The Terrific Twos

Rock Climbing & Team Building

Week two of my Student Teaching Experience at Cumberland Valley launched me into my first week of being "Ms. Halbleib" (who me?). Not only was I able to begin teaching in our Ag Power and Technology class, but I was able to experience the double agent life of an agricultural educator and an advisor. That being said, there is so much more to this profession than the four walls of a classroom and I am so here for it!

Seeing Double

This week Cumberland Valley FFA hosted a Middle School Ag Club meeting and took part in their Winter Officer Retreat. Both of these events gave me an opportunity to experience the after school life of an advisor. They also challenged me to think about the planning that goes into running an FFA chapter.

The students from the middle schools in the district who signed up to take part in Middle School Ag Club came to the Ag Department and learned about Ag Power and Technology through a variety of activities hosted by Cumberland Valley FFA members. After completing a safety scavenger hunt in the laboratory space, participants were broken into smaller groups to engage in three workshops. The club members learned how to problem solve in the Toxic Beans workshop, became engineers by building Lego boats, and were challenged to think like architects by building towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows. While Ms. Romberger handled the logistics of permission slips and advertising for Middle School Ag Club, these events are run entirely by the FFA members from workshop activities to snack time. FFA is one of the largest student run organizations in the nation, so I really enjoyed getting to see that take place at the local level as Cumberland Valley FFA members led the learning of the participants in Middle School Ag Club.

At the Winter Officer Retreat I was challenged to think about how I would support a chapter officer team as they made decisions about the event for the rest of the school year. From agendas to permission slips to travel coordination, there are a ton of moving parts that an advisor has to juggle to ensure that the chapter has everything it needs to take learning out of the classroom and celebrate the successes of it's members. After planning banquets gifts and officer trips, the Cumberland Valley FFA officer team made it's way over to the Climbnasium to take team building to new heights. It was chilly, it was challenging, and it was really high up. In all honesty, heights are not my thing, but I absolutely loved getting to see my students laugh, joke, and encourage each other throughout the night.

Teaching Too

After reviewing Four-Stroke Theory in Ag Power and Technology, we dove into some inquiry based learning by creating Engine Parts Dating Profiles. This was a fun way for students to learn more about engine parts and share some cheesy, but school appropriate pick up lines. 

Middle School Ag Club

What do bread and engines have in common? Carbs (hah). The next few weeks this class will dive into learning about small gas engine carburetors. While I think I have quite a few exciting activities planned, Ag Mechanics is not my strong suit, so that might throw a wrench into things (please laugh at my jokes). In all seriousness, providing my students with rigorous, relevant curriculum is something that is really important to me as an educator. Given my lack of experience with Ag Mechanics, I am worried about being able to deliver that to my students. I am a Student Teacher for a reason however and am embracing this season of learning whole-heartedly despite my worries.

Next week I will be picking up a second class and begin to teach Food Science. Since Cumberland Valley utilizes Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE), I will be learning to use this material in the classroom as their Student Teacher. I am excited to see what CASE has to offer me as an educator and my students as I begin to teach Food Science. Do my fellow teachers have other curriculum that they enjoy using in the classroom? Stay tuned for more Student Teaching updates in the coming weeks!

'Taylor'ed with love,