Holidays, half days, delays... Oh no!

No school, two hour delays and early dismals. When I was in school, these words used to make me happy. It was as if the school administrators had given me a gift; a free day to do absolutely nothing, an opportunity to catch up on sleep and to relax. However, when I heard the words “early dismal” come across the PA system on Wednesday, and the words “two hour delay” on the news on Thursday, I cringed. 

Monday, we did not have school due to Martin Luther King Day. I had planned around this, and it was nice to have an opportunity to catch up on some work. Tuesday, I taught my welding class like normal. I wasn’t thrilled with my lesson on careers, although I think that the students got into it once they were able to research and create posters about careers that they’re interested in. 

I began my electrical wiring class on Tuesday during third period. I reviewed my expectations, procedures and consequences, and began discussing electricity by allowing them to experiment with different batteries and lights. I challenged them to get the light bulbs to light, using the supplies that I had provided (bulbs, batteries, aluminum foil and tape). This went well, and they seemed to be interested, although they could not get it to work.

During 5^th and 6^th period (my Introduction to Agriculture course), we reviewed the third paragraph of the Creed. I had the students practice speaking by providing them with tongue twisters. This was a fun activity, and I think that they enjoyed it. 

Wednesday was an interesting day. All morning, the weatherman was calling for snow around 3pm; just in time for school to let out. For this reason, students were anticipating an early dismal all day. During my welding course, I taught them about proper welding PPE. I tried to make this fun, by setting up a race. They were split into two teams (one team with proper PPE and the other with improper clothing) and they had to race to dress their “model”. I then used these models to break down the proper and improper pieces of PPE. We then did a “dress the welder” activity, where they had to draw the PPE on an outline of a person. While some students thought that it was juvenile, I think most of them enjoyed it. 

Third period started off strong, but around 9:30am, they announced over the loudspeaker that school would be dismissing at 12:30. From that moment on, all hope to teach students anything was lost. I had attempted to teach my electricity class about the scientific aspect of electricity (i.e. atoms, electrons, protons, neutrons, etc.). We did a short Power Point, I asked them to participate in a demonstration and then we worked on a Show What You Know Worksheet. Despite the distractions, I was very impressed that quite a few students actually seemed to understand the material.

My fifth and sixth period classes were cut short, so we worked through the fourth paragraph quickly. My favorite activity that we did during this class was a game that I called “Creed Ball”. Students were supposed to say a portion of the Creed when they got the ball, and then pass it to another person. The students also seemed to enjoy it, as they asked to play it a second time.

Thursday morning, it snowed again and we had a two hour delay. We followed the two hour delay schedule, which moved around some of the periods to accommodate lunch. I taught my welding class about shop organization and safety, by allowing them to participate in a scavenger hunt. Because of the schedule, my Introduction to Ag courses were next. I taught them the fifth and final paragraph of the Creed. We then did a popcorn-style reading of the Creed to review. 

I had my first experience with a student break down on Thursday. One of the freshmen looked upset in class. When I asked what was wrong, he told me that he was feeling overwhelmed with the projects in the class, and that he was going to fail. I promised him that I would not let him fail, and I tried to talk him through it. He seemed better today, so I am hoping that I got through to him. I also had to pull aside the same student who I talked to last week. He was being extremely disruptive. I told him I would appreciate if he could be more respectful and less disruptive to his classmates. If he does not shape up next week, I might have to take a firmer action because I cannot deal with his behavior on a weekly basis.

After school let out, I practiced SMAW welding with Mr. Kessler. This was a nice opportunity for me, as I am a little uncomfortable with teaching welding so practice is always a good idea!

The absolute worst part of my week occurred during “third period” on Thursday. Because of the schedule, my electricity class was later in the day. The students had just come back from lunch and gym, and they were rowdy, to say the least. I had a hard time getting them to focus. We watched a short video then talked about how electricity gets to your home. I wasn’t too confident in this topic to begin with, then their attitudes and behaviors really threw me off. I had a guided note sheet that I gave them, which only caused more confusion. I was getting extremely frustrated with them, and felt like throwing my hands up and giving up the lesson. 

However, after a few minutes of chaos, I managed to finish the lesson. I was disappointed in my performance and disappointed with their attitudes. But, I moved past it and decided that I would review the material once again today to make sure that they understood. 

Today was definitely much better than yesterday. I taught my welding class about SMAW safety and how to operate the welder. We did a labeling activity and finished out with a crossword puzzle that they could use to review for their safety quiz on Monday. In the electrical class, I stressed the fact that I was disappointed in their performance and that I felt like we needed to review it once again. I did, and many students (surprisingly) seemed to understand the material. This made me feel better, as maybe the lesson wasn’t as big of a disaster as I was thinking it was! I did not teach the Introduction to Agriculture course today, because they had to present their posters that they created before I got here. This gave me a different perspective on the class, because I could take a step back from teaching.\

This week, I can definitely see myself becoming more comfortable here and with the students. I am beginning to interact more comfortably with my students and they seem to be enjoying the fact that I am here. My cooperating teachers (yes- I consider Ms. Spurrier my cooperating teacher too!) have been fabulous. They let me do my own thing, but give me constructive feedback. While I feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of classes that I am already teaching, I know that this is just a sneak peek into what my future may look like. Next week, I am picking up another course (wildlife), which I am excited about. I will also be teaching my welding class how to arc weld, and I am excited to see their reaction! I am just hoping that this impending snow doesn’t affect our schedule too much next week!