National FFA Week on the Flip Side!!

National FFA Week; a time for FFA members, alumni, and supporters to advocate for agricultural education and FFA.  Throughout my years as an FFA member, I spent many hours trying to help plan activities that would make for a fun, memorable week.  Now, this year for the first time, I was helping from the side of the advisor!  My students worked long and hard to plan a week that would help to increase agricultural awareness among the members, student body, and the community. 

In order to increase awareness of the local agriculture program within the community, the students decided that they would like to partner with the local Tractor Supply to help promote the Scholarship Campaign they ran through FFA week.  After talking with the manager, the students decided to dedicate Monday, their day off, to setting up a display at the store and strike up conversations with customers about what FFA is, and how it has been beneficial for them!  They also decided that it would be best for every student to be wearing Official Dress.  The response from both the customers and the management were beyond positive!  At the end of the day we were assured that our presence helped a great deal with increasing donations to the scholarship campaign.  I would highly recommend partnering with Tractor Supply to every program at any point of the year, but especially during FFA Week!

This week Tuesday was an in service day for Athens faculty.  During the morning program we had a guest speaker presenting about how to integrate literacy into curriculum.  I learned a lot of new and forthcoming information and techniques!  Look for a blog about these strategies to be coming soon!

The original plan for Wednesday was for the school to participate in a Trivia Day.  However, with the last two days of last week being snow days, the students didn't have all of the prep work and advertising of events done, so everything got pushed back to Thursday.  The FFA/SAE class spent Wednesday planning for the rest of the week.  Introduction to Agriculture reviewed the information that was covered the previous week since they had an entire week off from school to forget information, and then was given time to update AET and ask any questions they had about the program.  I had one section of Horticulture that I had covered my introduction with last Wednesday and another section that I did not.  We had work that needed done in the greenhouse, so my first section had a work period to get that taken care of, while my second section went through introductions of me to the students and of the students to me.  I also covered my classroom expectations and procedures, and introduced the plant propagation unit to them. 

Thursday was an extremely busy day.  We had about three days worth of FFA Week activities crammed into one day!  The day began with an early morning at the school to prepare for a faculty appreciation breakfast.  Several students came in early to help cook and serve over 30 faculty and staff members breakfast and then clean up afterwards!  The faculty were extremely appreciative!  We then held Trivia Day, which entailed an agricultural related question being asked over the loud speaker at the end of every period, and the first student in the office with the correct answer received a coupon for a free chocolate milk!  We also celebrated Blue/Gold day, and most FFA members who own official dress participated by wearing it to school!  The FFA/SAE class put together a PowerPoint showcasing ways to get involved in FFA that they wanted to share with every ag class.  Affiliate membership now means that every student in the ag program in an FFA member, however there are some that still refrain from being an active member.  As a class, it was decided that in order to increase awareness amongst these members, they wanted to make sure they knew exactly was available to them.  Every class period on Thursday was then presented this presentation by actively involved FFA members.  The kids did an awesome job of sharing personal stories that really got teh classes attention!  I was very proud of them!  There was a regular scheduled FFA meeting during PM Advisory on Thursday as well, during which we had our group picture taken for the yearbook! Perfect timing for an awesome picture showing off a lot of blue and gold jackets!!!

Friday.  Boy did that get here quick!!  Throughout the week we had a sign up in every lunch period for a Pedal Tractor Pull competition.  During each lunch period on Friday, then, we had those who signed up come down and compete against each other.  The male and female winner from each period then came down at the end of the day for a pull off!  The school had a lot of fun seeing who was the strongest and could pull the sled the furthest! Throughout the week there was also jars with teachers names who had volunteered to participate in a "Kiss a Cow" contest that were set out each lunch period.  The teacher with the most money collected then had to kiss a cow at the end of the day on Friday! 

Overall it was a packed full week!  The students were pleased with the turnout and results they had from their very abbreviated National FFA Week! Next week should be a little more "normal!" I will begin working on a conservation poster project with my Introduction to Agriculture class, dig deeper into plant propagation with Horticulture, begin public speaking with FFA/SAE, and pick up Veterinary Science with a digestion unit!  I am quickly learning that no plan will go exactly how you thought it would, but that planning ahead definitely pays off as you work through the last minute changes!  This is such a learning experience, and even though it is a lot of work, I am truly enjoying it!  At the end of the day, the students make it all worth it!

A Week of Adventure!

What a week of adventure this has been!  I have had many exciting experiences all wrapped up into one week!

I began the week by continuing my soil and water conservation unit with my Introduction to Agriculture class.  On Monday we began by going over the worksheet that was provided for the students to complete on Friday with the substitute.  The students were then given paper to complete a drawing of the Water cycle using all of the definitions we had just went over.  The students responded well to the activity, and were really able to display their understanding of the water cycle.  I finished the class by having the students review all the things we use water for.  Everyone wrote this down and then were assigned homework to keep track of each time they used water throughout the next 24 hours.  My SAE/FFA class was given time to work on National FFA Week activities.

Tuesday was spent going over water consumption with Introduction to Agriculture, where we were able to come up with a class average on water consumption.  We then talked about all of the hidden water that is consumed in the production of our food and clothing.  It was an eye opener to the students to see how much water is actually used in just one days time!  The SAE/FFA class worked to finalize FFA Week activities, get the final approval, and present everything to the class.  Overall, it was a good day!

Wednesday: the day of my first observation from my University Supervisor, Dr. Foster!  I was prepared to conduct a lab with my first period class, an activity with my SAE/FFA class, and planning to take over both sections of Horticulture by introducing myself and getting to know the students.  First period went well, the students responded well to the pollution lab that I had planned for them, and I wrapped up in time to bring them back and tie everything up before the bell rang.  Third period brought on my SAE/FFA class, and they enjoyed the activity that they had to learn the four styles of leadership.  They finished in time to take a few minutes to work on details for FFA Week.  Forth period was my first section of Horticulture.  The students took longer to finish their exam from the previous day than we anticipated, so I was rushed to get through just the very beginning of my introduction.  Overall, I was rushed and the students knew it.  I planned to go over the information on Thursday to make sure that I really got my classroom expectations and procedures through so that they understood.  We then moved into the Ag Mechanics I class fifth period.  I am just helping out with this class at this point, and the students are working on a welding project.  It wasn't until about half way through the period that things got interesting.  A few of the boys in the class decided that instead of walking to the other side of the shop to cool their metal, they would simply open the shop door and dip their metal in the snow: not a big deal!  That is until they noticed the smoke that was reaching into the sky from the other side of the school!  They called Mr. Steinfelt over (who is a volunteer firefighter) and showed him, and they all proceeded to turn on their scanners.  It wasn't long before everyone knew that there was a house fire on First Street in Athens.  Within minutes, the phone rang in the shop, and Mr. Steinfelt answered it.  After he got off the phone, he came and informed Dr. Foster and me that he may have to leave.  It took a few seconds before I realized he was serious!  There are a few teachers in the building who are released from their positions whenever an emergency needs to be handled.  As Mr. Steinfelt waited for the sub to get their to release him, he went over the plans for the rest of the day.  I was not allowed to take kids in the shop for 6th period, but that he hoped to be back for 9th period.  Needless to say, the day got more interesting then I had anticipated!  It all worked out, and the remainder of the day went about as good as can be expected in the given situation!  Overall, I was pleased with the day!  I finished my plans for the following day, and left to head home at a decent time.  I was sure that we were going to have school on Thursday, so I left some of my binders at school.

Thursday.  We were supposed to get a few inches of snow, nothing too bad, and nothing too early in the morning.  I figured we would have a 2 hour early dismissal.  I was wrong.  A few inches turned into over 8 inches that accumulated on top of the 12 inches we still had laying around.  I woke up to the information that we were indeed closed, so I had a whole day to get work done!

Friday was spent in State College for a Student Teacher Seminar.  There was a great variety of information covered and provided throughout the course of the day.  I was able to vamp up my resume and further understand what to put in and what to leave out of a cover letter.  I also learned a lot about what to consider before walking into a job interview!  Overall I really enjoyed being able to catch up with the other student teachers and talk through successes and challenges that we have been facing.  Athens had a snow day, so I didn't miss a day of instruction

This weekend Athens FFA traveled to ACES with 37 students!  It was definitely a whole new experience to attend a conference that I attended as a high school student as a chaperone!  I had experience with this feeling during National Convention, however, this time, I had developed rapport with students in the classroom, so I felt more like their teacher than I did at National Convention.  We were able to keep track of all 37 students with no problems, and they all had a great time!  I also learned a lot of valuable information about the AET system in the teacher workshop. 

As a student teacher, I was drafted to help with the courtesy corp duty on Saturday night.  The highlight of this experience was undoubtedly a hotel staff member telling Jessie Ross (another student teacher) and I that it was past curfew and we needed to get back to our room.  It took a few moments for it to sink in that he actually thought we were students!  In that moment, it really sunk in that I am not a student anymore! 

Overall, it was a very eventful week, and I learned a lot!  I am excited to get back in the classroom with my students on Wednesday!  We will see if the students still know what school is after having a whole week off!  I will pick up the Horticulture classes by beginning the Plant Propagation unit of instruction.  My FFA/SAE class will be conducting the FFA Week activities, and my Introduction to Ag class will more forward with conservation!  It should be a great week! I mean, it is National FFA Week, it is sure to be AWESOME!!!!

Week of the Snow Storm!

It is hard to believe that we have already completed week three!  The weeks seem to continue to go by faster than the last.  This week had several big moments, including picking up my second class, surviving my first Northern Tier snow storm (over 14” of snow, easily!), my first snow day which was followed by a two hour delay (hello short class periods), preparing my first set of sub plans, and my very first state record book contest.

 

Monday I picked up my ninth grade Introduction to Agriculture class.  We began a unit on soil and water conservation.  On Monday I introduced myself, got to know the kids, went over my classroom policies, and used the remaining time to simply define conservation and its importance.  I decided that as I observed that the class was pretty good, but there were a few groups of talkers.  So on Monday, I had the students fill in the seating chart where they were sitting, but explained that the right to pick their own seats was one they would lose if I felt necessary.  I debated this for a long time, and after talking with Mr. Steinfelt, decided it would probably work to allow them to feel that they had a say in where they sat as long as they were aware that it was a privilege that could be taken away any day.  I also decided to have the students write their bellwork and ticket out on one sheet of paper to be handed in on Friday’s for weekly participation points.  I explained to the students that it was important to take these seriously because they would be a great resource to study from.  Overall, the class went well.  I was excited to dive into the content on the second day!  My FFA/SAE class followed my Introduction to Ag, and we worked all week to plan FFA week activities.  Monday we worked as a class to determine the final list of events and then split up into committees to work on planning individual days.  I was really pleased with the ideas and discussion the students carried on throughout the course of the entire week.

Tuesday was the real test for my ninth grade class.  I planned an activity utilizing the “How Wet is Our Planet” activity out of the Project Wild Aquatic book.  I began the class by asking the students why Earth is referred to as the Water Planet.  This was a good way to lead into the discussion about how much water on Earth is actually usable for all of our needs.  I then turned the discussion to determine what all the sources of water are on Earth.  As students named off the sources, I handed them clear plastic cups that had that water source written on it.  After all of my cups were distributed, I had the students who did not have a cup partner up with someone who did.  I then posed the challenge to the class as a whole to determine what percent of water comes from their water sources.  I gave the kids 5 minutes, but had to extend that time frame because it took so long to log onto computers.  Once they had an answer or an educated guess, they were supposed to put the amount of water that would be if we put all of Earth’s water in a 5 gallon bucket.  After each group was finished, I had one person from each group come to the front table with their cup to place the sources in order from the most water to the least water.  As a class we then decided if the order made sense.  After they had them in an order that they thought made sense, we went through and each group told the class what percentage they found, and we then discussed whether that was correct or incorrect.  When we were finished with that, I began the discussion about which sources of water were actually usable for human consumption.  This led to the main point that I wanted to make, which is that even though over 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, less than 3% of water is available for human use.  Overall, I think the activity was a good way to show the students how little water is usable, therefore showing the need for conservation, however, if I did the activity again I would definitely change a few things.  First, I would color the water with blue food coloring so that students could see it better.  Second, I would have the water in a five gallon bucket, so students had a better visual.  I talked through all of this with Mr. Steinfelt immediately after class, and he agreed that those both would have improved the activity, but that he felt the point was still made.

Wednesday ended up being my first snow day.  I had a full day to contemplate how I was going to better improve my instruction to fully engage my students.  First period is a very challenging class to teach, I believe, and I wanted to find ways to get the students really excited to be there.  My mission for the day quickly became revamping my lesson for Thursday so that my students would all be actively engaged.  I had a plan to take a problem solving approach to determine ways to conserve water, however, a two hour delay on Thursday resulted in a 30 minute class period that partially killed that idea. 

 

Thursday I spent the beginning of class revisiting the information from Tuesday.  I had two students who missed the class, and the rest lost the information they learned somewhere in the 12 – 18 inches of snow we had lying on the ground.  I believe that it was a good idea to review that information and clarify some of the information so that the students really understood.   I then challenged the class to come up with a list of all of the things they use water for throughout the day.  After they had a list that they felt was complete, we talked about it for a minute, and then I broke them into groups to come up with a way to conserve water for each of the things that were on the list.  My mistake this day was not realizing the clock was two minutes slow, therefore not raping up the class in time to hear everyone’s ideas, and discuss what was going to be expected from them on Friday when the substitute would be teaching them.  I am a little nervous to see what happened on Friday since I did not have that discussion with them.  My FFA/SAE class worked to develop a proposal of the week’s activities to get approved by the principal.  They will be meeting with her this week.  Before we left on Thursday, I talked through my sub plans with Mr. Steinfelt, which included a video on the water cycle with a worksheet for my Introduction to Agriculture class, and work time for a speech rough draft for my FFA/SAE class.   After making copies and getting everything in order, Friday was planned and in a folder easy for the substitute to find in the morning.

I ended my week by attending the state SAE record book contest.  I believe this experience to be beneficial for me.  I enjoyed the networking opportunities as well as the learning opportunities that this event offered.   My favorite part about the contest was honestly seeing the wide variety of SAE’s that students across the state complete!  It was interesting to see how different students made different projects work for them!

I am excited as I look into this coming week.  I will continue forward with my conservation unit with my Introduction to Ag class, begin leadership activities with my FFA/SAE class as they continue to plan FFA Week.  I will also pick up both sections of Horticulture by starting with a propagation unit!  I plan to continue to find ways to vamp up lessons in order to increase student engagement!