Four Score

Carburetor Removal

Four score and a semester ago, #psuaged22 was challenged to teach in our Methods of Teaching Agriculture labs and I was an absolute mess. As an Agricultural and Extension Education major I figured at some point I would have to, you know, teach, but making lesson plans for these labs and teaching them in front of my peers had my heart racing and palms sweating. I was a bundle of anxiety inside and outside of these labs. Going into my fifth week of my Student Teaching Internship I have found that pretending to teach and actually teaching are profoundly different. While I still get nervous before lessons, I am not a nervous wreck. Instead, I look forward to engaging with my students, learning how to improve my instruction to maximize their learning experience, and having fun in class. What seems to be the big difference? My students. 

As a State Officer for the Pennsylvania FFA Association I fell in love with making a positive difference in the lives of students through education. In college, especially throughout the pandemic, that "in the lives of students" piece was lacking. I fell into the trap of focusing more on me in the classroom than I was focusing on my future students. As a result of this critical and omnipresent self evaluation, every small mistake I made in my labs sent me into a panic and had me questioning my ability to teach. Now don't get me wrong, I still question my abilities on the daily, I just question them in a healthier light.

Food Science Sensory Evaluations

Just as I realized as a State Officer, I am realizing as a Student Teacher that the students I interact with  will always save me from myself. I recognize that I am not a perfect educator by any stretch of the imagination, but I also recognize that I am growing with each and every lesson. What happens on those days when my lessons don't work according to plan and suck all the confidence out of me? I show up the next day to watch my students remove a carburetor from an engine for the first time or hypothesize the best substitute for fresh strawberries in a recipe or vocalize the difference between monogastric and ruminant digestive systems. I show up to hear about the places they want to go in FFA or in Cumberland Valley High School or in a future career. I show up to see them smile and laugh and learn. I show up to help them through challenges and frustrations and missed classes. 

Finishing the first third of my Student Teaching Internship has broken through my anxieties of not knowing what I am doing and rejuvenated my motivation to grow. Delivering perfect lessons do not make you a teacher and the students at Cumberland Valley High School are showing me just that. In all honesty, they're teaching me more than I am teaching them and I am loving it.

Moving into the fifth week of this experience I am excited to give you all a more detailed look into what each of my students have been working on in class and through FFA. Until then, here's to the rock star students at Cumberland Valley and an incredible Cooperating Teacher who has lent me her students, classroom, and patience as I figure out who Ms. Halbleib is and what she loves most about being an educator!

"Taylor"ed with love,