Whoa! We're Halfway There!

Week Eight has #psuaged22 over halfway to completing their Student Teaching Experiences. With a full teaching schedule, Career Development Event (CDE) practices underway, and FFA events galore, I feel like I am, as Bon Jovi says, Livin' On A Prayer.

Take My Hand

With all of the craziness of the past few weeks coming to a head, I just want to take a moment to thank those who have encouraged me with smiles, advice, and promises of "you'll make it I swear". First off, I am a member of the Ms. Darla Romberger fan club in the world of Pennsylvania Agricultural Education (we all know she's pretty famous). She is everything that I could have asked for in a Cooperating Teacher. Her guidance, advice, and encouragement is always spot on. She takes care to make sure I feel comfortable with what I am teaching each week including extra time spent in the shop learning how to take apart an engine. Also, she laughs at the memes and bad jokes I share with the students which really just makes my week. We all know that I walked into this experience lacking confidence and she has helped me slowly build up my confidence in the classroom which has been an incredible gift looking back on where I started at the beginning of this experience. Also, she is one of the two people who read my blog which means a lot to me.

Chicken Creation In The Eagle Buddies Program

Mr. Carson Letot, blog reader number two, also deserves a shout out as my University Supervisor. I really appreciate the check-ins, suggestions, and his genuine concern for how we can make this a sustainable career for me. He also has a rare talent of coming up with Harry Potter analogies for my life which is wicked. 

The third stop on this impromptu mid-internship thank you train is my cohort. Knowing that I am not alone in my struggles as a Student Teacher is beyond reassuring. I also love exchanging tall tales of "students say the darnedest things", because everyone needs a break from lesson planning to laugh every now and then.

We've Got To Hold On

While my schedule is PACKED I am taking part in events and making memories that really have me holding on to every day of this experience. On Wednesday as a part of Cumberland Valley's Eagle Buddies Program a few of the Life Skills students visited us to learn about Animal Science. Here our Community Service Community got the chance to plan and lead cow, chicken, and pig crafts and share some fun facts about these animals. The students had a blast and I enjoyed getting to see them put on their teaching hats for this event!

Ms. Carter Rocking Out Rat Nutrition

On Friday I drove to Philadelphia to visit Ms. Riley Carter at Walter B. Saul High School. This trip not only gave me the opportunity to observe the great ways in which Riley connects with and encourages her students, but it also gave me a chance to see how her Student Teaching Experience differs from mine. A huge difference would be that much of Philadelphia is still under some pretty strict COVID-19 regulations, which makes it hard for this program to get involved in events outside of the school. However, they have some pretty exciting plans for future leadership events that I am excited to see play out. They also operate on block scheduling which gives her classes over an hour and a half together which is very different from the forty-five minute periods at Cumberland Valley. This gave me an idea of what it looks like to plan for longer class periods. Riley is rocking it out at Walter B. Saul and it was great to catch up with her, talk about some of the successes and struggles we are both experiencing at our Cooperating Centers, and learn about Agricultural Education in the largest urban program in Pennsylvania!

A Good Looking Group At Del Val

On Saturday we took a group of students to Delaware Valley University to learn more about CDEs that they are interested in, participate in leadership workshops, and tour campus. The students had a great time learning and interacting with members from other chapters and states. This was also my first day trip as an advisor. While the day was long, I love being a part of a chapter that gives their students countless opportunities to show off their blue jackets, learn, lead, and make new friends. 

Going into the ninth week of this experience my calendar is looking pretty booked. I am excited to continue to learn from my incredible support network and engage in some more exciting FFA events as they come. While I am living on a prayer for more time in the day, I love the growth I am seeing in myself as an educator.

"Taylor"ed with love,