On Monday, March 30, I visited Hannah Harris at Juniata Valley High School. It was the last day of the marking period at Juniata Valley, due to the many snow days that they had. Because of this, Ms. Harris was doing a lot of reviewing with her students.
During first period, Ms. Harris had students review for their quiz. To do this, she had students use their phones with a really awesome app. She posted the app on the screen, which showed review questions. Students then answered the questions on their phones (very similar to clicker questions). She then had students take a short quiz.
During second period, Ms. Harris had a planning period. She showed me the facilities and the ducks. During third period, Ms. Harris reviewed the same content as she did during first period.
Fourth period was pretty exciting, as Ms. Harris taught her class to make butter. It was a really engaging (and tasty!) activity!
Lunch was fifth period, and Ms. Harris took me to the cafeteria because she had lunch duty. This was interesting, as I do not have lunch duty at Mifflinburg.
Finally, sixth period, Ms. Harris began the welding unit. She had students find definitions to welding related words, then had students complete a scavenger hunt, looking for potential hazards.
Overall, it was really interesting watching Hannah teach. It really made me realize that, despite the fact that each of us is "student teaching", we are all having very different experiences. Not only this, but we also each have our own teaching style, which shines through in our lessons and the rapport that we build with our students.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Week 11... One Day Late...
This week was a bit stressful. Monday and Tuesday were the last two days of the third marking period at Mifflinburg High School. For that reason, I spent those days helping students complete their assigned welds and electrical circuits. I stayed after school both Monday and Tuesday, in order to give my students a chance to complete everything that they needed to get done before the marking period was over. I spent Tuesday night entering grades, in an attempt to get them in on time.
In Introduction to Agriculture, I continued with my swine unit. I was so excited for Monday, as we did an activity about ear notching. I talked to students about what ear notching is and why it is used. I then passed out cards to each student, that included a pig breed, a litter number and an individual number. I had students color a paper plate pig according to the breed, and then had them ear notch. Their challenge was to find their litter "mates". This activity went really well and was a lot of fun.
On Tuesday in Introduction to Agriculture, I taught students about swine facilities. I had them design a facility, in order to summarize what we learned in the lesson. Although I think that this lesson/ activity got the point across, I would like to look for ways to revise it, in order to make it more fun for the students.
Wednesday began the fourth marking period, which meant that the 2nd period Welding, and 3rd period Electricity classes were now beginning the Concrete and Masonry unit. However, before we began the new unit, I had students clean up the shop.
In Introduction to Agriculture, I taught students about retail and wholesale pork cuts. I had them take notes and then gave them the remainder of the period to work on their final poster (Swine By-Products).
Wednesday after school, I stayed for Parliamentary Procedure practice.
On Thursday, during 2nd and 3rd periods, students explored what concrete is. We talked about the 'ingredients' of concrete, why it is important and how it is used. I think that this lesson went well, and students seemed excited to be changing gears.
I was a bit disappointed with Introduction to Agriculture on Thursday. Students were given a week to create a poster about one swine by-product. They needed one relevant photograph, a paragraph about what the product is, and two facts about the product. I thought that this assignment was pretty straight-forward and relatively easy opposed to a test. However, many students either did not have the poster done or they threw something together at the last minute. I believe that if I would have given more time in class to complete this, the posters might have been better. However, with the short amount of time I am given to complete the swine unit (1 week), that would be nearly impossible.
With the posters that we did have, I had students participate in a gallery walk. They were to grade each of their peers' posters on a scale from 1 to 5. This gallery walk went pretty well, although there were some behavior issues that I had to address (particularly in 6th period!).
I left for home on Thursday night in order to be back in State College on Friday morning. We had another Student Teacher workshop on campus. We participated in a fine-tuning session for one of our worst lessons, and then participated in mock interviews. This was a great experience, and I feel more prepared for real-world interviews that I will face after graduation.
While this week might have been stressful, due to the end of the marking period, after school commitments and workshops, I can honestly say that it was one of my best weeks yet!
In Introduction to Agriculture, I continued with my swine unit. I was so excited for Monday, as we did an activity about ear notching. I talked to students about what ear notching is and why it is used. I then passed out cards to each student, that included a pig breed, a litter number and an individual number. I had students color a paper plate pig according to the breed, and then had them ear notch. Their challenge was to find their litter "mates". This activity went really well and was a lot of fun.
On Tuesday in Introduction to Agriculture, I taught students about swine facilities. I had them design a facility, in order to summarize what we learned in the lesson. Although I think that this lesson/ activity got the point across, I would like to look for ways to revise it, in order to make it more fun for the students.
Wednesday began the fourth marking period, which meant that the 2nd period Welding, and 3rd period Electricity classes were now beginning the Concrete and Masonry unit. However, before we began the new unit, I had students clean up the shop.
In Introduction to Agriculture, I taught students about retail and wholesale pork cuts. I had them take notes and then gave them the remainder of the period to work on their final poster (Swine By-Products).
Wednesday after school, I stayed for Parliamentary Procedure practice.
On Thursday, during 2nd and 3rd periods, students explored what concrete is. We talked about the 'ingredients' of concrete, why it is important and how it is used. I think that this lesson went well, and students seemed excited to be changing gears.
I was a bit disappointed with Introduction to Agriculture on Thursday. Students were given a week to create a poster about one swine by-product. They needed one relevant photograph, a paragraph about what the product is, and two facts about the product. I thought that this assignment was pretty straight-forward and relatively easy opposed to a test. However, many students either did not have the poster done or they threw something together at the last minute. I believe that if I would have given more time in class to complete this, the posters might have been better. However, with the short amount of time I am given to complete the swine unit (1 week), that would be nearly impossible.
With the posters that we did have, I had students participate in a gallery walk. They were to grade each of their peers' posters on a scale from 1 to 5. This gallery walk went pretty well, although there were some behavior issues that I had to address (particularly in 6th period!).
I left for home on Thursday night in order to be back in State College on Friday morning. We had another Student Teacher workshop on campus. We participated in a fine-tuning session for one of our worst lessons, and then participated in mock interviews. This was a great experience, and I feel more prepared for real-world interviews that I will face after graduation.
While this week might have been stressful, due to the end of the marking period, after school commitments and workshops, I can honestly say that it was one of my best weeks yet!
Friday, March 20, 2015
SLLC, SAE's and Snow
This week got off to a strange start, as Monday and Tuesday I was at the State Legislative Leadership Conference (SLLC) with my students. While I was away, Mr. Kessler covered electrical and welding. Although SLLC was a lot of fun, it was a rough transition back to school on Wednesday.
Like previous days, students in my electrical class finished their assigned wiring circuits. I continue to be impressed with how hard my students are working to finish their circuits. In welding, I had students complete their assigned welds. After school on Wednesday, we had Parliamentary Procedure practice and I had a few kids stay to work on their welds and their circuits.
Thursday looked a lot like Wednesday in electrical and welding. Students finished up their welds and circuits, because the last day of the marking period is next Tuesday. After school on Thursday, I went on an SAE visit with Mr. Kessler. The student who we visited went to National Convention with us, and is very much into livestock and showing. She showed us all of her animals and her new barn, which was very nice. I also met her parents. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, as it is a really great opportunity to see the kids in their "natural habitat".
Friday was a bit different in electricity, because I made my students bacon. I made them a promise that if they all passed their diagramming quiz, they would get bacon. While I cooked, they worked hard on their circuits. While the students were polite, I continue to struggle with swearing in this class. While I have warned them time after time, they continue swearing. I plan to continue to work on this throughout the rest of my time here. Welding looked very similar to the past days.
I began the livestock unit today in my Introduction to Agriculture class, starting with swine. Today, we reviewed swine terms and breeds of swine. I had students complete a note sheet, where they labeled the breed, colored a picture of the pig according to the coloration of that breed, and write some notes about the breed. I then had students participate in a headband game, where students chose a breed of pig, held it to their head and their peers had to give them clues as to what the breed is. I was happy with how well this class went.
Students were a little rowdy today, overall, because they were anticipating an early dismissal due to snow. However, no early dismissal was announced and much to their dismay, we had a full day of school!
Although this week was a short one, I am happy that it is over... I'm ready for the weekend and the chance to catch up on the sleep I missed from SLLC!
Like previous days, students in my electrical class finished their assigned wiring circuits. I continue to be impressed with how hard my students are working to finish their circuits. In welding, I had students complete their assigned welds. After school on Wednesday, we had Parliamentary Procedure practice and I had a few kids stay to work on their welds and their circuits.
Thursday looked a lot like Wednesday in electrical and welding. Students finished up their welds and circuits, because the last day of the marking period is next Tuesday. After school on Thursday, I went on an SAE visit with Mr. Kessler. The student who we visited went to National Convention with us, and is very much into livestock and showing. She showed us all of her animals and her new barn, which was very nice. I also met her parents. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, as it is a really great opportunity to see the kids in their "natural habitat".
Friday was a bit different in electricity, because I made my students bacon. I made them a promise that if they all passed their diagramming quiz, they would get bacon. While I cooked, they worked hard on their circuits. While the students were polite, I continue to struggle with swearing in this class. While I have warned them time after time, they continue swearing. I plan to continue to work on this throughout the rest of my time here. Welding looked very similar to the past days.
I began the livestock unit today in my Introduction to Agriculture class, starting with swine. Today, we reviewed swine terms and breeds of swine. I had students complete a note sheet, where they labeled the breed, colored a picture of the pig according to the coloration of that breed, and write some notes about the breed. I then had students participate in a headband game, where students chose a breed of pig, held it to their head and their peers had to give them clues as to what the breed is. I was happy with how well this class went.
Students were a little rowdy today, overall, because they were anticipating an early dismissal due to snow. However, no early dismissal was announced and much to their dismay, we had a full day of school!
Although this week was a short one, I am happy that it is over... I'm ready for the weekend and the chance to catch up on the sleep I missed from SLLC!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Finding a True Passion: SAE Visit #2
It still amazes me how vast the concept of Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) can be. From the traditional animal production project, to an innovative research idea, SAE's encompass literally every aspect of agriculture. For this reason, their is an SAE for everyone. Sometimes it is just a matter of sparking a students' interest... and that's exactly what happened for one of my student's.
This particular student started Ag his freshman year. According to Mrs. Spurrier, he often seemed uninterested and fidgety during class. He didn't seem to have a "niche" here... he explored shop, took animal science courses and finally found his "home" in the greenhouse. He loved plants, and often would opt for a day in the greenhouse over a day in the classroom or shop. Looking at this student and meeting him for the first time, you would never guess that this is what he is interested in, and I certainly was taken back when I learned this my first week here.
Because of his interest in plants and the greenhouse, Mrs. Spurrier helped him start a Supplemental SAE record on AET during his sophomore year. He records the time that he works in the greenhouse during lunch, study period, after school and on the weekends. He keeps a schedule with Mrs. Spurrier, who assigns him jobs that need completed.
I observed this student working in the ag department greenhouse for my second SAE visit on March 18th. Because of the location of the visit, I did not have to make many preparations, just set up a time to observe him during study period. This student showed me what he does on a daily basis, which includes watering the plants, transplanting, picking tomatoes, and general maintenance and clean-up. This student also said that he will be coming in on the weekends and over the summer to help clean and maintain the greenhouse.
After I observed the student I looked over his AET book. I was impressed with how complete it was. He had lots of information recorded about his future career, descriptions of his project, journal entries, and financial entries. This past weekend, we evaluated students' AET books, using a rubric and this student scored quite well.
I am really glad that this student has found his niche in agriculture, and I am looking forward to seeing where this student ends up in the future. He has found his true passion in the greenhouse, and his SAE project reflects this quite well.
This particular student started Ag his freshman year. According to Mrs. Spurrier, he often seemed uninterested and fidgety during class. He didn't seem to have a "niche" here... he explored shop, took animal science courses and finally found his "home" in the greenhouse. He loved plants, and often would opt for a day in the greenhouse over a day in the classroom or shop. Looking at this student and meeting him for the first time, you would never guess that this is what he is interested in, and I certainly was taken back when I learned this my first week here.Because of his interest in plants and the greenhouse, Mrs. Spurrier helped him start a Supplemental SAE record on AET during his sophomore year. He records the time that he works in the greenhouse during lunch, study period, after school and on the weekends. He keeps a schedule with Mrs. Spurrier, who assigns him jobs that need completed.
I observed this student working in the ag department greenhouse for my second SAE visit on March 18th. Because of the location of the visit, I did not have to make many preparations, just set up a time to observe him during study period. This student showed me what he does on a daily basis, which includes watering the plants, transplanting, picking tomatoes, and general maintenance and clean-up. This student also said that he will be coming in on the weekends and over the summer to help clean and maintain the greenhouse.After I observed the student I looked over his AET book. I was impressed with how complete it was. He had lots of information recorded about his future career, descriptions of his project, journal entries, and financial entries. This past weekend, we evaluated students' AET books, using a rubric and this student scored quite well.
I am really glad that this student has found his niche in agriculture, and I am looking forward to seeing where this student ends up in the future. He has found his true passion in the greenhouse, and his SAE project reflects this quite well.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
SLLC: Exploring Legislation, Giving Back & Providing New Opportunities
I was so excited to attend the Pennsylvania FFA's State Legislative Leadership Conference (SLLC) with my students this weekend! I had a blast with them at ACES two weekends ago, and I knew that this conference would be just as fun. We left at 9am on Sunday morning, and were running a bit behind. After making our usual stop at Friendly's, we arrived at the hotel, dropped our students off at their workshops, and Ms. Spurrier and I attended the Proficiency Award grading session.
I was apprehensive about this at first, as I have heard rumors that it can go on for hours and hours into the evening. I also did not know what I was getting myself into, as SAE has always been one of my weaker areas. However, my table ended up splitting the books and we each evaluated a section. This worked really well, and we were able to get a lot of books graded in a relatively short period of time. I was genuinely impressed by many of their proficiency applications and I now feel like I have a better understanding of what to look for in an SAE book and proficiency application.
In addition to grading the books, I met the agricultural teacher from Bald Eagle high school, which was a great opportunity as that program is in Centre county and just started up the year after I graduated high school. It was nice chatting with a fellow Centre county resident and State College High School alum, who also is involved in Ag Ed. Additionally, we found out that we know many of the same people... what a small world it is!
After supper, I spent the evening grading SAE books for my students (their 3rd marking period check-up). While this did make for a long evening, I am learning more and more about AET and what to look for in a project. I attended the closing session, then did room checks before going to bed.
The next day, after eating a delicious breakfast, I spent time grading the SAE books while my students were in their sessions. After lunch, we completed our community service. My group was sent to CATRA, which is a therapeutic horse riding center, for people with disabilities. This was such an awesome organization, and it was amazing to meet the men and women who made it possible. While at CATRA, my group cleaned horse stalls.
While it was a lot of physical labor, it was totally worth it! I was SO proud of my students while at this center. Not only were they polite, but they worked very hard, even after students from other chapters starting slacking and standing around. We were treated to Hoss's after our community service. One of my students was acting funny at dinner, and was not being her happy, goofy self. I was curious as to what was wrong, and later came to find out that she was having "boy troubles".
Upon return to the hotel, students cleaned up and then attended the dance. My student who was unhappy did not want to attend the dance, and left after a short time of being there. I worked on (you guessed it!) SAE books for the first portion of the dance, then I went down and chatted and danced with some fellow student teachers. I was pleased to see that the student who was having boy troubles came back to the dance. She found me, and explained that she was feeling better. I made it my mission to make her have a good time, so I pulled out my embarrassing dance moves. Although I may have made a fool of myself, I made her laugh and that is all that really matters!
The next morning, we attended the breakfast at the Raddison, with our representatives. We left a bit early from the breakfast, because our representative had scheduled a tour of the Capital for us. After getting the "public tour" of the Capital, our representative took us on a personal tour, where we were permitted to be on the House of Representative floor. It was very interesting to see and a unique opportunity.
I am so pleased with how SLLC went and so proud of my students. While I believe that this trip benefited all of my students, I think that it really opened the eyes of two students, in particular. These two students do not get the opportunity to get out of Union county very often, and have a bit of a rough home situation. Although I could tell that they felt a little out of place at the fancy events and social situations, I think that this was a great opportunity for them. I hope that this event, and their participation in FFA, helps bring them out of their shell, make them feel important and help them recognize their potential... because let me tell you, they have a lot!
I was apprehensive about this at first, as I have heard rumors that it can go on for hours and hours into the evening. I also did not know what I was getting myself into, as SAE has always been one of my weaker areas. However, my table ended up splitting the books and we each evaluated a section. This worked really well, and we were able to get a lot of books graded in a relatively short period of time. I was genuinely impressed by many of their proficiency applications and I now feel like I have a better understanding of what to look for in an SAE book and proficiency application.
In addition to grading the books, I met the agricultural teacher from Bald Eagle high school, which was a great opportunity as that program is in Centre county and just started up the year after I graduated high school. It was nice chatting with a fellow Centre county resident and State College High School alum, who also is involved in Ag Ed. Additionally, we found out that we know many of the same people... what a small world it is!
After supper, I spent the evening grading SAE books for my students (their 3rd marking period check-up). While this did make for a long evening, I am learning more and more about AET and what to look for in a project. I attended the closing session, then did room checks before going to bed.
The next day, after eating a delicious breakfast, I spent time grading the SAE books while my students were in their sessions. After lunch, we completed our community service. My group was sent to CATRA, which is a therapeutic horse riding center, for people with disabilities. This was such an awesome organization, and it was amazing to meet the men and women who made it possible. While at CATRA, my group cleaned horse stalls.While it was a lot of physical labor, it was totally worth it! I was SO proud of my students while at this center. Not only were they polite, but they worked very hard, even after students from other chapters starting slacking and standing around. We were treated to Hoss's after our community service. One of my students was acting funny at dinner, and was not being her happy, goofy self. I was curious as to what was wrong, and later came to find out that she was having "boy troubles".
The next morning, we attended the breakfast at the Raddison, with our representatives. We left a bit early from the breakfast, because our representative had scheduled a tour of the Capital for us. After getting the "public tour" of the Capital, our representative took us on a personal tour, where we were permitted to be on the House of Representative floor. It was very interesting to see and a unique opportunity.I am so pleased with how SLLC went and so proud of my students. While I believe that this trip benefited all of my students, I think that it really opened the eyes of two students, in particular. These two students do not get the opportunity to get out of Union county very often, and have a bit of a rough home situation. Although I could tell that they felt a little out of place at the fancy events and social situations, I think that this was a great opportunity for them. I hope that this event, and their participation in FFA, helps bring them out of their shell, make them feel important and help them recognize their potential... because let me tell you, they have a lot!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Rough Start, Rewarding End
This week started off a little rough. We were supposed to have off school on Monday, but because of the snow day last week, we had school. It was evident that students and teachers alike did not want to be there, and I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't in that boat, as well.
During second period, I reviewed oxyacetylene set up and shut down. I then had students practice and began testing them on the procedure. The rest of the students worked to complete their assigned welds.
Third period was a bit frustrating. Students are expected to have ten circuits completed by the end of the marking period, but many of them are behind due to their unmotivated behavior in weeks prior. Students complained about this policy constantly on Monday. While I do feel bad that many of them will receive zeros on the circuits that they do not complete, I feel that there is not much that I can do about it. Not only did students lack motivation to pass the wiring diagram quiz, but it is also Mr. Kessler's policy and I do not want to step on his toes by changing it. I have found this to be one of the biggest challenges in student teaching; balancing what I want to do, and my policies with what my cooperating teachers typically do and their policies.
Despite the complaints, I got students started on the electrical wiring. Students were productive and seemed to be understanding the circuits, which I was pleased with. In Introduction to Agriculture, I had students complete a Know Book about plant life cycles.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were very similar to Monday in Welding and Electrical. Students in welding worked on their assigned welds and I tested them on oxyacetylene set up and shut down. In electrical, students worked on their circuits.
We continued with plant and soil science in Introduction to Agriculture. On Tuesday, we reviewed plant reproduction and propagation. Students took notes and then I allowed them to complete a review sheet for their quiz. On Wednesday, I allowed students to rotate through four stations, each demonstrating a form of plant propagation. These stations included planting seeds, stem cuttings, root cuttings and separation. Students seemed to really enjoy this activity. After school on Wednesday, I stayed for the Parliamentary procedure practice, as well as for the West End Fair Livestock Committee meeting. It was interesting to see the "behind the scenes" of the livestock sale, and comparing their fair to my fair from home.
Thursday, students had their unit test and turned in their notebooks for a notebook check. After grading the unit tests, I was very pleased. One particular student, who often appears unmotivated and uninterested in the topics, got an outstanding score and gave the class rave reviews in the opinion section of the test. In the same opinion section, another student circled that he enjoyed all of the lessons and explained that the reason he enjoyed them was because I taught them. This was very flattering, and I was very pleased with students' grades on this exam!
Unfortunately, this was also my last day of teaching the Introduction to Agriculture course. However, I will pick this back up in a week with a swine, poultry and goat & sheep unit, which I am very excited about!
Thursday afternoon, I provided students with the opportunity to stay after school to work on electrical wiring and welding. I had four students take me up on this offer, and I feel as though their time was spent productively.
This weekend, I am looking forward to spending time with my students at State Legislative Leadership Conference (SLLC) in Harrisburg. I have faith that this conference will provide me with many great experiences as a teacher, and many great leadership opportunities for my students!
It is safe to say that although this week started off a bit rough, the end of the week was very rewarding as a teacher!
During second period, I reviewed oxyacetylene set up and shut down. I then had students practice and began testing them on the procedure. The rest of the students worked to complete their assigned welds.
Third period was a bit frustrating. Students are expected to have ten circuits completed by the end of the marking period, but many of them are behind due to their unmotivated behavior in weeks prior. Students complained about this policy constantly on Monday. While I do feel bad that many of them will receive zeros on the circuits that they do not complete, I feel that there is not much that I can do about it. Not only did students lack motivation to pass the wiring diagram quiz, but it is also Mr. Kessler's policy and I do not want to step on his toes by changing it. I have found this to be one of the biggest challenges in student teaching; balancing what I want to do, and my policies with what my cooperating teachers typically do and their policies.
Despite the complaints, I got students started on the electrical wiring. Students were productive and seemed to be understanding the circuits, which I was pleased with. In Introduction to Agriculture, I had students complete a Know Book about plant life cycles.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were very similar to Monday in Welding and Electrical. Students in welding worked on their assigned welds and I tested them on oxyacetylene set up and shut down. In electrical, students worked on their circuits.
We continued with plant and soil science in Introduction to Agriculture. On Tuesday, we reviewed plant reproduction and propagation. Students took notes and then I allowed them to complete a review sheet for their quiz. On Wednesday, I allowed students to rotate through four stations, each demonstrating a form of plant propagation. These stations included planting seeds, stem cuttings, root cuttings and separation. Students seemed to really enjoy this activity. After school on Wednesday, I stayed for the Parliamentary procedure practice, as well as for the West End Fair Livestock Committee meeting. It was interesting to see the "behind the scenes" of the livestock sale, and comparing their fair to my fair from home.
Thursday, students had their unit test and turned in their notebooks for a notebook check. After grading the unit tests, I was very pleased. One particular student, who often appears unmotivated and uninterested in the topics, got an outstanding score and gave the class rave reviews in the opinion section of the test. In the same opinion section, another student circled that he enjoyed all of the lessons and explained that the reason he enjoyed them was because I taught them. This was very flattering, and I was very pleased with students' grades on this exam!
Unfortunately, this was also my last day of teaching the Introduction to Agriculture course. However, I will pick this back up in a week with a swine, poultry and goat & sheep unit, which I am very excited about!
Thursday afternoon, I provided students with the opportunity to stay after school to work on electrical wiring and welding. I had four students take me up on this offer, and I feel as though their time was spent productively.
This weekend, I am looking forward to spending time with my students at State Legislative Leadership Conference (SLLC) in Harrisburg. I have faith that this conference will provide me with many great experiences as a teacher, and many great leadership opportunities for my students!
It is safe to say that although this week started off a bit rough, the end of the week was very rewarding as a teacher!
Friday, March 6, 2015
Delays, Cancelations, Field Trips, and Everything in Between
I cannot believe that the week is over already! Between two hour delays, snow days and early dismissals, Thursday was the only full school day this week. On Monday, we had a two hour delay. Kate Bassett came to visit, which was a nice opportunity for us to catch up and it was nice letting someone see what I have been doing!
I was very nervous for my second period welding class because I was teaching oxyacetylene. This is the one and only topic that I have been dreading since I learned that I would be teaching welding. Oxyacetylene makes me extremely apprehensive, for the simple reason that so many things can go wrong.
As I taught it, I tried to appear confident, and Kate said that I did seem to be. I was feeling a little rushed as I went through, due to the delay. But, for the most part, I think that the students got what I was saying. During 3rd period electrical wiring, I had students choose a number then draw that wiring diagram on a large piece of poster paper. We then did a gallery walk and I had students copy the corrected diagrams. This went really well, and seemed to be effective.
On Tuesday, I attended the SUN Area Public Speaking CDE. I left substitute plans for Mr. Kessler and Ms. Spurrier's sub. I was apprehensive for my students as many of them have spent hours upon hours practicing their speeches and parliamentary procedure. While students were competing, I helped judge Proficiency applications, which was a great experience. About half way through the competition, the school called and said that school would be dismissing early, due to snow and ice. I was so proud of my students when they announced the results of the CDE. Mifflinburg took first in Creed and Senior Prepared Public Speaking, and second in Junior Prepared and Conservation. In addition, they placed first in Parliamentary Procedure (although they were the only team who competed).
The snow and ice continued into Wednesday, and school ended up being closed. Finally, on Thursday, we had a full day. In welding, I had students complete a review activity, where they put the steps of setting up and shutting down oxyacetylene in order. They worked in teams and I rewarded the winning team with lollipops. It went really well and I think students enjoyed its competitive nature. I then allowed them to practice setting up and shutting down the units for the remainder of the period.
In electrical wiring, students worked at their own pace to wire circuits. In Intro to Agriculture, I taught the parts of the plant. I created a template for students to take notes on (see previous posts) and students took notes in the flip book. One thing that I do realize that I need to work on is pacing. I often go too fast for students, who often get frustrated when I move on.
Today (Friday) students have a half day, leading to a super-compressed schedule. Teachers must stay and complete professional development. In welding, I gave an oxy-acetylene safety quiz and then allowed students to practice with the unit. In electrical wiring, students worked on their wiring circuits. During electrical, I had a student ask me to be a reference for him for a job that he is applying for. I was flattered that he would ask me, of all the teachers that he has. It really goes to show that I am building positive relationships with these students!
In Introduction to Ag, I reviewed the steps of photosynthesis. It was a bit rushed, since the periods were so short. However, after reviewing it on a PowerPoint, I had the students complete a comic strip activity. Many of the students seemed to enjoy it, although a few of them were hesitant. I find it interesting that many times, particular students are uninterested and unengaged. However, there are particular incedents when they are very enagaged. It just goes to show how different each student is, and how much their interests vary.
With all of the delays, cancellations and schedule changes that this week has brought, it certainly doesn't feel like Friday. However, I am more than ready for the weekend (and hopefully nice weather)!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
ACES: A New Perspective
I'm not going to lie, when I first stepped foot in the Sheraton Hotel, I felt a little out of place. Shouldn't I be in a blue corduroy? Where was my student folder? It doesn't feel like all too long ago I was at the ACES conference, as a sophomore in high school. It's hard to believe that that "short time ago" was actually about six years!
As an advisor, ACES is a whole new experience. After ensuring that all of our students had their folders and were on their way, we attended the opening ceremonies and went our separate ways from our students. While it was a bit of a relief letting go of our students and not worrying about them the entire day, I did find it a little strange.
Ms. Spurrier and I attended the teacher workshops offered, while our eight students completed their workshop rotations. I found it interesting that there was a lot less "fluff" on the teacher end, and a lot more professional development (although, I'm not sure what I was expecting!). I was surprised with how laid back the teacher workshops were. Many teachers worked on their own items, or didn't attend the workshops at all, but I thought that both the inquiry and the AET workshops were interesting (although I have done the inquiry workshop before).
After the workshops came one of my favorite parts of the day; supper. The food was, as always, amazing. I had the opportunity to introduce one of my students to Dr. Ewing, as she is interested in Ag Ed. A Teach Ag Avenger (Katie Andrews) even sat with us at supper and talked to the student about her experiences. It was a really awesome thing to see one of my own students so interested in the career path that I love so much!
After supper, we went back to our rooms for a bit, then it was time for the famous dance! I was hesitant, as I wasn't sure what this dance would entail as an advisor. However, Ms. Spurrier and I cut a rug with our students and it turned out to be a lot of fun! This was a great opportunity for me to build rapport with my students, and to show them that I knew how to have fun, too! Although I did take quite a few "breaks" from the dance floor (I was hoping that would get them to mingle with others!), they kept urging me to continue dancing. They must not have been too humiliated with my dance moves (the lawn mower, the shopping cart and the sprinkler, just to name a few...)!
The next morning, I met my students and Ms. Spurrier in the conference room for breakfast. We completed a community service activity, where we wrote letters to soldiers. This was a great opportunity for students, and I enjoyed it myself. Soon after, we packed up and headed home, as it was starting to snow.
Overall, the trip went very well. There were no major mishaps, and all students got along great. It was nice to see some students mingle who might not otherwise get along. In addition, it was a good opportunity for me to get to know a few students who I do not have in class. I really enjoyed my time at ACES, and although the teacher workshops were not as fun as the student workshops, my students made the trip a great time!
As an advisor, ACES is a whole new experience. After ensuring that all of our students had their folders and were on their way, we attended the opening ceremonies and went our separate ways from our students. While it was a bit of a relief letting go of our students and not worrying about them the entire day, I did find it a little strange.
Ms. Spurrier and I attended the teacher workshops offered, while our eight students completed their workshop rotations. I found it interesting that there was a lot less "fluff" on the teacher end, and a lot more professional development (although, I'm not sure what I was expecting!). I was surprised with how laid back the teacher workshops were. Many teachers worked on their own items, or didn't attend the workshops at all, but I thought that both the inquiry and the AET workshops were interesting (although I have done the inquiry workshop before).
After the workshops came one of my favorite parts of the day; supper. The food was, as always, amazing. I had the opportunity to introduce one of my students to Dr. Ewing, as she is interested in Ag Ed. A Teach Ag Avenger (Katie Andrews) even sat with us at supper and talked to the student about her experiences. It was a really awesome thing to see one of my own students so interested in the career path that I love so much!
After supper, we went back to our rooms for a bit, then it was time for the famous dance! I was hesitant, as I wasn't sure what this dance would entail as an advisor. However, Ms. Spurrier and I cut a rug with our students and it turned out to be a lot of fun! This was a great opportunity for me to build rapport with my students, and to show them that I knew how to have fun, too! Although I did take quite a few "breaks" from the dance floor (I was hoping that would get them to mingle with others!), they kept urging me to continue dancing. They must not have been too humiliated with my dance moves (the lawn mower, the shopping cart and the sprinkler, just to name a few...)!
The next morning, I met my students and Ms. Spurrier in the conference room for breakfast. We completed a community service activity, where we wrote letters to soldiers. This was a great opportunity for students, and I enjoyed it myself. Soon after, we packed up and headed home, as it was starting to snow.
Overall, the trip went very well. There were no major mishaps, and all students got along great. It was nice to see some students mingle who might not otherwise get along. In addition, it was a good opportunity for me to get to know a few students who I do not have in class. I really enjoyed my time at ACES, and although the teacher workshops were not as fun as the student workshops, my students made the trip a great time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)