Wrapping Up a Rewarding Experience

I don't even know where to begin.  This week has been both eventful, and rewarding.  From wrapping up classroom instruction, completing assignments, attending Regional Public Speaking, and holding our Athens FFA Banquet, there was never a dull moment.  Though I was extremely busy, this week, along with the entire experience, it was also extremely rewarding. 

I continued instructing both sections of Horticulture this week as we finished up IPM by going over Pesticide Safety, while also working in the greenhouse.  We spent two days going over PPE, first by identifying what Personal Protective Equipment is necessary when handling pesticides, then discussing the importance of PPE by completing an activity.  I had students dress up in different levels of PPE and then go outside to spread "pesticide," which was really granola coated in fluorescent powder. After the activity was completed, we moved back inside and brought out the black light.  We first observed how much pesticide residue was on each individual prior to removal of PPE.  I then had the class predict who they thought was the best protected.  After everyone had made their prediction, we had the students remove their PPE.  We then again turned on the black light to reveal the pesticide residue after the removal.  As predicted, the student with the highest level of PPE was the best protected, and had no residue remaining after the equipment was properly removed.  Today we are going to have a salad day.  We will be using fresh vegetables from our greenhouse to have a little celebration for the hard work that has been put in.  I am excited to see students rewarded for their efforts!

 

Thursday brought a day with 15 consecutive hours spent with kids.  Though I don't think I am recovered as far as rest goes, I wouldn't have changed anything about it!  The day began by taking a bus of students to Williamsport for the Northern Regional Public Speaking CDE.  We had three Creed speakers and one Extemporaneous.  We also took nine students to a Forestry Field Day put on by the Forestry Department at Pennsylvania College of Technology.  It was a really tough decision to decide if I wanted to stay with the students competing, or go with the forestry students.  I have not had a lot of exposure to forestry, so we decided that it would be a valuable experience for me.  I am extremely glad I went!  We spent the morning going over the use of compasses, GPS units, and various other activities.  After a lunch around their pond, we finished up with a dendrology walk.  It was fun to watch the students see who could identify each tree fastest!  We really appreciate the staff at Penn College for taking the time to work with our students!

Thursday night was the Athens FFA Banquet.  We had over 120 people come out to celebrate the accomplishments of our students throughout the past year.  I really do not have words for this experience.  It took a lot of work to ensure the banquet ran smoothly, but it was beyond worth it.  I am incredibly proud of the success of each of the members.  I have been to a lot of FFA banquets, but always as a member.  Though those were always a great experience, my heart never swelled up with so much pride at any of those.  That blue corduroy jacket can take students as far as they let it, and I can see that my students truly get that!  They all have the potential to do great things, and for that I am so proud. 

Today is a bittersweet day.  This journey has been a challenging one, that is for sure.  There have been times where I questioned myself, and my ability.  But I am here for the kids.  I am here to help them become the best version of themselves that they can be.  I believe with my whole heart that without that motivation I would not have enjoyed this experience.  These students are our future, and without agriculture there is no future at all. Agricultural Education is essential to ensuring a promising future for our nation, and our world.  I believe that these kids will make a positive difference.  I believe that there is no  job out there then that is more important that that of an agricultural educator, and I am honored to be entering the profession.  I cannot thank Mr. David Steinfelt enough for giving me this opportunity, in which I was able to experience everything I had hoped for, and more.

I don't believe that when I walk out those doors today that it will really sink in that my time here as a student teacher is done.  I am sure that tears are possible, and probably even likely, but that is to be expected.  My experience here at Athens has greatly influenced my life.  I can only hope that I left a mark on their lives as well.

As my time here quickly comes to an end, one quote has been running through my mind.   

"Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting."

I will never forget my time here, so therefore today is not goodbye.  Today I will simply say see you later.  I know that I will be back a few times before the students complete their school year for various visits.  I know that it won't be the same, but that is okay.  I look forward to moving on to the next chapter of my life, and because of this experience, I will be turning the page with a positive attitude and a different perspective.  The world won't change if we sit around and wait for it.  The world will change when we get up and do something, and I am ready to face that challenge.

Beef Finishing SAE Visit

For my second SAE visit, we went to check on a students steer that he is raising to show at the Troy Fair.  This student's family owns a local butcher shop, so we met the student there and then walked across the road to his steer pen.  Everyone takes Troy Fair pretty seriously, and this student is no different!  He is currently raising two steers, and will then take whichever one is in weight and looking the best to the fair.  He is keeping records on both steers, and will sell the one that doesn't make it to the fair elsewhere. 

This visit went much like our other visit.  We talked to the student and asked him questions about how often he works with his steers, when he last weighed them, and what they weighed at that time.  We also discussed his expenses, and clarified some questions he had about accurately keeping those records.  Then we began talking with him and asking which steer he felt was going to do better at this time.  He had one that had a better demeanor,  however he felt the other steer was of higher quality.

Unlike my first visit, this student had been working on his steer project for years.  It started with his older siblings, and continued down the line with him.  He has a lot of support from his family, and is able to work in exchange for the feed expenses. 

Just like our first visit, before leaving we set up a time to work individually with the student to help him transfer over to AET record keeping as opposed to the old Pennsylvania record keeping system.

Of course, before we left, we had to stop in their shop and pick up some of their locally famous beef sticks!  They were great!

Maple Syrup Production SAE Visit

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a sophomore student who started a maple syrup operation from scratch this year.  I was amazed at the dedication he had!  I completed the visit with Mr. Steinfelt and his family on a cold Saturday morning. 

We began the visit by discussing the students success so far this season.  The weather wasn't very cooperative this year, which resulted in a slight decrease in production than anticipated.  We met the student at his grandfathers house, where his production is set up.  First, we went to check out his evaporator, and talked about how he hoped to get a larger one when he was financially able.  His evaporator is in the shop on his grandfathers property.  After we finished there, we all got in the vehicle and went out to the field.  Here we were able to see the students sap collection set up.  He chose to run line and collect all of the syrup in one collection tank, rather than the traditional tap and bucket.  In doing this, he was able to tap a larger number of trees.  The lines all ran downhill to the collection tank, so the sap was running solely by gravity

When we got to his collection tank Mr. Steinfelt noticed that the line made a slight upward turn right before it entered the tank, causing for a collection of sap that was not running into the tank.  Mr. Steinfelt suggested that he move the tank just a little further down hill to prevent that from happening. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this visit!  I had never seen a maple operation during actual maple syrup season!  Before we left, we talked with the student about concerns he had about his AET, which he has been using to keep his records in.  We checked his account before we left school on Friday, so Mr. Steinfelt had some specific tips that he offered. 

Before leaving, we set up a time for the student to come work individually with us to ensure his understanding of how AET works.

Winding Down Fast

I thought normal five day weeks went by fast, but this three day week flew by in the blink of an eye.  As a result of a short week with my students, I was able to take a day and spend visiting Tyler Cremeans at Gettysburg High School. 

This week I backed down to only three preps, and four classes.  The end of the third marking period was Tuesday, and so Monday was spent reviewing for tests in both Veterinary Science and Horticulture.  I was pleased with the review in both classes, as students really seemed to have a good understanding of the information covered.  In Agriculture Mechanics, students were required to have their second electrical project completed by the end of the day on Tuesday.  At the beginning of class on Monday, only five of the thirteen students were still working on project 2, while the rest moved on to project 3.  Overall the students worked well throughout the class period, and were on track to be finished on time on Tuesday.

Tuesday was a quiet day, as students took tests in majority of the classes.  I was really pleased with the scores on the tests, especially in Horticulture.  The average of this test was better than the propagation unit.  I talked with Mr. Steinfelt, and we feel that this is a result of both a different approach to note taking.  However, I also feel that I was more comfortable with the information I was delivering in the IPM unit, which then resulted in increased clarity to the students.

Wednesday both Horticulture classes were able to spend time in the greenhouse.  We were unable to give the greenhouse the attention it deserved as we prepared for the test, so it was great to get back in and get everything looking good again!  Agriculture Mechanics moved forward to project 3, and those who finished worked to help students who were further behind. 

I was very pleased to visit Tyler this past week.  He was down to a lighter teaching load, much like myself, but I was still able to see him in action!  I really enjoyed seeing how block schedules worked as far as classroom instruction, and I was surprised with how much I like it!  The periods were over twice the amount of time I have to work with, and it was awesome how much they could get done in one days time!!  It was also great to see the great things the program is doing, especially in the greenhouses!  I also was able to spend time talking with Mr. Abma at the end of the day, and he had very encouraging things to say!  I enjoy talking with individuals in the profession who truly rock it out!

Overall it was a great week!  I now prepare for my final week with my students.  I am sure that this week is going to be full of bitter sweet moments.  Though I am excited to move forward into whatever chapter lies next for me, I am going to miss everyone that I have spent the last few months getting to know.  I look forward to our chapter FFA banquet this Thursday, where we will take time to recognize all of the great accomplishments that were made this year.  I couldn't think of a better way to end my experience at Athens!

Spring is in Full Swing!

Springtime brings a very busy schedule in the Agriculture department.  With only a few weeks remaining, the days are all packed full of instruction, banquet preparations, practices, and meetings upon meetings.  This week was no exception.  The third marking period is coming to a close, which means units of instruction need to be finished, and grades need to be entered.  To top off the busy springtime, the warm weather is making students anxious to be outside of the classroom walls. 

This week I continued working through Integrated Pest Management by working through the different types of pesticide.  Instead of giving students guided notes containing information about the 7 specific types of pesticides we worked to cover this week, I decided to have students create Chemical Control books.  The students worked throughout the week to identify the important information and write it down in their book.  My hopes in taking this approach is to have the students take ownership and make connections on their own.  Both classes worked well throughout the week to participate in class and complete their books.  I have been struggling to get through all of the information in order to have the test in before the third marking period.  As a result, it has been difficult to be able to get through the information in an engaging manner while also leaving time to take care of our responsibilities in the greenhouse.  After a busy week, we were able to get into the greenhouse on Friday to give the plants a little TLC.

I completed my final week in Animal Science by completing the Introduction to Poultry unit.  Though I only had this class for a few short weeks, I really enjoyed the class.  With 26 kids, they were my largest class this semester, but they were still very well behaved.  The highlight for both Animal and Vet science students this week was a field trip to the Cargill Regional Beef plant in Wyalusing, PA on Wednesday.  I was unable to go with the students, but instead stayed behind to teach the students who were not able to go on the trip.  I designed a virtual field trip for the students to complete by working through the website.  I lacked the enthusiasm for the students who were in the classroom, but with the help of Dr. Foster, was able to learn from the mistake and realize the importance of bringing variety into every lesson.

The favorite part of my week was Thursday, hands down.  After first period, we loaded the bus with ten students and headed out to participate in the county Dairy Judging CDE that was organized by the Troy FFA.  We visited two farms, each with four classes of cows.  The students judged each class, gave two sets of reasons, took a written test, and completed a parts ID test.  I loved seeing a barn full of young people working to learn more about the dairy industry.  I also enjoy seeing different facilities, and learning more about how they run, what works well, and what they would change about their facility if they could.  I felt right at home, helping kids learn in one of my favorite settings!

After being out of the classroom all day Thursday, we had just enough time to change clothes and get back in the van to head to Williamsport for the Northern regional PAAE meeting.  We took one student with us to participate in SOCS (State Officer Candidate School).  On the way home, I was pleased to learn that she is now seriously considering running for state office!  All in all, it was a great day!  Not only did I get to see some great cows, but I also got to see other teachers and student teachers and hear about how they are rocking out their last few weeks!

It has been a different experience as I work to back off of full load of teaching responsibilities.  I was wrong to think that the workload was going to lighten up, though, because even with the lightened class load, there is still a lot to be done!  As I look into this coming week, I am working to find ways to add variety to my lessons.  With only three short days this week, and the end of the marking period, this week is full of review and tests.  It is sad to think that I will be handing these classes back in such a short amount of time.  I plan to maximize every day I have left!

April Showers Bring Even More Adventures!

I know I say this every week, but, I can not believe that it is April already.  This first week of April here in Athens has brought some (almost) warm weather, sprouting seeds in the greenhouse, FFA banquet preparation, and fire drills.  Lots and lots of fire drills.

Throughout the week, I continued to work through my final unit of instruction with all of my classes.  We are coming to an end of the 3rd marking period, and the students are already getting antsy!  I continue to learn through this experience each and every week.  This week I have stepped down to only 5 classes, with 4 different preps, and it is amazing how small of a load that feels now!  When I began picking up more and more classes, five classes seemed overwhelming! Don't get me wrong, I am still incredibly  busy, however weaning off of a full load is definitely different then taking on a full load!

Horticulture this week was full of lessons and activities to learn more about biological control methods of pests and diseases.  We began by talking about predators, then continued on by completing an activity to learn other methods that could be used as biological control.  I then introduced a problem to the students where they walked out to their garden and noticed some problems.  They then worked to further explain and identify the problem.  After they had identified a pest and a disease, they worked to come up with biological solutions.  Through this activity the students learned that there is not a one size fits all solution to controlling pests.  We finished the week out by taking a quiz on biological control.  Next week we will cover the other two forms of pest control: mechanical and chemical.

I began Introduction to Poultry this week with the Animal Science class.  We began by defining poultry, then discussing 8 specific types of poultry.  After we identified those 8 types, we focused more on chicken and turkey production.  We watched a video that showed the advances that have been made in modern poultry production.  We began looking at differences in types of production houses.  I am still getting to know this class, and they are very quiet.  This coming week I will be continuing to look at the different types of poultry production with the class.  We will also look at the embryology process.  I was unable to get supplies to complete embryology in the classroom, however I have the supporting materials, so that will be a great resource to utilize.

My students in veterinary science have been giving their presentations on the six essential nutrients all week.  I am very proud of the work they have done in order to have the correct information to give to their classmates.  After each presentation, I added anything that needed to be covered.  Overall, it was great!  I think the students really liked the change in instructional method.  They also got a taste of what it was like to get up in front of a class and be responsible for the information that was being covered.  Monday we will finish the last presentation, and then talk about the importance of a properly balanced diet.  I am interested to see how well the class really took in the information that their peers presented. 

Agricultural Mechanics.  We are full swing into our basic household wiring projects.  The students are not all working at the same pace.  Some students finished the project by Wednesday, and others were still working come Friday.  In order to keep the class together, I utilized the students who were done as peer instructors.  They spent the later part of the week providing help and answering questions where needed.  I found this to work really well, especially since prior to having help, students were pulling me in all directions asking questions about how to complete different parts of their project.  Monday, we will finish project one, and move on to project two.  I really like being in the shop with this class.  They are more responsive to hands on instruction.  They still take some extra control as far as classroom management goes, but they are teaching me a lot.

Three weeks remain.  Three short weeks.  In that time I will wrap up my classes at the completion of the third marking period.  The time has gone by so fast, and I am excited to see how these last few go.  The students are definitely liking the warm weather, but they are also anxious for their summer break.  I believe that keeping them engaged and excited about the instruction may be a challenge as the days get longer.  Always an adventure!