Week 15: Last Time for Everything

My first blog of this experience was titled First Time for Everything. It is hard to believe that 15 weeks have passed, and I am writing my FINAL reflection with the title Last Time for Everything.

This week I submitted my LAST set of lesson plans, inputted the last of graded assignments into the gradebook, and taught my last lesson as a student teacher.

Some of my many awesome students that helped me celebrate
my last week of student teaching!

Although this experience is over, I'm counting myself really blessed to have had this opportunity to serve these students for the last 60+ days. Additionally, I am blessed to have had the privilege of working alongside of two amazing mentors, Mrs. Rippole and Mr. Campbell.

It upsets me that this experience has ended, and my days with my students at Derry are over. However, I am feeling relieved because I made it. I made it through the most challenging and testing semesters of them all. I feel like I have finally made it to the top of Mt. Everest! 

This student teaching internship has taught me an immense amount of lessons in 15 short weeks. Here are my Top 5 take-aways from this experience...

1. Be Passionate … Passion drives learning. It's the why we're doing what we're doing; the where we're going, where we've been conversations that help establish rapport and aid in student success and motivation. Don’t shy away from sharing your FFA or Ag related experiences.
2. Be Purposeful … Along with passion, make sure that learning is purposeful. Always hit the ‘why’ in your lesson. Additionally, build curiosity and wonder! The experiential learning that uniquely happens in the agriculture education classroom is so powerful and helps add to this continual learning.
3. Be Prepared … The diversity of this job is crazy. Be prepared to have long nights and very early mornings. Additionally, be prepared for the unknown. Although you can plan for multiple different outcomes, know that it will not always go as planned. Flexibility and adaptability are key to success (& deep breathing).
4. Be Inclusive….Every student deserves a champion. Every single one, regardless of their background, regardless of their ability level. As my cooperating teacher shared, “When you graduate with a degree in education, you also graduate with a minor in cheerleading.”
5. Be Innovative … Technology integration is important and is changing the way we can deliver content. Sometimes it doesn't work, and sometimes students don't want to utilize it. However, do not shy away from utilizing new innovative technology in the classroom because you are preparing your students to be 21^st century contributing members of society.

Smile of determination. Ready to take
 on my own Ag Program!

Obviously I have learned much more than just five things. This has been the most challenging, growing, and amazing semester. However, the largest lesson I have learned this semester is that I am ready to start my journey as an Agriculture Educator. As I mentioned before, there were plenty of days in this journey where I questioned if I really had what it takes to serve students as their agriculture educator. Some days I left Derry exhausted and overwhelmed, but most days I left smiling because I love what I do. It is true when they say, when you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. This profession and all the things that come with it are completely WORTH IT!

Overall, I really do consider myself blessed to have had this opportunity to watch and contribute to these students' growth and success. Additionally, I count myself privileged to be joining a profession with a nationwide network of passionate agriculture educators to help provide mentorship along the way.

Administrator Interview: Learning from the Experts

I was blown away with the willingness and preparedness the Principle and Vice Principle at Derry Area High School had while sharing advice, tips, and mock interview questions during my administrator interview. Leaving the interview I felt confident and ready to take on another. My two interviewers setup the interview as a combination of formal and informal. When I first sat down they explained the process that was about to happen and discussed my portfolio, which I was clinging to when I walked in.

Tip #1: Portfolio - Do not hand it out, use it and the materials within as a reference. Then pass around individual items, but not the entire binder. Or simplify everything into a ‘one pager’ that can be passed out to everyone. Once we established the proper use of the portfolio, they had a list of mock interview questions that they would ask, I would respond and they would give me feedback.

The topics were as follows:

Never sell yourself short!

• Background information
• Desire for position
• Classroom Management and Organization
• Planning for Instruction
• Implementing Instruction – Engaging students with ‘why’
• Implementing Instruction - Difficult for students to understand and how do you teach it/activity
• Integration of technology – Creating 21^st century learners and leaders 
• Candidate as a person - Strengths and weaknesses

Tip #2: Drive your agriculture experiences home.  After looking at my resume and portfolio, they said it is evident that I have a strong agriculture background, and could bring many relevant perspectives to the agriculture classroom. All those experiences from growing up on a farm, to being active in FFA, to having industry internships are what will set me apart from another candidate. Therefore, I needed to drive that home, so I could effectively share that I can teach from experience rather than a textbook.

Tip #3: A tip that was repeated multiple times was to make sure I knew the district and the community well and integrate that into the conversation and my answers. In turn, another take-away was length of answers. Give appropriate length answers to ensure that I do not "lose" anyone. It’s nice to show that you know what you are talking about, but keep it clear and concise.

When asking questions, I asked two (due to time):

• What are your goals for the program with the new agriculture educator?
• What are your teaching philosophies?

Some general tips they gave with this was to ask questions that are not normally asked. Be specific and genuine in your questions and hope to engage in a conversation that goes further.

If either the Principle or Vice Principle ever read this blog, I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to prepare me for all the interviews in my near future.

Week 14: Not Ready for Goodbye

I would be lying if I said I was not ready for the end of this semester. It's not because I'm tired of this experience. It's just that I'm ready. Like actually ready for graduation, and to have a classroom of my own. I'm ready to continue on the passionate pursuit of contributing to the future for agriculture through today's youth.

As always, I will share a HIGH (some of the best #UndeniablyDerry and other dynamite moments), a LOW (something I wish was better, but can’t change so I learn to grow from the experience), and a TIP (something that encouraged me to continue to grow my roots in agriculture education).

High: This week, I finished up units in two courses. Therefore, Mr. Campbell has started instructing these courses again. Each day of this experience reminds me of how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to serve these students as their teacher for a period of time. I am incredibly thankful for all that they have taught me, the laughs that we've shared, the challenges we've overcome and the growth I've gotten to witness in myself and them.

Morning sunrise in the greenhouse

Low: This week was very positive, so it was really hard to pin-point a low. Therefore, I would truly not count this as a low. Somehow this week was packed full of labs and projects as I finish off units of instruction. In turn, this had me running around the Derry Ag/Hort Complex like a hot mess every morning and afternoon prepping for the next day’s activities. Whether it was the animal center, greenhouse, CASE lab, shop, or food science lab - you name it; my students and I were probably utilizing it as a learning space. However, I think I can finally say that I have mastered managing multiple laboratories throughout my student teaching experience.

Tip: I am constantly reminded by Dr. Ewing, Mr. Campbell and Mrs. Rippole to finish strong, and I keep sharing with #psuaged18 to do the same. Somehow, we got ourselves to our last week of student teaching. It doesn't quite seem possible. With the countdown on my whiteboard, I have regular daily conversations with students about leaving next week. To say the least these are sad conversations to have, but a good reminder of how blessed I am to be here. I am not quite ready to say goodbye to these amazing students.

Weekly Unique Moments:

Area LDE Contest – Weeks of preparation has led to this day. My entire freshman and senior classes had mastered the Creed, or had a polished Jr. (or) Sr. Prepared Speech that was ready to be presented at the Area LDE. After the results were shared, pride and joy was expressed when my students were announced as 1^st Creed, 3^rd Jr. Prepared, 1^st Sr. Prepared, 3^rd Sr. Prepared, 1^st Job Interview, 2^nd Job Interview, and 3^rd Job Interview. Others that competed still placed in the top 5! Definitely a proud teacher moment!

Team 1 working on their wool display

Alumni Meeting –I attended my last Alumni meeting on Wednesday. It was awesome to hear about the efforts the alumni is putting forth for the future of the agriculture program. Although, I am leaving I look forward to hearing and seeing successes of the Derry Agriculture/Horticulture Program.

Community Based Project – As my mother says, “It’s not like you to not put a big project off till last minute.” Although this happened unintentionally, my Community Based Project got put on the back burner for a while, but we have finally started building our wool displays for the Derry Township Fair. I firmly believe that they will be done constructing them by next Wednesday.

Community Based Unit: From Sheep to Shelf

No this is not an advertisement for clothing made from wool. However, the title could make you perceive  that. 


Instead, I want to share about the amazing opportunity I had to coordinate my first Community Based Unit of Instruction. Although, I have shared in pervious blogs about the development and progression of this project, I wanted to provide full details behind the WHY.


How was the project recognized?
Westmoreland County is ranked 2nd in Pennsylvania for Wool production, and is home to over 4,000 head of sheep and lambs that contribute to that number. Unfortunately for the past 30 years, Derry Township Fair has not provided the opportunity to showcase or educate about this large industry to the county.  The fact that it represents a large part of the county’s agricultural presence makes it the missing piece the fair needs to truly highlight all the things the local agricultural community has to offer.  

How was the project developed?
After a Livestock Committee Meeting, Derry Township Fair Sheep & Wool Superintendent - Chuck Penich approached Derry FFA advisor Roy Campbell, asking if the program would be interested in designing and constructing Wool Display cases and creating an exhibit to showcase and represent Westmoreland County’s sheep and wool grower. Therefore after Mr. Campbell was approached by Chuck Penich, he approached me and asked if would be interested in taking on this project on during my student teaching experience. Once I agreed Mr. Campbell presented the project to the FFA members.  There were three potential community projects presented at a regular business meeting and FFA members voted to complete the wool display case project.  They felt this project had the greatest opportunity to educate the local community about a large segment of the local agricultural community. Therefore, the decision was made to develop instructions for this project as my community based unit. I contacted Chuck Penich about his expectations for this project and worked out a plan for the unit of instruction. 

How was the project integrated in instruction?
Since, I was able to integrate this community based unit of instruction into the Agricultural Construction course; I tasked students to utilize their acquired knowledge and skills to create a positive impact on the community. I made effort to have the Derry Township Fair Sheep and Wool Superintendent, Chuck Penich, to come in as a guest speaker to introduce students to the project and the project need. Once this was recognized, the students were tasked to draw out a blueprint of a design that includes a bill/materials outline. The blueprints was then shared with the community partners, the partners then chose the top two designs that they felt best fit the project’s needs. After the design was chosen, students constructed the display cases, and delivered them to the Derry Township Fairgrounds. Overall this experience created opportunity for me to instruct students in the Ag Construction course to apply their knowledge and skills, which they acquired in the classroom, to solve a real-life issue. 

Proud students with their finished displays for the 
Derry Township Fair. They are excited to see them
on exhibit in July!

Week 13: Goals & Grit

Week 13 made me realize how goals and grit can ensure I finish strong in my student teaching experience.

To share how goals and grit helped me survive Week 13, I will share a HIGH (some of the best #UndeniablyDerry and other dynamite moments), a LOW (something I wish was better, but can’t change so I learn to grow from the experience), and a TIP (something that encouraged me to continue to grow my roots in agriculture education).

High: On Thursday (4/5) I survived the most exciting, crazy, and stressful day of my student teaching experience! Below, I highlighted and summarized the most exhausting day EVER:

8AM-2PM: Final observation/evaluation by Dr. Ewing

A great summary of my thoughts!

• Excitement hit me as I unlocked the door to my classroom. Today was my FINAL observation/evaluation. Today was the day that proved I have the ability to be a positive change agent. Although I was excited, nerves and stress settled in when Dr. Ewing walked through the door at 7:30AM. However passion and preparation helped drive me throughout the day, and presented an awesome outcome with positive observation/evaluation scores and comments.  

3PM: Online Interview for a teaching position

• After dismissing my students out of the classroom at 2:50PM, I abruptly grabbed my suit jacket and logged into Google Hangout to interview for my dream job. A few deep breaths and a mindset of determination allowed me to present myself personally and professionally.

5PM: PAAE Western Region Meeting

• As the bags under my eyes became more apparent and the need for a nap was growing, I finished out this exciting and stressful day at the PAAE Western Region Meeting.  Not only did this give me an opportunity to be reminded of the power of an expansive professional network, but it reminds me of the reasons why I chose this profession. Check out my reflection from this experience on another blog.

Low: As I shared last week, I worked to clear my desk from the stacks of papers to input final third marking period grades. To greet me Tuesday, I was informed of an email received from a concerned parent about their child’s final third marking period grade in the class. This is super frustrating. Frustrating because I presented so many opportunities for this student to come work with me, and even made effort to send work to their learning support teacher. Due to the student having an IEP, I am required to pass him with a 60%. He rightfully earned a 64%, due to lack of effort. However I realized that some people will believe the grade earned is from the lack of effort from the teacher not the student. I was reassured by my cooperating teacher that I took all the appropriate actions, but it is still frustrating to be informed about this thought.

Tip: I often share my weekly reflection with a high and low because I truly believe in developing and growing from the positives and negatives from every experience to help me reach my future goals. Thursday truly proved to me what goals and grit will allow you to achieve. Although exhaustion hit me hard, I persevered and continued to run the marathon of student teaching. I did not let myself give up or give in to anything, this day was one of the biggest days that I had worked for in my educational journey. It was evident how goals and grit provided me the passion, perseverance and stamina to successfully achieve and survive the most exciting, crazy and stressful days.

Weekly Unique Moments:

Final Round: I was more than excited to receive a phone call Friday that informed me I was one of two candidates that would be moving forward to the FINAL round of interviews for my dream job!

My favorite learning lab!

Course Schedule: Friday my emotions hit me a little as my cooperating teacher took back over my Ag Leadership course. Then next week, I give back my Greenhouse Production class to Mr. Campbell. Through a few moments of reflection, I believe that this class challenged me the most. Not only did I grow my content knowledge of plant science, but I advanced my knowledge of the application of greenhouse production and management. I can say I am more confident, and I am excited to potentially have a future program with a greenhouse! 

PAAE Western Region Meeting

I always enjoy being in the presence of mastery agriculture educators. Not only does it give me an opportunity to be reminded of the power of an expansive professional network, but it reminds me of the reasons why I chose this profession.

I have a strong appreciation for both the National Associations of Agriculture Educators and the Pennsylvania Association of Agriculture Educators.  Each organization has a great willingness to accept the pre-service teachers of the profession. Each time I have been given the opportunity to participate in a PAAE or NAAE event, I have grown to appreciate the network of teachers, mentors and friends that I have been able to establish there.

Therefore, I had no hesitation in joining Mr. Campbell and Mrs. Rippole Thursday (4/5) at the Western Region PAAE meeting. I was able to enjoy a meal around the table of fellow teachers and discuss upcoming professional events. Here were a few highlights from the evening: 

Some light reading on
amazing opportunities

• PAAE – We were fortunate to have the President of PAAE, Neil Fellenbaum, join us and share updates on committee development and growth. Additionally, reminding everyone of upcoming dates and deadlines to participate in PAAE functions.
• PA FFA – After Mr. Brammer began the program for the State Officer Candidacy School (S.O.C.S.) participants, he joined us to share an update on changes to applications and competitions for FFA.  
• Center for Professional & Personnel Development – Following PAAE and PA FFA updates, the Center for Professional & Personnel Development shared about the many opportunities of professional development workshops and conferences that they are hosting for pre-service teacher, new & beginning teachers, and experienced teachers.
• Western Region Updates – Mr. Campbell shared upcoming area LDE and CDE dates, as well as deadlines for Regional contest.

Enjoying an Ag 'family' dinner

It was amazing to hear and learn about the abundant opportunities to grow professionally as an educator, and provide similar opportunities to students through FFA. Overall, there is an immense value in paying dues and being an active participant in professional organizations. In an unique industry like agriculture, it is important to actively seek out these organizations to ensure that we are the most relevant educators possible. 

As I shared in my Week 13 blog, Thursday was an exhausting day. However, I could not imagine a better way to end the day than at the Western Region PAAE meeting.

Week 12: Thrive and Remember WHY!

And then it hit me…. I only have a total of 13 instructional days left to bring my best foot forward for the benefit of my students. It hardly seems real that this semester is quickly coming to a close. In fact, I'm quite certain that just a few days ago, we were all piling in a school bus headed to the Farm Show Complex for Mid-Winter Convention.

With Easter Break knocking at the door, it made things a little easier to look at week 12 and these last 13 days with my students in a positive light. As my feet hit the floor on Monday morning this week I told myself "remember why you started." I may have only had three days spent in the classroom instructing and facilitating, but Week 12 reminded me to continue to thrive and finish strong.

As always, I will share a HIGH (some of the best #UndeniablyDerry and other dynamite moments), a LOW (something I wish was better, but can’t change so I learn to grow from the experience), and a TIP (something that encouraged me to continue to grow my roots in agriculture education).

Nothing is more exciting than seeing
motivated students complete
projects before break!

High:  I was super worried about coming back to the classroom after being absent for a week. However, I was greeted by smiling and happy faces that were glad to see that Ms. Wasson was back! Additionally, it was easy to bring my students back to my daily routine. This is why I am thankful for motivated students that are well adapted to my classroom procedures and expectations. In all honesty, when I first began my student teaching internship, it was difficult for me to implement bellworks, interest approaches and ticket-outs. This is because these were not regular procedures that were used in lessons from my cooperating teacher. However after 11 weeks of teaching, my students have defiantly become adjusted to these new teaching techniques and share often how they enjoy the variability and differentiation within the lessons. It is awesome to have this positive feedback because it reinforces to me that I am putting my best foot forward (thriving) in instructing and facilitating engaging lessons … And I just might be leaving an impact.

Low: Substitutes are great. However, coming back to a classroom after a full week with a substitute can be a challenge. Although I left sub plans with detailed instructions, I found that activities and worksheets were not completed. I was truly confused and somewhat frustrated when I noticed this. I read the notes left from the substitute, and I was shocked with what I was informed about. To begin, some of my students were resistant to the substitute and were not respectful. Second, some of my students convinced the substitute that they had not learned about a topic, so they could not do the project assigned. Therefore, Ms. Wasson decided to assign an apology letter to the substitute as Bellwork on Monday. To say the least, I was highly disappointed in my students. However, I realize that I cannot expect things to go ‘perfect’ while I am not there to facilitate the actions of my students.

Tip: Thrive and remember WHY you started! As the weeks quickly go by, it would be easy to get caught up in counting down the days until the end, but that does not mean you give up before the finish line. I encourage #psuaged18 to continue to thrive and remember why you started before this experience comes to an end. Don’t just wake up every day with the mindset of crossing another day off the calendar. Wake up ready to own the last few lessons, and leave an impact. So you can say that this experience not only impacted you, but you impacted your students.

Unique Weekly Moments:

Watching the other
Ms. Wasson in action!

FFA Benefit Auction - On Tuesday the Derry FFA held their Benefit Auction. For the past two months FFA officers and members have been contacting local businesses for donations of items to be sold in the auction. At 6PM the high school Cafeteria was filled to maximum capacity with 133 bidders and 155 auction items.

Birthday Celebration – I celebrated my 22^nd birthday on Wednesday. This was my first birthday  

celebration that I was not surrounded by family or friends. However, my students showered me in well wishes, off key signing and an abundant amount of goodies!

Cowanesque Valley Visit – On Thursday, I spent the first day of my Spring Recess observing a fellow cohort member - Ms. Wasson at Cowanesque Valley High School in Tioga County, PA.  It was exciting to watch my sister in action instructing and facilitating students, while utilizing multiple laboratories within the Agriculture program. Check out my blog about the visit!

Sister Success

I have been blessed with multiple opportunities to experience a diverse range of secondary agriculture education programs across Pennsylvania and the United States throughout my time as an Agricultural Education major. Those experiences have impacted me as a future agriculture educator because I was always presented new perspective and innovative ideas each time I stepped foot into a new program.

Therefore it was no surprise how awesome my day went on March 29^th! I took my first day off from my Spring Recess, and headed north to Cowanesque Valley High School in Tioga County, Pennsylvania where I spent the day with my #psuaged18 team mate and sister, Ms. Heather Wasson and her cooperating teachers Mr. Heyler and Mr. Boyer. 

As sisters, Heather and I have always been each other’s biggest cheerleader and critic. But of course, we do this out of love because we want to see each other succeed. I was super excited to observe how my sister has grown as an educator from our freshman year to our senior year. Although we are similar, I have always admired Heather’s upbeat and passionate demeanor. Therefore, it was no surprise the great rapport she builds with her students. In fact it was evident as she presented praise and encouragement to her students throughout each class. 

Heather was teaching a wide range of classes during my visit, ranging from Intro to Agriculture Science, Horticulture, Metal I and Ag Mechanics II. This allowed me to watch her teach a diverse selection of students and content. To say the least, I am amazed with the content knowledge and skills my sister has developed throughout her time student teaching, and I may be a little jealous of how confident she is in the shop as she instructs and manages students in the laboratory space.

Additionally, the class sizes at Cowanesque Valley are much larger than those at Derry, but I appreciated seeing the many differences in classroom management and organization between my classroom and my sister’s. It is evident the effort she puts in to ensure variability is implemented throughout all lessons to include all learners.  

Overall, it was great to see how my sister is succeeding at student teaching! My visit definitely has me brainstorming ideas on how to communicate more efficiently in praising and encouraging my students, and ‘owning’ my confidence in the shop like my sister. It is exciting to think about how far we have come, and how far we will each go in our future with our own successes as agriculture educators.

Professional Development at Cowanesque Valley High School

On March 28^th, I traveled up to Cowanesque Valley High School to attend a Pesticide Education Meeting hosted by Penn State Extension and coordinated by Heather Wasson. Penn State Extension Agent, J. Craig Williams, facilitated the workshop for 22 community members who wanted to gain 2 core and 2 category (2 + 2) credits for their pesticide applicator license.

This meeting contained several components, as you can see in the agenda shared. The meeting began with a demonstration of Sprayer Calibration by Cowanesque students,and ended with an update on weed control & weed ID. Throughout the meeting there was many discussions held concerning the new PA Noxious Law. Craig explained this how this law replaces the Noxious Weed Control Law that has been in place since 1982.  It classifies noxious weeds based on the ability to manage and eradicate.  Therefore, grouping weeds into one of three classes: A, B, or C. Additionally, sharing controlled plants requires permits that can allow propagation.

Craig Williams shares about PA Noxious Law

Although I am not a certified pesticide applicator, I hope to earn my pesticide applicator’s license soon. I share this because in attendance at this meeting were two agricultural educators, previous/current students, and community members.  The educators in attendance shared that they attend these meetings to gain credits, so that they can provide opportunities through supervise and facilitate of their students while handling pesticides in their program’s greenhouse. Additionally, it is evident that students benefit from hands on application of pesticides in the greenhouse because there were 5 previous/current students in attendance. In turn, this benefits the community because these students are current or future employees of agriculture businesses. Therefore I believe attending and hosting a pesticide meeting as an agriculture educator, present a great way to engage with other agricultural educators, students and the community.

Although, I was not able to earn credits by attending this meeting, I learned a lot about weed identification, and weed control through pesticide application.

Week 11: Rest & Replenish

If you asked me how I pictured Week 11 to go, I would have probably expected to share something awesome that happened during one of the multiple labs I had planned for this week. However I found myself writing sub plans and attending multiple medical appointments.

Even though I was out of the classroom for three days, I will be sharing a HIGH (some of the best #UndeniablyDerry and other dynamite moments), a LOW (something I wish was better, but can’t change so I learn to grow from the experience), and a TIP (something that encouraged me to continue to grow my roots in agriculture education).

High:

Since I would be out for three days, due to doctor’s recommendations, I busily prepared sub plans between resting periods. Due to Mr. Campbell attending SLLC my sub plans challenged me to be detailed and creative, so the sub and students would have an easy understanding of the tasks that needed completed. To help ensure tasks were getting completed, I created class folders in Google Drive and presented a shareable link that the sub shared with the students. I was really excited about utilizing this tech tool in the classroom. Since the school is not one to one, I thought I was adding a tool to my students' tool belt as 21st century learners. 

Low:

Unfortunately since the school is not one to one, a lot of difficulties arouse. According to the sub notes, students did not understand how to utilize the ‘dropbox’ that I created for the assignments. Instead, the sub just had them print out the assignments. Although I appreciate that the sub found an alternative way, I was really hoping for the students to learn something new. Additionally, since grades are due next week this would have been a great way for me to keep up with grading; however, now I am behind.

Tip:

To say the least, my health was not on my side and it made me realize that it is okay to put yourself first sometimes. As I shared, I had some awesome labs planned for this week but I did not have the ability to share or facilitate them myself. However, I am thankful for the time to rest and replenish myself, so I could feel better faster. I could not image how worse things could have gotten if I kept pushing things off.

Weekly Unique Moments:

Caring Faculty & Students- Since I was out because of health issues I was amazed, overwhelmed, and happy to receive multiple messages from fellow faculty members and students sharing get well thoughts.

Online Seminar- Although my students struggled with technology this week, it was something I utilized to communicate with multiple people. Not only did I provide sub plans through technology, but I provided feedback and presented a lesson utilizing Zoom to my fellow cohort member. This allowed me to receive critiques to improve lessons for my students. I am excited to continue to implement technology into my classroom and professional life.

Week 10: Top 10

Finishing units, and starting
new experiments. The
students enjoy the new rats!

Here's 10 awesome/crazy things that happened during Week 10...

1. New Units
2. New Experiments
3. Finalization of Proficiency Applications
4. Growing Grading Piles
5. Improving Grades
6. Completed DIY Project
7. Triggered Fire Alarm
8. Two Job Interviews
9. One Program Preview
10. Quick Trip to New York

Surprisingly this all happened in one week, which definitely made Week 10 top the rest for eventfulness.  However, I will break it down more by sharing a HIGH (some of the best #UndeniablyDerry and other dynamite moments), a LOW (something I wish was better, but can’t change so I learn to grow from the experience), and a TIP (something that encouraged me to continue to grow my roots in agriculture education).

High:

I can now say I have successfully completed three units in two classes. Yikes! Time flies when you are having fun learning and exploring the realms of teaching agriculture. Since, these two classes are the ones that I have gotten to spend the most time with, they have each taught me SO much. Not only about social dynamics of high schoolers, but about diverse learners, differentiation strategies, importance of variability and much more.

Low: 

The end of the marking period has brought a crazy tall pile of work that needs graded. In the midst of teaching a full load of classes, navigating through meetings and a long list of other items I allowed for my grading pile to get way out of control. Every waking moment this week was surely spent evaluating students, and adding grades to the gradebook. Lesson learned -  I will not be letting the stack get that tall in the future.

Tip:

Here's my tip for #psuaged18 this week, as we near the last 30-some days of our student teaching internship and we prepare to continually wrap up units and classes to pass back to our cooperating teachers, enjoy the bittersweet-ness of the moment. Enjoy the fact that there are a few extra minutes to catch up on other assignments and tall grading piles. But also enjoy the moment to celebrate student success that was accomplished in the time that you "owned the class."

Unique Weekly Moments:

New Experiments – Through curriculum provided by Pennsylvania Biomedical Researcher Center, my Small Animal Science class was able to welcome four rats to our laboratory this week! It is so exciting to see the bonds the students are creating with rats through proper care and handling..

DIY Project - It was super exciting to witness the competition of my DIY Project. In the past, Derry FFA conducted after school courses for the community to participate in. However, this has not happened in over 10 years. Therefore, for my DIY I decided to bring back after school courses for the community to participate in. Given that the program is strong in Floriculture, I decided to offer a floral design course. Although, I had only 12 responses I felt it was a success. The smiles and laughter filled the room throughout the experience, and pride was across everyone's face as they left with a beautiful arrangement. 

Job Interviews – I survived my first job interview, or should I say two? At the beginning of this week I participated in phone interview for an agriculture industry position. Although I truly want to teach, it is nice to have options if I am unable to secure that opportunity. However, I also participated in my first teaching job interview via Skype at the end of the week. This was truly nerve raking, but it is great to have the experience under my belt, and hopefully I have the opportunity to participate in a second interview soon.

Road Trip – Keeping on the topic of future jobs, earlier in the week I applied for a position in New York and was contacted to participate in a program preview. I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to preview the program, and learn about past achievements and future goals.  I am hoping to be notified of an interview in the future!

Week 9: Trouble in Paradise

Wow! Week 9 had so many positive experiences to reflect upon. The beginning of the week could easily be described as Paradise with an advisory committee meeting, Superintendents tour, and dirty hands after some seeding and transplanting. However, time in paradise came to an end at the end of the week.

As always, I will share a HIGH (some of the best #UndeniablyDerry and other dynamite moments), a LOW (something I wish was better, but can’t change so I learn to grow from the experience), and a TIP (something that encouraged me to continue to grow my roots in agriculture education).

Our greenhouse is filled with growth!

High: Greenhouse Production was the last course I took over, for multiple reasons. However it was

mainly because I did not feel ready to take it over. Not only was this a large class, but a large responsibility. The greenhouse encompasses more than 5,000 square feet and is full of various flower and vegetable plants. All the plants grown in the greenhouse are sold to local churches, or during the plant sale that takes place at the beginning of May. The students in the Greenhouse Production course are challenged with problem and project based learning to maintain a commercial greenhouse. Additionally, I am challenged to balance classroom and laboratory time. After teaching this class for two weeks, I can say I feel successful in balancing this. Each week I dedicate two days to laboratory days that have the students seeding, transplanting, and applying fertilizer to their plants. The other days are spent in the classroom for 30 minutes, with the last 10 minutes in the greenhouse to water and check pest traps.

Low: This week was full of so many positive experiences, I was so pumped to end the week on a high note and reflect on how Week 9 was the best week yet. However, trouble hit paradise fifth period on Friday … Trouble with a capital ‘T’ that resulted in 3 students serving suspensions next week, while 1 student is serving a detention too. If you have not guessed it yet, there was a fight that broke out during my Ag Construction class in the shop. However this was not just a verbal fight, things got physical. As teachers, we are reminded that the actions of our students in our classroom reflect our classroom management. Therefore this is an ultimate blow and low of my student teaching experience. Even though everyone shared with me that I took appropriate actions, I felt I did not do enough … In all honesty, I am still pretty shaken from this because I think so highly of my students and never would have expected this action to occur.  I may be reading too much into this, but I truly care for my students and their safety.

 A good reminder to myself

Tip:  As I shared in my low for the week, this incident is something I have really reflected on. I keep getting reminded to not beat myself up for this incident occurring in my classroom because I am supposed to learn and grow from experiences like these.

Unique Weekly Moments:

Advisory Committee Meeting – Not only do I get to attend faculty meetings, department meetings and alumni meetings, but I also get to attend advisory committee meetings to add to the authenticity of this experience! Derry was able to welcome 3 new members to the advisory committee, in addition to multiple community stakeholders and school administrators. I was amazed with the investment from everyone to continue building upon the strong agriculture traditions at Derry.

Superintendents Tour – Derry Area High School hosted a meeting for Superintendents in districts across Westmoreland County. Therefore, after the meeting was over the Superintendents were invited on a tour. Not only did they tour the school, but they toured the Agriculture/Horticulture Building. This was a unique experience for us and them because Derry is the only school district in Westmoreland County that has an agriculture education program.  Therefore, we had great conversations about our curriculum and program.

Job Interviews – As I shared, this week started out strong. To begin the week, I was contacted by a school to schedule my first interview. To add to this excitement, I was contacted Thursday by a school board member and principle about a position that just opened. I am truly excited for both these opportunities, and ready to determine where I will grow my roots as an agricultural educator.

SAE Visit #2: No Kidding Around

The second SAE visit I made was to visit Janee who raises dairy goats. Although Janee did not grow up on farm, she has dreams of growing her passion of animals into a small thriving business. Janee is a freshman at Derry Area High School and has been active in FFA since last year. Her SAE program is currently an exploratory, but she has hopes of expanding into an entrepreneurship program.

Mr. Campbell & Janee checking on the herd of dairy goats

Janee is in the process of expanding her dairy goat herd, so she can meet the demands for her growing soap business. However, she considers this expansion a small one. Eventually, Janee would like to have a large enough herd of dairy goats to secure a fluid milk market. However before she achieves this, she would like to attend Penn State to major in Agribusiness Management, so that she can become an Agriculture Loan Officer. Janee truly has a determined mindset, and has set many goals knowing that she would like to see a return on her investment in the future.

A design of a Goat Milk Soap Bar

As a freshman, Janee finds keeping records a little difficult. Therefore, for the next three years she wants to improve her timeliness with entering her journal entries and income and expenses. She also has a goal to utilize her Flex period at Derry Area High School to enter her in-class time and FFA activities to ensure she does not get behind.

Students in the Derry Agriculture/Horticulture program have an SAE/FFA one credit course in there gradebook system that is updated based on multiple criteria. Students are graded overall on quality and completeness. In addition, students are expected to create and reach goals, so they continue to improve their programs.

Prior to visiting Mr. Campbell and I sat down and reviewed Janee's records on the AET, and created questions to ask about the program. The only recommendation I could provide to Janee's SAE program is to continue to keep up with records in a timely manner, so she does not fall behind. 

Week 8: Strength and Growth from Effort and Struggles

It was just one of those weeks. Week 8 was rightfully a crazy one. No week is ever the same, but oddly, I like it. Although I face struggles and frustrations, I feel blessed with this opportunity to student teach at an outstanding Agriculture/Horticulture program.

Therefore, I will share a HIGH (some of the best #UndeniablyDerry and other dynamite moments), a LOW (something I wish was better, but can’t change so I learn to grow from the experience), and a TIP (something that encouraged me to continue to grow my roots in agriculture education).

High:

This week I was able to sit down with one of the Learning Support teachers at Derry Area High School to discuss some of my students’ needs and accommodations. Recently, I found myself struggling with meeting the needs of all learners in certain classes. I have had the opportunity to attend one IEP meeting; however, I was unaware of specific accommodations for other students beyond the general suggestions given. Therefore the conversation I had with the Learning Support teacher helped me understand some additional teaching strategies that I can utilize within my classes to help accommodate to all my students’ needs. Additionally, I was given a glimpse into the ideas students have for their future careers, so I can connect content to their interest.  I am truly excited to utilize some different strategies that not only help all my students, but allow me to continue to grow in meeting diverse learners. Therefore, this meeting was extremely helpful for me and will continue to be as I move into a job in the future. 

Low:

Unfortunately, my week did not truly begin until Wednesday due to a written message on a bathroom stall that ‘warned’ students not to come to school. Although I was frustrated that we were dismissed from school, I am amazed at the procedures and precautions that were implemented immediately by administration to ensure safety for the students and faculty. On Wednesday morning, we had a faculty meeting lead by our Superintendent and Principle. During the meeting they shared with us the reasoning behind the procedures and precautions, while sharing standards and suggestions of what to do if this event did occur. Additionally since the threat was determined a ‘copycat’ act, they asked us to have a ‘real’ talk with our students about consequences of threatening messages. I am thankful that I have built rapport with my students because I felt I was able to effectively deliver the message. I am hoping I will not have to have another talk like this in my future classroom; however, I feel prepared to take on more ‘real’ talks.

Tip:

“Strength and growth only comes from continuous effort and struggle.” As I shared above, I struggled with meeting the needs of all learners in some of my classes. Therefore I realized that to get stronger in this, I needed to put forth the effort of connecting and discussing with the Learning Support teachers to grow my strategies to engage and involve all learners. I continue to remind myself to have a growth mindset for myself and my students.

Weekly Unique Moments:

Finished up the Plumbing
 Unit by testing Plumbing
Squares

Department Meeting: Not only do I get to attend faculty meetings, but I also get to attend department meetings to add to the authenticity of this experience! After my experience with my first department meeting, I can say I was thankful for AEE 413. There was discussion about Chapter 339, and additional topics that were discussed and covered throughout the course. Because of this basic previous knowledge, I was able to be fully engaged in discussion and decisions of the department.

CDE/LDE Practice: With our chapter contest and local contest quickly approaching, I dedicated my FFA Friday to having team and individual check points. For example, l had all my Creed speakers memorize the first paragraph of the FFA Creed. I am super proud to say that they met the challenge, and showed off their commitment and skills that will prepare them for the upcoming contest. 

New Units: I am super excited to have finished four units this week! It is time to buckle down for next week to prepare for four new units that get students excited and engaged in agriculture.