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!
No comments:
Post a Comment