A Baker's Dozen (Week 13 of Student Teaching)

Proud "Almost Advisor" Of CV's State Officer Candidate

Have you ever wondered why a baker's dozen included 13 baked goods instead of the usual 12 that we associate with a dozen? Back in medieval times there were strict laws in England relating the price of bread to the price of the wheat used to make it. These laws were so strict that if a baker was found overpricing their loaves of bread, they would be flogged for the crime. To avoid punishment, they began to sell 13 loaves of bread in a dozen. This concept is similar, but very different, to Week 13 of my Student Teaching Experience. 

Two weeks ago I finally found my groove at Cumberland Valley and really got on a roll. As I have began to give classes back to Ms. Darla Romberger on the downhill slope of this experience, these last few weeks as a Student Teacher have been an opportunity to have some extra time to catch up on a few of my college assignments and dedicate more time to learning about some of the finer details of being an agricultural educator. While there have been no threats of flogging here at Cumberland Valley, let's stick with this theme of a baker's dozen and gain this grain with some bun puns as I catch you up on what has happened over this last week. Wheat it and weep.

Learning External Animal Parts At CV9

The Dough

This week I got to visit Ms. Jeanne Case at Cumberland Valley's 9th Grade Academy (CV9) and teach Animal Science to her first class of the day. Since I have only been working with students in 10th-12th grade at the high school, this experience allowed me to learn how to navigate teaching a younger group of students. A few of the lessons I learned from this experience are as follows.

• Class moves pretty slow as these students have never been exposed to most of the material you cover in class.
• Chunking directions is really important to keeping everyone on the same page.
• Ninth graders are a lot like the upperclassmen except they are especially moldable as they have just scratched the surface of discovering who they are and who they want to be in the future.

After my class at CV9, I drove over to the high school to finish out the day with my regular classes. This week in Ag Power and Technology we have been exploring the world of ignition. After learning about the parts involved in the ignition system, the students created models comparing Breaker Point Ignition Systems and Magnetron Ignition Systems. This week was also my last week teaching this class. Since this was the first class I began to teach at Cumberland Valley giving it back felt strange, but I love the relationship that I have created in this class and hope that I am able to establish rapport like this with my future classes. 

Creating Ignition System Models

In Animal Science we have been continuing our reproduction unit by comparing breeding systems and creating an estrus synchronization protocol. Before starting this unit, I was a little nervous about how the students would react to the content. After asking for advice from my Cooperating Teacher and staying serious while talking about this topic I have found that students are really interested in learning about reproduction and it has become one of my favorite units to teach. 

In Plant Science we have been forging on with learning about floral designs. After creating silk flower arrangements, we have began to create floral arrangement proposals for the Cumberland Valley FFA Banquet. These proposals will be voted on by the rest of the Cumberland Valley Ag Science students next week and the winner will be what we use as centerpieces for the banquet. I love that this class is really into what they are learning and continuing to open up as we spend more time together.

Time To Prove

We have quite a few students who have rose to the challenge of the Teach Ag Essay Contest. This week Lexi taught a lesson on FATMAN analysis for Food Science and Destiny taught a lab on creating biodegradable packing peanuts. Seeing my students flex their teaching muscles warmed my heart and I am excited to hear their reflections as they write about their experience. 

Destiny's Teach Ag Essay Contest Lesson

This week was also my last FFA meeting at Cumberland Valley. We played some indoor yard games (it was raining) and enjoyed some snow cones as a chapter. The seniors also got to decide where they wanted to put their name on the wall of the shop to truly leave their mark on the program before graduation. Over the next few weeks they will paint and decorate their wall block as they please. The realization of approaching some "lasts" of this internship really took me by surprise. Time has been absolutely ryeing (heh)!

The Sugar On Top

On Tuesday I attended the South-Central Region Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators (PAAE) meeting at Ranch House Restaurant in Duncannon, PA. While I was not quite sure what to expect, this turned out to be an incredible opportunity to really feel like a part of the profession. I enjoyed feeling up to date on the professional happenings within the region and also enjoyed catching up with some of the teachers I do not have a chance to see very often. Being in a room full of Pennsylvania agricultural educators and seeing their passion for their jobs and dedication to the profession makes me feel right at home. I am so blessed to be a part of a group of such supportive individuals. 

In conjunction with our PAAE meeting, our State Officer candidate, Delilah, attended State Officer Candidacy School (S.O.C.S.) in the other room. She has been making some incredible progress preparing for State Convention in June and S.O.C.S. really opened her eyes to what she was preparing for. I have been working closely with Delilah in her State Officer preparations and seeing her make connections had me swelling with pride! 

Week 13 of this experience continuously reminded me of why I chose the right profession by becoming an agricultural educator. As I look to the future, I cannot wait to officially begin my career. For now, I am excited to soak in as much of the last two weeks of my Student Teaching Internship as possible. Whether Week 14 is bready or not, here I crumb!

"Taylor"ed with love,