Fish, FFA, and Fun!

         This week was another very busy but productive week at Elizabethtown! I met Mr. Anderson as well as six FFA officers Sunday morning outside of the ag shop. We traveled to the 28^th Pennsylvania FFA State Legislative Leadership Conference in Harrisburg. After stopping for breakfast and checking in at the hotel, students attended their sessions all afternoon. I networked with other ag teachers across the state, former teachers, and fellow student teachers. After supper, students had another session. I used this time to catch up on emails and prepare for the week. On Monday morning, students had another session while teachers took part in several professional development workshops. After lunch, we departed to our community service activity. Etown FFA members had the opportunity to clean up a courtyard/garden at a retirement home. We ate supper at Hoss’s before the dance. After final reflections, it was time for bed as Tuesday morning required an early start.

            We checked out of the hotel by 6:30am, packed the van, and headed to the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Camp Hill for breakfast with legislators. A legislator from the Elizabethtown region was not present for the breakfast. State lawmakers were not in session and I believe this is the reason for lower attendance at the breakfast. Afterwards, we decided to visit Wildwood Park in Harrisburg, the nature center where I interned during the summer of 2013. We visited the nature center and walked the trails around the lake. After stopping for lunch, we returned to Elizabethtown. I was exhausted after the conference but had such an amazing time with the students and Mr. Anderson. We shared many laughs and it was definitely a great bonding experience. I was sad to see the conference end so soon but I was excited to get back into teaching!

 

            On Wednesday, I had another busy day! I had a busy planning period during first block as I prepared for the day. In second block, we cut metal for our c-clamp project. My students seemed very interested in this project. I am making a c-clamp as well and can’t wait to see how it compares to the one I made in AEE 350 last fall. In aquatics, students took a summative assessment on the water quality unit which concluded today. Afterwards, I introduced the game headbands to my students. I had them create headband cards on aquatic organisms in Pennsylvania including fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, and plants. Students loved the game and I enjoyed watching them play! In intro to agribusiness, students watered and fertilized the plants in the greenhouse. Afterwards, I introduced the marketing unit. Students completed marketing vocab words which ended out the day.

            Thursday was a great day teaching! I helped some students one on one to catch up on their c-clamp projects. It was a great feeling knowing students were coming to me for help and asking me questions! My aquatics class was well behaved today and I had a great period with them! I taught an introductory lesson on Pennsylvania aquatic life. I then had students complete a worksheet where they had to select a PA species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, and plants. They had to answer a few questions and draw a picture. In intro to agribusiness, I stepped out of my comfort zone to teach a lesson on agrimarketing, future markets, and hedging. I was not very familiar with these topics but with the help of the textbook and Mr. Anderson, I was able to make it through the lesson with minimal problems. It was somewhat hard for me to expand on some of the information but I tried my best!

            I was surprised to know we had a full day of school on Friday, I thought we would have a delay or early dismissal for sure! Jenna Moser observed me teach today, which was a nice addition to the classroom! In ag mechanics, students continued to work on their c-clamps. They finished welding the three pieces together as well as grinded the welds down with an angle grinder. Aquatics started off smoothly but ended up with me having to give a stern warning to the class. Students were weighing and measuring the fish in the aquatics lab. Two of the students acted out in an inappropriate way after I asked them to stop. The incident put me in an instant bad mood and I knew I would have to talk to my students. I was shaking as I spoke because this is the first time I ever rose my voice and got angry with students. I maintained my composure and took care of the situation in a professional, appropriate manner. Students were on task and fairly quiet the remainder of the period. They knew I was not happy with their actions and I think they understood that I was serious. I hope they will show me more respect and things will go smoothly from here on out. In intro to agribusiness, students completed the marketing project that we started at the end of class yesterday. They had to select an agricultural product, answer several marketing questions, and then create a poster marketing their product. Students enjoyed the project and I enjoyed viewing their final results.

 

            Overall, this was a very busy, tiring week. Looking back, it was definitely worth it. I had great interactions with the FFA officer team, as well as with students in class. I feel like I am getting to the point where they respect me but can still get their work done and have fun. I felt bad getting very stern with my aquatics students but at the same token, it was something that had to happen. The students were used to seeing a more relaxed, laid back side of me. I sometimes feel like they took advantage of my nice personality. I feel that these students will respect me more but know that class can still be an enjoyable experience. I am anxious to see what the remaining weeks hold and I know they will be extremely busy!