, so I decided to create a journal with a log of all my days just to capture some memories. This will be a great addition to look back on and maybe laugh, or just say "wow."
I look forward to what is going to come about in the future weeks of teaching, and what my outlook will be when I reach the final week of this experience.
It was a pleasure to write for you.
"Dive in head first."
Wow, you're still reading this blog? I said I could only describe it in one sentence….
Seriously, stop reading!
(Just kidding keep reading!)
I feel a little humor is always a good way to end a week that has thrown you into a new classroom, apartment, and life to say the least. A way of life that is completely opposite of what I've always known.
I could have had all of the training in the world, but that first day in the classroom is something no one can TRULY explain it or teach you how to handle it. I only say truly because their can be scenarios and teaching labs done, but it really is not a true first day. Everyone has their own experiences and stories, and very few are similar. Like I said in my one sentence description earlier, I dove in head first to student teaching. I was given the task of taking on the full course load of classes that I would be teaching in my formal high school setting. This only happened because of my split semester completing half of the time in a formal setting, while the other half in a non formal setting. I had no time to think, just react and teach.
Overall, my first week was exhausting, but only because I had never done this before. I had some good classes who seemed interested, but had others whom I knew were going to be a tough time. I realized how much teachers, well at least caring teachers, have to do during the day just to keep their students on task, get others caught up, and a million other things that happen during a school day. In one of my classes, I got interrupted by the phone
5 TIMES! I was almost at the point of unplugging it, but I kept calm and just tried to keep the lesson going. We all face challenges the first week, and I know some of mine were keeping students engaged and producing lessons that could be handled by students of multiple levels of intelligence. These practices only come with experience and repetition, but right now its still hasn't hit me on what I am currently doing and how to fix it.
I was able to get some great feedback from my cooperating teachers throughout the week, and they said many of my feelings and emotions were normal. There was no way I was going to come into the classroom and be a stellar teacher. They saw that I was doing my best, and produced advice to further help in the coming weeks.
Hopefully, this experience will allow me to change in certain ways, developing my future career goals and producing something I will never forget. I have many family members who speak about their student teaching experience, so I decided to create a journal with a log of all my days just to capture some memories. This will be a great addition to look back on and maybe laugh, or just say "wow."
I look forward to what is going to come about in the future weeks of teaching, and what my outlook will be when I reach the final week of this experience.
It was a pleasure to write for you.
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