Spring is in the Air......Maybe

What a week!  Athens had an extremely busy week, from our county public speaking contest, to the delivery of thousands of plugs and cuttings that needed to be planted as soon as possible, to handing back my first class in the middle of the week.  Through it all, there were still a lot of lessons learned!

Monday came before I knew what hit me!  I had ten freshman signed up to compete in the Creed speaking contest on Tuesday, so the entire class period was devoted to allowing students to practice the Creed in front of the class.  The same approach was taken with my FFA/SAE class, who all participated in either junior prepared, senior prepared, or conservation public speaking.  The Horticulture classes both spent the entire period planting seeds of their own, as well as seeds for Project Grow.  We are partnering with Project Grow as a community based unit of instruction.  The organization has partnered with us to grow plants for them, which will then be sold in a plant sell.  The proceeds from the sale are then used as a fundraiser so that the organization has money to sponsor community gardens.  They also put on workshops for community members that teach things such as how to can produce from the garden.  I started my veterinary science class on a project to create a presentation on one of the essential nutrients to kick off the nutrition unit.  To end the day off, I reviewed parts and tools with my Ag Mechanics class, in order to prepare for their quiz on Wednesday.

I spent Tuesday with students at the County Public Speaking and Tractor Driving CDE.  The top three individuals from each event proceed on to the Regional Contest.  Athens FFA took home not only first, but also second and third in the Creed Speaking contest.  We also have a student continuing on in the Extemporaneous contest!  In Senior Prepared and Junior Prepared, our students did really well as well!  Our students were competing against students from Northeast Bradford, Troy, Canton, Wellsboro, and Cowanesque Valley.

Wednesday was quite the blur!  we had our delivery arrive from Jolly Farmer of over two thousands plugs and cuttings that needed planted within the first 24 hours.  Horticulture students worked hard both Wednesday and Thursday to make sure that everything was successfully planted.  With the conclusion of the public speaking unit, I handed back the FFA/SAE class as the begin to plan our banquet. Veterinary Science worked to complete their presentations.  I didn't plan on the projects to take more than three days to prepare, however with the slow connection to the school computers, students were not getting as much done in a days time as planned.  Wednesday afternoon I was also able to work to finalize plans with my student who is participating in the Teach Ag Essay Contest, who planned to teach a lesson to Introduction to Ag. 

The week continued to fly by, and before I knew it we were already to Thursday.  The highlight of Thursday was being able to meet with the high school principal.  We talked about how assessments were used within the school, however I was also able to talk with her about how my experience was going, as well as what my future plans may be.  At the end, I was penciled into her schedule to go through a mock interview after my teaching load lessens.  As far as in the classroom, I conducted a demonstration with my Ag Mechanics class on how to wire a light fixture.  I was excited to see how well the demonstration went!

Friday, Friday, Friday!  I was excited to get Friday started by watching my student teach the first period class.  He taught a lesson on the story of milk, and he did amazing!  He planned several activities to keep the students engaged throughout the lesson.  The horticulture classes were transitioned back inside after a week of hard work in the greenhouse.  We learned about the difference between good bugs, and bad bugs, and characteristics of both.  I finished the day by starting Ag Mechanics on their projects.

Overall, it was a really busy, but really great week!  I can't believe that this experience is coming to an end so quickly.  I look forward to continuing into next week.  Horticulture classes will spend time working on Integrated Pest Management, while also continuing to take care of the needs in the greenhouse.  Ag Mechanics will work on their electrical projects, and Veterinary Science will begin their presentations.  I will also begin a poultry unit with Animal Science.  I would like to continue to work on classroom management as the weeks begin to come to an end.

Time Keeps Flying By!

Another week, another story to tell!  This week flew by, just like the rest.  I had two unit tests scheduled and a county public speaking contest quickly approaching.  The students all worked hard to review and prepare for all of these upcoming events.

Monday started with a catch up day in Introduction to Agriculture.  We wrapped up the Dairy Judging unit and worked to make sure everyone entered their placings the way they needed to on the entry cards.  We also had several presentations of posters from the conservation unit.  After students were finished they were given time to update their AET.  Horticulture worked through an activity to compare and contrast the needs of seed propagation versus cuttings in order to wrap up the propagation unit.  I worked through speech presentations each day with students in FFA/SAE in order to prepare for the contest that is this coming Tuesday.  Veterinary Science learned about the avian digestive system, and then compared and contrasted what happens in each of the different types of digestive systems.  I wrapped up the school day with agriculture mechanics.  We continue to work through calculations of Ohms law, as well as how to calculate kilowatt hours.  I wrapped up the day with an organizational meeting for the planning of an Athens FFA Alumni, which was a great experience!

Tuesday I introduced Soil and Hydroponics Management to Introduction to Agriculture by having them begin a two day lab completed on the computer.  Students worked through different activities and quizzes on websites in order to see where they stood on their knowledge about soil.  I believe the activity went really well.  I wasn't planning on it taking two days originally, but I am glad that I gave the extra time after seeing that not everyone was able to get as far as I expected them to on Tuesday.  From there I moved into a review day with Horticulture in order to ensure that they were prepared for the test on Wednesday.  Veterinary Science was a fun, interactive day as we worked to assemble particles of "food" to send through the digestive system.  Each student was assigned a part of the digestive system.  To review the functions then, we passed the particles of food down through the digestive system.  I was really pleased to see the activity unfold.  It lead really well into the review of the digestive system unit prior to the test on Friday. 

I facilitated the second day of the soils lab with Introduction to Agriculture on Wednesday, and tested Horticulture on propagation.  FFA/SAE continued to give their speeches to the class, and provide feedback for each student who presented.  I had intentions of reviewing the digestive system with Veterinary Science, however, I decided to facilitate an activity where the students worked through their notes and books to create questions to review the information from the chapter.  I wanted to see what they thought was important, not just tell them what was important.  Agriculture Mechanics continued to work through how electricity enters the house from the power line and the different types of cable.  We also spent some time reviewing classroom expectations and consequences to ensure that everyone was on the same page.

Thursday.  I can't believe how quickly Thursday came around!  Introduction to Agriculture discussed how not all soil is the same, and completed an activity to show how different factors affects soil.  Students worked to draw pictures to represent those factors.  With the weather warming up, Horticulture has begun to clean up the greenhouse in order to start planting seeds.  I designed a Jeopardy game to review with Veterinary Science using the questions they had created the day before.  I liked seeing what they thought was important so that I could reemphasize anything that they may have missed.  Agriculture Mechanics spent time learning about the difference between various wires.  Before I left for the day I made sure that everything was in order for Friday, as I was spending Friday in State College for a meeting.

Friday was a great experience.  The student teachers were all brought back together, and we were able to work in small groups to fine tune lessons that didn't go quite as planned.  We also worked through stations in which we were dealing with different scenarios that we may find ourselves in down the road.  Some of the scenarios were really thought provoking, and a great way to get us thinking about situations we may find ourselves in.  Overall it was a great experience!

This week should be another great one.  I am excited to continue working with each of my classes as we continue through this journey.

The Journey Continues....

What a busy week!  I feel like I blinked and it was Friday again.  This week began with a trip to Harrisburg for the State Legislative Leadership Conference with 6 students from Athens.  The three day event was packed full of workshops and things to do.  When I was a student participating in events like SLLC, I thought I left tired.  Boy, tired didn't even begin to explain how I felt after leaving the conference as an adviser!!  The kids learned a lot, and had fun while doing so.  We had the opportunity to complete community service by cleaning out a house in downtown Harrisburg, which was an interesting experience in itself!  Overall, everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.  The conference was concluded with a breakfast with our legislators on Tuesday morning, which was followed by a tour of the Capitol.  Athens, Troy, and Canton FFA (all located in Bradford County) toured together.  Our legislators were all busy, so we weren't able to meet with them after they left the breakfast, but they made sure we had a guided tour of the Capitol building.

Wednesday we found out half way through the day the kids were going home early due to weather conditions.  The day was spent going over the work students completed while we were out on Monday and Tuesday.  We did not have eighth or ninth period, so my second section of Horticulture and my class of Ag Mechanics did not have class on Wednesday.

Thursday was another short day due to a two hour delay (down South, they would have had the day off for the road conditions we came to school in!).  Thirty minute periods.  That is a challenge!  How do you accomplish anything in just thirty minutes time?!  I continued to work through a mini dairy judging unit with Introduction to Ag, provided work time to edit speech manuscripts for FFA/SAE, introduced grafting with Horticulture, and continued to work on calculating watts, volts, and amps with Ag Mechanics.  Vet Science was given a work period to finish up work that had been assigned while I was out because a lot of students were out sick or on the trip with me.  Before I knew it, the short day was over. 

Friday, already?!  I couldn't believe that the week had already come to an end!  Today we had a representative from PDE come to conduct a Chapter 339 visit.  I was fortunate enough to be involved in some of the process, however, since we missed so much of the beginning of the week, we felt it was more important for me to remain in the class teaching the students.  I wrapped up the dairy judging unit with Intro to Ag by having them work to judge the Hoards Dairymen Contest.  FFA/SAE students each met with me to go over what they were working to make changes on in their speeches so that I could answer any questions before the Final Draft is due on Monday.  I am working to wrap up the Propagation unit with Horticulture, and conducted an activity to demonstrate how to complete successful cuttings using fruit roll ups and twizzlers.  The activity went well for the most part, but I think most students were more concerned about eating the candy than learning the material.  Vet science reviewed ruminant nutrition in order to prepare for an activity on Monday (I am really excited for the review activity I have planned!!).  I finished the day by working with Ag Mechanics to teach them how to calculate their electric bill.  I had a few students really understand how to properly complete the problems, but I had other students who just would not stay on task.  On Monday, they will have a new seating arrangement in hopes that they will respond better.

Friday night we had our last Bradford County Dairy Judging practice before the spring contest.  I was out helping with that until almost 10:00 PM.  Oh, the life of an ag teacher!  There is always something to be done!

As I look into next week, it is going to be a busy one as well!  I will be reviewing and testing my Horticulture classes as we wrap up propagation, as well as my vet science as we finish digestion.  I will begin Soil Management with Intro to Ag, and continue public speaking with FFA/SAE.  Ag Mechanics will continue through the Introduction to Electricity unit as we prepare to move into Basic Household Wiring.  The work keeps piling up, but it is worth it!

Half Way Point.....Can it be?!

I feel like this week went by even faster then the past weeks.  I can't believe I have reached the half way point so quickly!  I feel like so much has been accomplished, but I still have so much more yet to do.  This week has been full of a lot of review as I worked quiz and test my students on what they have covered so far in their classes.

I spent time with my Introduction to Agriculture class finishing up posters on Conservation.   My intentions for this project were for the students to take the information they learned in class and do research to make it more personal.  I wanted students to begin to think about the issues that arise within soil and water conservation that affect their lives.  However, I realized as they were doing their research that the students weren't seeing just how important this topic really was.  After spending a day presenting posters, and reviewing the unit as a whole and taking a quiz, I decided to have the class participate in a class discussion.  I began to ask the students what they learned.  They spit back the information that had been given to them, telling me how we had little fresh water, and we needed to conserve it.  However, I still didn't see that they really understood the importance.  I asked them what we could do with this information to really make a difference nationally, and even globally, in soil and water conservation.  Answers such as creating brochures, and commercials were thrown around, which didn't seem like bad ideas.  However, I then challenged them to think about whether or not those things would actually make a difference.  The room was silent.  I asked them if anyone had changed anything they do after learning about our limited water supply, and the effects soil erosion and pollution could have on them.  No one had.  We then talked about if it really mattered for them.  They realized in America, we have it easy.  We EXPECT water to come out of the faucet when we turn it on.  We EXPECT there to be enough land to produce the endless amounts of food that are available to us.  I then challenged them with this question:  If you had to carry every ounce of water you use in a days time, would you then conserve water?  Would you still EXPECT a fifteen minute shower?  It was then that I saw the students start to get it.  When we talk about the water cycle, and water availability, it isn't a national issue, it's a global issue.  We wrapped up the discussion to wrap up the unit.  I learned a lot, and will make a lot of changes before I work through this information again in the future, but overall, it was a really good learning experience.  Next week I will be working through a mini Introduction to Dairy Judging unit before moving ahead with soil and hydroponic management.

I worked through speeches with my FFA/SAE students, who will all be presenting their speeches at the county contest.  We went over different ways to prepare for the contest, and worked on digging deeper into subjects in order to vamp up their final drafts.  We will continue to work through the public speaking unit as we begin presentations on Wednesday of this coming week.  I am excited to see the students progress with their public speaking skills!

My two sections of Horticulture were productive this week.  We worked through the last part of seed propagation, took a quiz, and will now head into asexual propagation.  I am really pleased with the students response to my instruction.  I believe that they are really learning the information well, and they are being really patient as we wait for the supplies to get into the greenhouse!

This week I picked up Agricultural Mechanics with the Electricity unit.  A class full of high school boys, who laughed at me when I told them my first classroom expectation is Respect.  I have made it half way before having a difficult time, so I can't be surprised, but this will undoubtedly be a class to test me.  I feel that I have done well in sticking to my consequences, however, I am nervous as they begin to reach the point where I planned to remove them from the class.  I have found the key with them is to keep them busy, however, I can't have them in groups, as they have not proved that they can handle that yet.  I believe this will definitely be a new adventure as I continue to work with this class.

This week we also had the delivery of our strawberries, which was a fundraiser I helped put together.  They first moved ahead two days on delivery, then were pushed back a day, making the final delivery date Wednesday.  We had a busy day as we worked to make sure everything was handled smoothly.  Friday was another eventful day.  Halfway through third period Mr. Steinfelt had a fire call, after the second call went out, the school arranged for immediate coverage, and I taught forth (which was already my class) and fifth (not my class) on my own.  I feel that I was better prepared this time, and overall, it went pretty smoothly.  I have learned that you never know when duty may call, that is for sure!

I am really enjoying my time in the North.  I find myself working later and later every night, and I look forward to the extra time to get work done on the weekends, but in the end, it is rewarding.  I look forward to this second half of my experience, but I know it will come to an end all too soon.

Many Lessons to be Learned

We did it! We had a full week of school for the first time all month! No delays, no cancellations, a full 5 day week!  So much more can be accomplished when you see the students five full days in a row!  This week has been full of good moments, and some not so great moments, but with each comes the opportunity to learn and grow.

Monday morning began with my Introduction to Agriculture class.  We only had soil erosion to get through before we began working on our unit project.  I planned an activity that had the kids use their books to answer a question.  I wanted the students to see that their book would be a great resource to begin their search for information for their projects.  However, I under estimated how much time it would take the class to read the two pages of information I wanted them to read.  What I thought was going to take 10 minutes, quickly became 20 or 25.  I wrapped class up, and immediately started thinking about how I could make things better on Tuesday.  My FFA/SAE class spent the period working on debriefing from FFA Week.  I had them work together to make a list of things that went well, and what they would do different for next year.  I was pleased with their work and the information they came up with.  This class was followed immediately with my first section of Horticulture.  Monday was dedicated to reviewing the crossword puzzle they had been assigned as homework, and introducing the terminology that was needed to begin teaching the punnet square.  Both sections of Horticulture went pretty well on Monday, leaving me excited to teach the punnet square on Tuesday.

To bounce back from Monday, I planned an interactive activity for my ninth grade class.  On Monday they read about twelve specific things that can be done to prevent soil erosion.  On Tuesday, I had the class line up based on height, and then partnered students up.  Each group was given one of the twelve practices they read about, and asked to draw a picture representing that practice without using words.  After the groups were finished, we did a gallery walk around the room.  Students looked at each picture, and worked to identify which practice it was representing.  The participation from the group was good, and I think it tied in nicely with the previous days work.  My punnet square activity went over well in Horticulture as well.  I had students ranging in experience with the punnet square, from those who didn't know what it was, to students who were learning about it right now in Biology.  We spent the class working through scenarios, and ended class with each student writing their own scenario and completing the punnet square to go along with it.  I also picked up Veterinary Science on Tuesday, I took the whole period to introduce myself, get to know the students, and go over classroom procedures.  Overall, it was a good day.

Wednesday, arguably the most difficult day of this week.  The students were tired, the week was only half over, and, after all, this was the first full week in quite some time!  I provided first period with a rubric for their project and explained to them what I was looking for.  I asked if they had questions, and, seeing none, we went to the library to begin research.  I quickly realized that their was confusion, and not just from some, but majority of the students.  However, I don't believe it was a wasted day, because the students had time to learn about resources available to them from the librarian.  When third period came around, half of the students in my FFA/SAE class were absent.  The lesson I had for them was going to go over better if I had more students, so I gave the class the period to work on updating their record books.  Horticulture.  My plan was to go over the definitions that were covered in the crossword puzzle and make sure that they were really understood.  Instead of clearing up confusion, I created more of it.  As students questioned, I began to question myself.  My first section left, and I felt defeated.  I worked to improve what information I had before I had the class again eighth period.  Veterinary Science was a success, we learned the parts of the digestive system, and the class then worked in groups to create a model using play dough.  After they finished, we discussed the order they had the parts in and made sure that everyone had that correct.  My second section of Horticulture went better than the first, but we were able to spend half of our time in the hydroponic greenhouse taking care of some things that needed to be done. 

I began Thursday by working to further explain what I expected from the students in Introduction to Agriculture with their soil or water conservation posters.  I explained that I wanted them to focus on one specific issue and do more research on it.  Overall, their was less student confusion, and I was able to answer questions and help point students in the right direction.  I feel I also redeemed myself in Horticulture.  The confusion on Wednesday came from explaining scarification and stratification.  I decided to do an activity on Thursday where I provided half of the class with an article on stratification, and half the class with an article on scarification.  They were told to take notes, put things in their own words, and half the information ready to present to the other half of their peers.  The students took longer to read than I had anticipated, but after they finished, I think they really enjoyed teaching each other.  I had them partner up once, and then after they taught their first partner, I asked how many people took notes.  Seeing no hands, I had them rotate partners, recommending they take notes this time!  After they finished, I had two students stand up and explain the opposite of what they originally read about.  I was pleased with how well they did!  Veterinary Science was given a similar task.  After learning the parts the previous day, using a Go Get It e moment, they were each given a part to research and determine it's function.  They then shared with the class what they found.  Again, I was pleased with how the activity turned out, but realize how much quicker it would be if we were fortunate enough to be a one to one school.

Friday rolled around, and the kids were all dragging.  It was the first full week for them in a while, and you could tell.  The entire period was set aside for research for Introduction to Agriculture, so I spent time walking around clarifying any questions that came about.  FFA/SAE spent the period in a speech manuscript boot camp.  After reading their speeches, I decided to set up stations for them to go through to help them better prepare their speeches for the contest.  They responded pretty well, and either Mr. Steinfelt or myself was able to give each student one to one feedback on their rough draft.  We had a lot of maintenance to get caught up with in the greenhouse, so both classes of Horticulture spent about half the class out working on changing water, cleaning the tubs, and adding fresh water and nutrients.  The other part of class was spent on talking about the four things needed for germination. I wrapped up the week of the digestive system by assigning a project.  I groups of two, they were to create a digestive road map.  In this map, each part was to have an "attraction" that would describe the function of that part of the digestive system.  They were provided the example of a "saliva stop" water park for the mouth.  The attraction then needed to have a description to show that they understood the function, without just stating what the function is.  I got this idea from my ag teacher, Janine Stottlemyer, and absolutely love it!  The kids were able to use their creative juices to make connections to the parts and their functions!  I am really excited to see the completed projects on Monday!

As I look into the week to come, I will wrap up Soil and Water Conservation with Intro to Ag, and begin a mini unit on dairy judging.  I will continue working on Public Speaking with my FFA/SAE kids, and Horticulture will continue with plant propagation.  I will continue with Digestion with Vet Science, and add electricity with one section of Ag Mechanics I.  It will be a busy week, but I am excited to continue this journey!