A Week that Felt Like 2.

I am not sure what made this week so different, but many times I kept asking, wait....what day is it?  It was a week that felt like two weeks, yet two days all at the same time!  This was our first full week back after our snow days.  Last week we had an inservice day, two snow days and I was out one day for our seminar, so it was a little chaotic!

We need to flop. 

Last week went through a tuning protocol where each of us were able to share a lesson that more or less flopped.  After sharing the context (and frustration....at least the frustration I felt) we were then given ideas and our classmates were able to ask questions.  This type of event requires you to drop your pride and say 'I mess up sometimes, but I can grow'.  It was so good.  Yes it was good to hear advice from classmates, but also see that we are in this together. Here is to changing the way I do some other lessons to improve the last few weeks.

I LOVE Floriculture! 

This week I started a floriculture unit and it has been really enjoyable so far.  This unit will turn into my community based unit of instruction the very last day of student teaching.  Floriculture is a science and an art and a hands on skill students can learn the basics of quickly- I think that is why I like it.  This even prompted us (okay...Mr. Masser) to rearrange our shop to create an additional 'classroom' space, not only for floriculture but other courses as well.  We are all liking this unit, and look forward to it growing as I go.

Discipline isn't always fun- but it's necessary 

Classroom management and discipline are not enjoyable... but necessary.  I am so glad I am experiencing the ups and downs of this at Pequea Valley with such a great administration and cooperating teachers.  Many teachers say this is something that comes with time and always changes- I get why they say that now.


Gems of the Week: 

• We started floriculture!  This is very exciting, as this is the unit that will involve our community based unit of instruction.  The students had their first chance at floral design this week 
• Starting a new unit in Agricultural Biology- and it is a necessary next step 
• Excitement and enthusiasm 

Opps or Improvements for Next Week 

• Limiting quesitons and enabling students vs making them to find their solutions first 
• Stations- welding, foods, floriculture: How can I make these function just a little better, giving students responsibility and new learning tasks. 
• Agricultural Biology has been a constant up and down for me this semester, but this week I am trying some neat things that I hope go well.  I know I need to continue to study my material and find ways to better present it myself. 

Here's to growing more this week, stretching myself and enjoying the last few weeks with these students! 

Reflecting on Cool Experiences and Looking to Future Growth.

This week was a whirlwind- full of new opportunities.  Just when you think you have things figured out, something new pops up, but I am loving these new experiences.The opportunities our students and the staff I get to learn from daily are incredible.  This week we had Lancaster Co. Leadership Development Events and Small Gas Engines contest- which our students did well in!  It also included two big highlights of the week: Technology training and Lasata Farms visit.


Technology Training
This week we were also out on Thursday for a technology training called iTLC.  Our career and technical education team chose to learn about how to use technology tools to do formative assessments- assessment for learning.  I love that Pequea Valley embraces technology and they support teachers with using technology.  We were challenged with exploring and sharing certain tools along with discussing how these tools can assist with challenges in our classrooms.  A few of the tools we explored included Flipgrid, Plickers, Playposit and Google Forms.  All of them are useable for certain times and places.  Although I love using technology in the classroom it can come with
frustrations....this is why 'sandbox time' is necessary- we need time to play around with a technology and determine it's usability.  Thursday when we were done we taught our 5th period class, during it I decided to give Plickers a try quick, and one of the students said "I feel like this is really inefficient" and you know what in some ways it is- it takes time, trying to find ones that are worth the time it takes to adjust and teach and are useable for reviewing, introducing and summarizing lessons. On Monday we have inservice and have the choice to receive Mac or Google training- I'm looking forward to it!

Lasata Farms
Community development and involvement is extremely important to me.  It is like that phrase- it takes a village to raise a family, but more so it takes a village to create, enhance and run an agriculture program.  We were able to experience one community partner that is making a difference in our entire school.  After our half day and faculty meeting the Principal, assistant principal woods shop teacher, STEM teacher and Mr. Masser and Ms. VanSant and I loaded up in the van and headed to Lasata Farms.  The woman that runs Lasata Farms has a heart of gold and truly wants to make a difference for students- and she wants to work with the ones that might struggle a little more, have a few more needs or challenges or just need a place to call home- something that tends to be uncommon.  The partnership that has started and will continue to grow is incredible- I'm excited to see part of that, and jealous I can't see it all!  Experiences like this teach me the importance of listening to the needs of the community and the school as a whole so that the agriculture program can be an asset to both.


Instead of Gems and Opps for this week I want to take some time to highlight a few areas I want to focus on for the next part of my student teaching experience- including goals and areas of improvement or continued strength.

1. Summarizing strategies and formative assessment:  I am guilty of doing a poor job of this, or rushing it.  Taking the five minutes at the beginning and end of a lesson to put 'book-ends' on it, are important. I want to use new technology tools to do this, along with paper and group tools.

2. SAE: I am continuing to see the importance of SAE and it's awesome. This week I was able to help one of my students start to create his SAE.  I look forward to walking through this process at the beginning and hopefully be one of the visits I go on.  I want to continue to encourage this in my classes and follow up with students on them.

3. Continue to think of ways I can continue to make sure learning is happening even if I am not there.  Creating lesson plans and learning experiences that still challenge students while I am not there is a challenge, and is something I need to do a better job at.

4. I am excited to own this flower arranging unit and the community based project that will go with it.  The workshop the students will create will be April 21st, and this is the type of project I want to continue to implement in my future program.

5. Timely grading.  Grading is challenging and time consuming- but it is necessary.  Not the points part but the feedback that it provides and the assessment of and for learning it provides.  I need to continue to be timely and efficient with this.  I know it comes with time...but have some catch up to do!

6. Differentiation.  Technology, purposeful grouping, projects and student choice all play into this- and it is something I want to continue to increase.  This week I am going to try stations to do this in an effective way in one of my classes.

A Day at Mifflinburg

Every single agriculture program is extremely unique- they are all different- because every teacher is different and every student is different.  Today I went to visit Mr. Matt Snyder at Mifflinburg High School.  Mifflinburg has a general agriculture and agricultural mechanics program- the same as what Pequea Valley has, but it was neat to see how things are run so differently. 

The highlights of the day:

• Individualized Projects
• Spending time with a peer that is working through similar challenges and joys
• Time to reflect and watch

Independent and project-based learning are things I desire to do in the classroom, but are sometimes harder to implement.  This is done well at Mifflinburg and I it was cool to see it in action.  There was a tractor restoration project going on at the same time as the sandblaster and a carburetor disassembly along with a wagon project.  The students know their routine- they know what to do when they get in and both Mr. Kessler and Mr. Snyder help manage and assist where needed.  One of the coolest projects I saw was an electrical wiring project that would be the same set up put in a chicken barn- which is popular in Pennsylvania. When I asked a few of the students what they were doing they were all willing to share what they’re doing.  His students get to work and he let’s them know

One other cool part about visiting was seeing things that I probably don’t notice when I am the one teaching.  Matt interacts with students in cool ways- through their projects, through making sure they are on task- and he does this differently with different groups and it was really cool to see how he connect with individual students.  This was cool not only to reflect and see what someone else is doing but to think about what I am doing as well and think about how I can continue to adapt, change and grow. Overall the visit today was beneficial to reflect on teaching along with catch up with a peer that I know will be one I can call when I need help in the classroom too! 

Thanks for a great visit Mr. Snyder!

Hey Ms. Hacksaw.....Weekly Reflections

"Hey Ms. Hacksaw" it will NEVER get old.  I demonstrated how to use the hacksaw in class last week and some of the boys in Intro to Ag Mech thought it was pretty funny that Ms. Hack decided to use demonstrate the Hacksaw- so every 6th period I walk in and hear 'Hey Ms. Hacksaw'.  It makes me laugh every time. It comes at the perfect time, because the class I teach right before tends to be a little bit chaotic.  There are moments like these that make you laugh and there are other moments that remind you that sometimes this is hard and sometimes you have to 'suck it up princess' and keep going.  This week taught me how difficult discipline is, the importance and difficulty of learning content while teaching content and then the little wins that push you to grow even more!

Discipline is difficult.
A few weeks ago someone told me that there just might be a class during student teaching or even later, that just won't click.   I have one class that is extremely challenging, but makes me want to keep trying to build that rapport.  It is challenging not only for me academically, but it I have continued to have discipline and rapport challenges.  This has forced me to look back through the student handbook, try new seating arrangements and finally ask Mr. Masser- what do I do next?  It was a little better at the end of the week- but there are always little spots to improve.  As I reflect on it, I am reminded how important consistency is and that sometimes even though discipline is not always fun, it has to be done- because just like in a work place we wouldn't be able to conduct ourselves in specific manner we cannot in the classroom either.

The Little Wins.

If you would have asked me two months ago if Small Gas Engines would have been my favorites or my strengths, I would have said 'absolutely not'.  But it is growing on me, and I really like it.  It challenges me daily and requires extra time as I continue to learn the intricacies of the content myself, but I really do like it.  This past week I was preparing all week to get the students into the shop for disassembly.   Thus far it has worked out well!  Our disassembly sheet isn't perfect and I will need to continue to change it, but this class and these 6 gentlemen are making me a better teacher and manager of the agricultural mechanics lab. This is one of those little wins that I will continue to build upon.

Gems of the Week:

• I feel like my wrap up/conclusions at the end of lessons was better this week! 
• Management in the shop setting!
• We did a unique mini starch lab activity, that had a little hiccups (paper cups are a plant material- hence a starch) but we used them as learning moments!

Opps of the Week:

• Continued classroom management and discipline strategies 
• Variability is something I do well in many classes, but this sometimes increases disruption and takes time to transition, I need to work on some strategies for this
• Content. Content. Content. 

Starch Lab

Who doesn't love these little guys?