Week 13: Mowers, Meetings, and Marketing

           Holy cow I cannot believe it is week 13 of student teaching! Time has been going by so fast and I will be graduated before I know it! I had a long, relaxing birthday/Easter weekend this past weekend. I was feeling refreshed and ready to begin another week of student teaching. Students did not have school on Monday; it was an in-service make up day for teachers. We were in the building from 8-4. The day started off with breakfast provided by the school. I finished my undergraduate thesis, prepared several lesson plans, and made a lot of progress on my DIY project. I was grateful for the in-service day because it was very productive for me. It was also a nice transition back into my routine after a long weekend at home.

            On Tuesday, it was back to the swing of things! In ag mechanics, students eagerly got back into the lawn mower service project. It was exciting for me to watch how passionate they were about what the task at hand. It was one of those things that makes a bad day all worth it! Students worked together nicely as they took apart the lawn mowers which was also encouraging to watch. In aquatics, students who were not in class on Thursday made up the PA cold water fish ID quiz. Afterwards, students completed an identifying characteristics worksheet on PA cool/warm water fish. Students had to describe the 11 species of fish based off of their pictures on the posters hanging in class. Students began working on the corresponding worksheet but then ran out of time. In intro to agribusiness, I taught a short lesson on customer issues and relations in agrimarketing. Class was interrupted halfway through by a fire drill. While an interruption was not ideal, it seemed to energize the students once we came back into the classroom. Students completed an assignment based on a change in consumer trends of a chosen agricultural product. I noticed that students enjoy using the iPads but seem frustrated when assignments require higher level thinking!

            On Wednesday, Mr. Anderson and I went along with Mrs. Thoman’s pre-vet class on a field trip to Covance in Denver, PA. Covance is a biomedical research facility that works to develop and test drugs and pharmaceuticals. Individuals from the Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research were also present. 19 students went along on the trip. In the morning, we attended several presentations including an introduction, vaccination presentation, virtual tour of the facility, and the use of horses in creating anti-venin from black widow spiders. We were able to tour the large animal facility which housed goats, sheep, pigs, and a burro. We also had the opportunity to tour the horse facility; I think this was the student’s favorite part! We reconvened for lunch, were introduced to several other employees, and then headed back to school. I was thankful for the opportunity to travel with the pre-vet class on this field trip. Biomedical research is one area that I do not know much about but this trip definitely sparked an interest! After returning to school, Mr. Anderson and I traveled to the Eastern Region PAAE Meeting at Garden Spot High School. We took one FFA member along who attended the State Officer Candidacy School (SOCS) while we were at the meeting. The meeting was very informative and kept me up to date with what is happening in agricultural education here in Pennsylvania!

            I was very tired by Thursday morning. However, I drank my morning coffee and made it through the day! In ag mechanics, students continued to work on the lawn mower service project. In aquatics, students completed an inquiry activity related to Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River and why the bass are getting sick. I thought it was a cool way for the students to play detective and then “publish their findings.” However, students were not excited about it like I was. They wanted me to just give them the answers rather than thinking on their own. This is frustrating as a teacher because I try to encourage them to think and create activities that will be fun and engaging. We also reviewed for the cool water fish ID quiz on Friday. In intro to agribusiness, I worked on getting everyone caught up since so many students were absent the previous days. Students completed a study guide and I went over it at the end of class for the test on Friday.

 

            In ag mechanics on Friday, students continued to work on the lawn mower service project. I enjoy walking around and helping students. This class is made up of a great group of kids and I will surely miss their personalities when I leave. In aquatics, students took the cool water fish ID quiz. Since so many students have been absent or getting behind on their work, Mr. Anderson and I decided to use the remainder of the class to catch up those students who were behind while rewarding the students who got their work done on time. This may not have been the ideal thing to do but I was getting very frustrated with their performance. The students had a stern warning about their classroom behavior and performance; I am hoping since the issue was addressed, it will not be as big of a problem. In intro to agribusiness, students took the marketing unit exam. Afterwards, students went to the greenhouse to take care of the geraniums. I also worked with several students who have been absent to catch them up.

            Reflecting on the week, I think it is safe to say that shorter weeks tend to feel longer. I had a very busy and productive week, as usual. This week was full of ups and downs as well as many opportunities for growth and learning. I was struggling with students not working to their fullest potential and hopefully addressing the issue will improve the classroom dynamics for the rest of my time here. I think it hard for both the students, particularly the seniors, and myself to feel senioritis. I mean I only have two weeks left here! I’m not letting this get in the way of my teaching however. It is just hard not to think about what is coming next! I know I must be doing something right because my fourth block baked me my favorite cupcakes for my birthday this week. It’s the little things like this that make everything else worth it!