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!