Change can be a Good Thing

This week was going to be something that had been in the making for almost a year now. Before I even thought about lesson plans, I decided to complete a split semester of student teaching. I was changing teaching sites, and I was not sure how I was going to handle the switch. But, there were other items on my agenda before I could think about that.

I was traveling to the State Legislative Leadership Conference (SLLC) with four of my students. I had very little idea of what the conference was about, and how it related to FFA, but I was excited and very happy to have this opportunity. So we traveled down to Harrisburg, and I had a nice change of pace dealing with students who were juniors, very different from my regular freshman and sophomores. This group was very interesting because the guys were outgoing to say the least, and active members of the FFA holding leadership positions. I was ready to see them grow throughout the conference, and maybe even surprise me in some ways.

We finally made it to Harrisburg, and everyone was all ready for the new and exciting experiences ahead. The students had discussions and group meetings all day Sunday on house and senate bills, and I knew they were exhausted by bedtime. They had a long day ahead of them, and I had a productive day myself working with my teacher on the AET system. On Monday, we were in for some interesting projects to help out the community. Each group of students went out into the community to perform service in various locations. The students and I went to a church in Mechanicsburg, PA, where we fixed up the church, cleaning it up and down for important, upcoming events. I was so proud of my students from Cowanesque because they jumped right in, took the tasks presented to them without hesitation, and had a great experience. I could tell how proud my students were after it was all over, and they gained more than just a few community service hours.

On Tuesday morning, coming up at the end of the conference, I experienced something I had never done before. The students and I were going to have breakfast with our Legislative Representative. I was pumped for the students especially because Rep. Matt Baker was a former graduate of the Cowanesque Valley High School. We did the whole photo op and even got to meet the Secretary of Ag! My students look good, standing tall, with unmistakable pride. I was amazed to see the passion, poise, and growth that happened in the past few days. SLLC was a great experience for me and my students, and a fitting way to end my teaching at Cowanesque Valley.

On Wednesday, I entered a whole new teaching atmosphere. I entered my second half of the internship at Shaver's Creek. I got there and got my bearings to my expectations, routine, and future tasks that I was going to complete. It felt weird to be outside of the classroom, and I was not sure how I was going to handle this. The first day was good, and I was ready for this weekend and the PAEE conference.

Heather Pray, former AEE graduate, conducts her workshop.

   The weekend conference held many new experiences that any educator would benefit from attending. I was there for the full conference, and by the end of it all I was mentally exhausted. I had so much information at the end that I could not believe it. I tried to step out of the box with some of the workshops, and tried to find items that could relate to an Ag Ed classroom. Some of the best workshops focused on building community gardens and utilizing the food produced, and the other ones that were important had Envirothon curriculum and also talked about the Next Generation Science Standards. The Envirothon workshop was taught by former AEE graduate Heather Pray, and it was nice to have someone else there to relate agriculture to the many environmental educators.    

New Generation Science Standards….Good or Bad?

The other workshop that really got me fired up was the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). As I sat and listened, this was just an amazing system of standards. I was able to view all of them with ease and the website had all of the connections to English, Math, and even Social Studies. I just shook my head because this would have my life so much easier when I was writing all the lesson plans. I was so happy I got to see the standards because they will be surfacing in the future. Pennsylvania's education system will change at some point, but I want to have as much information so I can obtain a teaching job. 

This conference was a great learning experience and I was able to get to know many of the Shaver's Creek staff much more. I was excited for this weekend, and I wish more educators would go outside of their comfort zones and attend more conferences. We strive to be lifelong learners, but that doesn't mean we only have to learn about one specific area, like agriculture or science in general. We need to see other perspectives and connect with all teachers to create a well-rounded experience for students in every subject. 

I Wish I had More Time

This week was my final week at Cowanesque Valley High School. I knew this week was going to be tough, but I had no idea it was going to be this tough. This week was full of ups and downs, but it was all worth it in  the end. I started off the week with my second supervisor visitation. I was able to complete some demonstrations, and I was very excited to see the students participating in hands-on activities, completing something tangible that would be displayed to over 150 people during the FFA banquet. My students worked very hard Monday and Tuesday, producing the centerpieces and setting up the cafeteria for dinner beforehand. We were Learning to Do, and Doing to Learn, part of the FFA motto.

So Tuesday finally came around, and I was so excited to attend the banquet. I was expecting a very hectic time and my teachers running around like crazy, but it was very laid back and well planned. Everything ran smoothly and dinner was excellent. We were able to have the auditorium for awards, and the FFA officer team did an awesome job with the ceremonies and awards presented. Excitingly enough, I received one myself!!! I was shocked when I received an Honorary Chapter Degree from the Cowanesque FFA.


I was so taken back and blessed to have this opportunity to work with the students that the award made me speechless. I was so overwhelmed at the hard work that was done throughout the whole year by these students. It was incredible to see the student success all through the FFA. Honestly, even as a student teacher, I WAS SO PROUD OF MY STUDENTS! I could not imagine how Mr. Heyler and Mr. Boyer were feeling. The couple hours spent at the banquet revealed how much FFA really means to the communities and families involved. I saw the impact that we, as Ag educators and advisers, have on our program, and especially, the students in the FFA. I left the banquet glowing with pride and excitement, and best of all was that I was going back to teach those students tomorrow!

On Wednesday, I was very excited to teach, continuing to build the FFA chapter through recognition awards/degrees by teaching the students about the Agriculture Experience Tracker (AET). It was so simple to do this because I have enough iPads for every student, so convenience was not a problem. I felt very good teaching this lesson, because I want this class of freshman to be the first to apply the AET system every year until graduation, and hopefully by then the whole FFA chapter is completing AET records. I was so excited because I was able to begin something and maybe, just maybe, leave my mark on this Agriculture/FFA program.

Heading to the back side of the week, it was all starting to get sad. Everything I had worked towards was coming to an end, and all I wanted to do was buy more time with my students. On Thursday, the students were realizing that I was leaving and moving on to another teaching site. A few of them asked  me if I could stay longer, and that gave me a good feeling inside. It seemed I had made an impact to some students in my short time here, and I was very glad to hear that. I taught my normal classes, but there was a part of me that was not ready for the day to be over.

"My last day........ is this really it?"

I guess I never thought I would have to deal with the end. I had not only found a new place, but a home away from home, a career, mentors, and many other things in my 7 weeks at Cowanesque. I felt like I was abandoning all of my students and the school. I had the hardest time looking at all of their faces because I had become a part of their lives just as much as they were a part of mine. As teachers, we have an undeniable passion, for learning, with the compassion and understanding of students. The rapport I built with those students was unlike anything else I could ever explain. I laughed, got mad, bonded, guided, and became a role model for over 70 students. My last day was relaxed, and that was mainly because of the half day. I sat and spoke with my teachers after the students left, and I just couldn't believe the experience I had. I know not everyone will remember me or what I did at Cowanesque Valley High School,  but I will never forget them. I will keep them close to my heart, and do my best to come back and stay in touch. I can only look to the horizon, the next chapter, and the exciting opportunity to teach at Shaver's Creek in the coming weeks.

It was a pleasure to write for you.


"Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting." - J.M. Barrie

Learning Occurs Everyday, Especially as a Teacher

This week was another happy and great week. First of all, this past weekend I participated in THON. When it was all said and done, Penn State had raised over 13.3 million dollars to fight pediatric cancer! I was overwhelmed by the whole experience, and at the end of the 46 hours I was still going strong, just about ready to stand another 46! Thank goodness I didn't have to do that, but I can honestly say it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will never forget.

Coming back on Tuesday, I was all ready to get back into my routine, and it was nice to see my students again. I was really happy to tell them all about my weekend adventure, and they couldn't believe what I had accomplished and the amount of money raised. It felt weird to have to wake up early, and put in a full day of work. It was nice to come back to a review day on Tuesday, so I was able to ease back into teaching with each class. I decided to mix up my testing as well, allowing the students to make up the questions on the exam in one of the sections. They wrote down questions on paper to take practice tests, and I took the questions straight from those sheets. Just to compare, I did the other section of my Ag Sci class the regular way and created the test on my own. I was not sure how this would turn out, but I was willing to try.

On Wednesday, I was ready to see if my different tests would make a difference to the students. After all was said and done, the regular test had an average of  27.7/40, while the test that the students made up averaged 30.8/40. These statistics, in my opinion, could have been much more different. My one section has numerous identified students, and they receive modified tests. This factor alone could have changed the outcome and average of the class. If those tests were not modified, the scores might have been different. But, looking at the numbers, there was not much difference, so it was just something interesting to look at from a teacher's perspective. I realized maybe I am making my tests a little too tough, but that is something I have to judge based on the class and academic level present.

For Thursday, we began a short unit on Floriculture. Knowing absolutely nothing about Floriculture, I was willing to learn to say the least. We would be working on the principles of design and then creating the center pieces and boutonnieres for the FFA banquet. On Thursday, I received a surprise. Our shop teacher who is right next door,  Mr. Boyer (no relation to one of my cooperating teachers Mr. Boyer) produced me with my own wooden name plate. I was ecstatic! I honestly couldn't believe how cool it was, and it was all mine too! Mr. Boyer, who made it, told me how he makes them for the teachers at CV, so he said now I was official. The name plate was amazing, and I show it off with pride everyday up in front on my board.

This little gift was one that made me feel so good. It was weird to see my name like that, but I have an amazing feeling of pride now when I look at it. I was so excited I received this, and tomorrow was Friday!

On Friday, I was able to do a couple demonstrations with the students and we started some Floriculture necessities that we would continue next week before the banquet. I am really excited about next week and the banquet, especially because we are putting in all this time and hard work to make it great. I now see how much advisers, officers, and members have to do to keep everything running smoothly and efficiently. Next week look for lots and lots of pictures!

It was a pleasure to write for you.

The Connection is Real

This week I made a wonderful realization. I guess it finally hit me that I was a part of the school, faculty, and a steady person in my student's lives. Although I have probably been in this position for a couple weeks now, in my heart I finally noticed this feeling of understanding, care, and want to help students in any way I could. I only taught 3 days this week, due to President's Day on Monday and me dancing in THON on Friday, but I had so much fun . My classes seemed to go a bit smoother this week. I believe the subjects taught had me more enthusiastic and I was able to relate more to the students.

On Tuesday, during one of my prep periods, I had time to visit one of the science teachers Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer was one of the tougher science teachers, but he was a great teacher to have because he was one who truly prepared students for college. I only observed him for one period, but I knew right away he commanded the room and knew his subject content in and out. I learned so much from the one observation period about using tone of voice, expression of important terms (telling the students straight up that this was important!), and his setup of information depending on importance. I took these observations into my class on Tuesday and they were rather effective.

On Wednesday, I had a successful experience with one of my interest approaches. I was teaching IPM (Integrated Pest Management) and I wanted to stress how the environment can be affected by pesticides. I used a cup, coffee filters, and tea bags to represent pesticides going into the groundwater. The students in my class had a blast doing it, and saw it as a great visual representation. The best part was that there weren't any huge messes that I had to clean up!!!

My last day, Thursday, was a little weird. First of all, all of the freshmen were out of the school. I say again, all the freshman were gone! That narrowed my classes down to only a couple for the whole day. In the last freshmen section, I only had 2 students. It was riveting lesson you didn't want to miss!!! (just kidding)

These two students were the only ones left in the class

But on that day, since there were not many in my class, I received the opportunity to teach Mr. Boyer's HORT 2 class. This was a nice change because I don't normally teach them everyday, but they were learning about diagraming a golf course for a landscaping project and he wanted me to teach them all about golf terms! I couldn't believe I was going to teach golf in an Ag class!!! I went through a worksheet and was able to share my 10+ years of golf experience (wow I'm old)….while teaching. It was so awesome I couldn't believe it.

Teaching about Golf?!! This is my kind of class!

Oh, and if you didn't catch it in the first picture, I rocked out the bow tie for my students on Thursday. I think this could be a good idea to do a Tie Thursday and give my students bonus points for wearing a tie. Who knows!

Bow Tie Thursday!

I felt so sad leaving school on Thursday, because I was truly going to miss my students. But, the reason I was leaving was for another amazing cause… THON. I will be dancing this weekend for 46 hours straight, with no sitting and no sleep. We will be raising money for the Four Diamonds Fund, and helping children fight pediatric cancer. THON means the world to me and sometimes words really can't  do it justice. Here is a link to our THON page for the organization (Kappa Sigma) that I am dancing for, and another link just to show you what THON really is, because it's an amazing philanthropy.

THON Promo Video and Hype Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XXyQ5gfHT8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Xr7PVqYxE

Kappa Sigma THON Donation page:
http://giveto.psu.edu/s/1218/thon/2012/index.aspx?sid=1218&gid=3&pgid=1250

It was a pleasure to write for you.

An Outsider's Perspective can be Very Helpful

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.

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.

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.

"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.