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Saturday, January 28, 2017

Mentors, Routines & Communities: Week 3 Reflections.

Weekly we are asked to fill out a weekly survey of how our week of student teaching has been.  The first question: "Are you performing at your best?"  I every week I can't help but want to say 'disagree'.  The reason:  I am growing and I have so much more to grow.  Sure I am doing well- I think someone would tell me if I am completely failing at this experience, but I think I am at a good growth spot.  There's no comfort in a growth zone and there is no growth in a comfort zone is quite possibly going to be the story of my student teaching experience- but I wouldn't have it any other way- at any other place. This was another cool week of some awesome experience, looking ahead to a week of even more new experiences.  From talking with incredible mentors to meeting with community members to realizing the importance of practicing routine I am excited to keep growing.

Mentors Matter.

At the end of a full week of teaching I received a pretty cool phone call from one of my favorite mentors: my hometown agriculture teacher.  He's the one that encouraged me, challenged me, laughed with me and saw some of the highest and lowest not only in my life but the life of my family.  His phone call was continued confirmation I am in the right spot and that I am wired for this way to crazy of a job.  Mentors far away like Mr. Ryan Holle are great, but I am also thankful for the ones that watch my teaching and growth in the classroom- and in the county.  The conversations I was able to have with Mr. Masser this week about curriculum, assessment and students were extremely eye opening.  I am hard on myself and I am not satisfied with the status quo- which is good, but I forget the really constructive feedback that I need, that pushes me to do better, in encouraging ways, and I am thankful for a mentor that does just that.  So here is to MUCH more improvement next week- including routines and community involvement.


Routines...Yea, we need those. 


Last week I mentioned that routines at the beginning and end of class are essential and that is continued feedback I have gotten, this week was a little better, but needs to continue.  It is other lab routines that I forgot about.  This week we did our first 'real' food science lab and when I sent them to the lab stations I realized that I didn't train them how to work in the lab...oops! That was a learning experience! I knew right away when I sent them there that 1. They didn't know where ANYTHING was, 2. They didn't all know what a 250mL beaker or stirring rod was and 3. They didn't understand clean up and lab skills practices.  I will NOT do it this way again in the future- a little training in routines is necessary.  I told them I was going to give them a lab skills grade- but I couldn't because I didn't tell them what I expected.  After debriefing this experience with Mr. Masser I decided I am going to give them the lab grade they would have gotten on a sticky note- then debrief why and the skills and practices they need.  Then the next few labs I will do a demo before each to remind teach them how to use the equipment and proper safety and clean up procedures. It is a learning experience for all!

Community Involvement is Cool. 

Lastly my cool experiences of the week were the community meetings I was able to participate in this week.  Recently Pequea Valley was presented with the opportunity to help with a community garden in partnership with the The Together Community Center which is a partnership with The Factory Ministries, which together provide social services, a safe youth center, community food kitchen and pantry along with other initiatives to serve the needs of the Pequea Valley community.  To someone who has a heart for community and programs like this, I was in awe of this project.  This is an exciting partnership that PV is excited to start out slowly this year and hopefully grow yearly to create SAE and classroom experiences which is a really neat community connection.  The second community member meeting of the week was with Ken's Gardens, a horticultural retail center located just a few minutes from the school that has a student in our program.  We are excited to send students there for SAE internship experiences, along with other possible partnerships.  Building community partnership is pretty awesome!


Overall week 3 was really good.  Below are some of my big gems and opps of the week.  Here is to week 4 and picking up another class!

Gems: 


  • Continued rapport building- this is still an opp though, especially remembering student names!
  • Unique lab experiences and reflection after them
  • Trying new things- I am not sure if this interactive notebook is going to be something I like- but we are trying it! 

Opps: 

  • Content, content, content
  • Planning ahead- I plan, but yet always feel like I could plan more
  • Lab routines 


Friday, January 20, 2017

I'm In The Right Spot: Week 2 Reflections

120 Eggs
4 Gallons of Vinegar
6 Small Gas Engines
1 Box of Spilled Oats
2 PPE Models
64 Record books
36 New Students
1 Pedicure Session

I am not sure if there is really any class, conversation, speaker or hear-say that will ever demonstrate what it really looks like as a day in the life of an agriculture teacher.  The list above is just a glimpse- but a pretty cool one, and next weeks list I am sure will be even more unique!  Week two of student teacher but week one of actually teaching was exciting, exhausting and eye opening- but that little fear 'did I really choose the right career field' was confirmed that YES I did yet again! This week was the first week of the semester, so the three classes I picked up I got to start with them at the start of the semester.  I started in Foods Unwrapped, Power Technology and Intro to Ag Mechanics (a co-taught class).  Three big take a ways from this week: time flies, every student is different and the teach ag family is awesome, 

Time Flies

Multiple times this week I thought to myself the night before- "I don't think I have enough planned".  Turns out I was wrong 90% of the time, which is an okay problem to have right now- as I am noticing it and still getting used to students and a bell schedule.  Not only does time fly in the classroom, but I need to take my time and let students do the same.  This means taking time at the end for summarizing and wrap up and take time to set routines and help student get into routines.  


Every Student is Different

I am not sure if there is a more accurate statement.  Personalities, backgrounds, beliefs, abilities, learning styles, learning abilities, accommodations, hair styles, academic interests..... the list could go on and on and on.  It has been really good to learn about students, about what they need from me- and they challenge me to be that teacher that I would want to learn from.  I know rapport is important, and it is something I want to continue to strive for. 

The Ag Ed Family is Awesome

I've always known this, but man oh man Lancaster County does this so so well.  Every month a small group of awesome ladies goes to have pedicures, coffee and just catch up on the crazy life that an ag teacher leads- and I have the blessing of joining them.  Not only that, but at our Lancaster County Ag Teacher's Meeting it was apparent that they are there for each other and I am pretty lucky to be placed in this area.  

Teaching Gems of the Week:

1. Enthusiasm- had a cool moment where my first period class was engaged and enthusiastic early in the morning. It was awesome but an area that needs continual growth.

2. Setting time limits and checking in on students. 

3. Student Engagement- I felt this week I really tried to check in with students, remember student names, and be aware of what they are doing 


Teaching Opportunities of the Week: 

1. Clarity- I know this is an area of improvement and as we sat down and talked about my observation today that was the first thing that came up for both of us.  This will require even more planning and simply me slowing down and making things clear. 

2. Time- this goes with my comments above, but time is essential, taking time and making time. A big area that I know I am starting to slowly improve upon. 

3. Organization- this is on my end personally and how I help students be organized and one of the tasks I want to start to tackle this weekend! 


Brewing Ideas:

- We are visiting a community garden next week that we were contacted to utilize and run
- Students are really interested in SAE this year, I am excited about that
- There is a grant assignment option, and I have been looking at some ideas and thinking about this
- Food Science labs start this week- CAN'T WAIT
- CDE sign ups have started and I am excited to help and coach! 


Friday, January 13, 2017

Just Keep Learning: Week 1 of Student Teaching.

You know that moment where you wish your brain had a light switch? That you could just turn off for a few minutes, or turn the dimmer down?  Well for a portion of this week that was my wish.  Mostly because this week was observation for me and I was in a constant state of questions, ideas, what ifs, comparisons and small worries that I don’t need to have. I was watching teachers who I respect and want to learn from- and they're good at what they do.  It was a conversation with a friend that finally woke me up when she said: Don’t Compare.  She was right.  I am not Mr. Masser and I am not Mrs. VanSant- I am Ms. Hack.  I am also a student teacher, or as one of our students says ‘learning learner facilitator’ (teachers are called learning facilitators here at PV).   I am supposed to be a student, a student who wonders, and a  learner from my mentor teachers and students and one that tries new things- and does learn from my mentor teachers.  Although I am still in the ‘unsure of what I am doing’ stage (I think I will be there for a while) I narrowed it down to my three big things from this week that I learned: content and student engagement.

Content


Well, I have a lot to learn- but like anything learning is a process.  Yes I planned throughout the fall and learned a lot, and yes I have taken classes about all of these things, but there are still quite a few gaps.  As the Power Tech class was finishing up their troubleshooting of their engines, and taking their final on parts and tool identification I realized there are some gaps (pun intended) in my content knowledge.  This also happened with Ag Bio, when I had to take the biology book home this week.  This class runs a little differently and is planned a little differently as all three of us will teach the same thing, we might tweak it differently, but we will have a common plan for it.  I may have had to re-learn how to use a microscope this week.  It’s a process...it’s a process...it’s a process and I was reassured when Mr. Masser said today ‘My engine knowledge has come a long way’, I can do this.

Student Engagement


Gosh I can’t wait to really start off next week!  I started meeting students this week and helping them with things here and there during class and it has been great.  Every single one of them are different their backgrounds, learning styles, personalities, abilities, hairstyles- everything.  I knew this, but it is becoming more and more apparent to me and I know it will continue to.  We just started talking about Career and Leadership Development Events as teachers and with the officers and I am excited to start working with students on them.  

Cool & Unique Moments of the Week

  • Watching the Power Technology class do their “How-To” Videos as part of the final using Recap It. So cool.
  • Seeing students that I went to convention or other events with, I am excited to continue to build rapport with other students.
  • I was able to attend a GIEP meeting.  GIEPs are Gifted Individualized Education Plan. Being that most places do more IEP meetings, it was unique to sit in this one. 


Brewing Ideas....stay tuned!

  • Interactive Notebooks, I saw a science teacher using them and I was intrigued 
  • The SAE career exploration project that Mrs. VanSant and I will introduce next week!
  • A literacy and vocabulary project I want to start


“Be the kind of person you want to learn from.” So as we look to next week, I will try to do just that as I also just keep learning.

Why Science is Cool: Science Classroom Visit

I have to admit I am going to be pretty biased in ALL of my blogs when I get to brag on Pequea Valley...what can I say, they are pretty awesome. Today I was able to observe in a biology classroom.  This was two fold, one because we need to observe in a science classroom but it is even more helpful to me because our every sophomore at Pequea Valley takes biology and they take agricultural biology  as well.  The biology teachers and the agriculture teachers have a common planning period to stay on track and to have open and constant communication.  

Today's Lesson: How do passive and active transport transport material across the cell membrane?  
Students reviewed diffusion and were introduced to osmosis and terms associated with osmosis. The lesson material was intriguing, but it was the methods, engagement and use of technology and other tools that I really liked. 



Methods & Engagement

During the class there were a variety of methods used, some very student led and some teacher led- allowing independent work and notes in their interactive notebook.  While working through notes, there was constant questions and communication to keep students engaged and on task- and she seemed to always engage with students that had additional questions.  One of the topics we were discussing in common plan the other day was students not always remembering important vocabulary.  It was neat to see today how the teacher helped students grasp this.  When reviewing facilitated diffusion she asked what does 'facilitate' mean?  She then tied it to how teachers at Pequea Valley are called learning facilitators, a student responded "it means to help".  She then used that same definition when reviewing the concept.  With every new vocabulary word- hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic all of the students were prompted to think of other words with 'hypo, hyper and iso' in them, a really cool technique! 



Tools & Technology

Pequea Valley is a one-to-one apple outstanding program so every student has a mac book.  To use this, the instructor had students using Gizmo to do an online interactive lab on diffusion.  Additionally they had a worksheet that went along with it.  An additional tool she is using as part of the class is interactive notebooks, which are really cool to me.  I am interested to hear what learners think (also I'm now contemplating using them for one of my courses!)  They used their interactive notebooks to make a flap book and continue notes and diagrams for the next topic of osmosis.  Not only were learners using technology in the classroom, but she was using it in unique ways as well, using her Ipad for the slides so then she could still use her computer for questions and other things to help students, and everything was using google drive as well.  I still have much to learn about technology, but excited to try the same and use my Ipad and laptop in a similar manner. 



So Why Does This Matter? 

Well thankfully I have the opportunity to ask questions during our common plan! But simply sitting in there helped me to see what some of our students are receiving in their other classes.  I am a firm believer that we NEED to have science concepts in agriculture- I've seen this before, and I still believe it.  I think students are better prepared when we do this, but it has to be purposeful.  I could simply add science components but to make it really meaningful to students, I need to be in communication with science teachers and try to crosswalk what is happening in my class. 


Top 5 Take Aways:


  1. Use technology AND other tools, it can't be a crutch and it needs to enhance a lesson. 
  2. Ask and answer student questions. 
  3. Tie concepts to students prior knowledge, from other classes or experiences.
  4. Enhance vocabulary by practice, questions and repetition. 
  5. Try out new technologies! 


Monday, January 9, 2017

Day 1: Let's Take a Field Trip

The first of anything comes with nerves, excitement and a lot of questions.  Today was a little bit like that.  It was my first day student teaching, my first time meeting some of the students, first real teacher desk- and then my first time at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.  The Pennsylvania Farm Show has been running for 101 a large indoor Farm Show and state fair if you will.  Farm show not only is an agricultural fair, where students can show animals, but also agriscience, landscaping, cooking and other various projects. It was cool to walk through today and see some of the projects and even brainstorm new ideas for the classroom this semester and in the future.  


Farm Show is also home to the Midwinter FFA Convention- another first of the day!  This was a neat experience for me, and I hope the same for students as well.  At Midwinter convention FFA State Degrees, or Keystone Degrees are awarded along with FFA Jackets.  Seeing over 400 FFA members receive a brand new FFA Jacket and scarf or tie for the first time, as a scholarship from the FFA Foundation was really neat.   As someone who loves and wore the blue and gold and treasures the places that jacket took me, this was cool.  Pequea Valley had seven members receive FFA Jacket Scholarships.  This was the most jackets they received.  


What is neat about these young FFA members receiving these jackets is it was one of their first big events and accomplishments.  It is events and scholarships like this that help spark student interest.  On the way home we talked about what is next and talked with students about career and leadership development events and there was quite a bit of interest! 


It is funny how you wait for so long, and work so hard and it is finally here.  There are many more firsts to come, and I can't wait to experience them.  


Oh and I enjoyed my FIRST Farm Show Milkshake too!