On The Twelfth Week Of Student Teaching My Students Gave To Me...
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| Edible Aquaponics Systems Or Gingerbread Houses? |
Twelve Blog Posts Posting
One lesson that I have learned as a Student Teacher starts right here in my blog. Social media is a powerful tool for a teacher. Whether you prefer blogging, Tweeting, or posting on the Instagram, sharing what is happening in your program through social media platforms creates a bridge between you and the community. Not only do administrators get to see all of the great lessons you deliver, but parents and community partners get to keep tabs on what their students are learning, what your program has to offer future students, and how they may be able to engage with you.
Eleven Strong Supporters
Every teacher needs a strong support system. Whether I utilize my support system for ideas, therapy chats, or life advice, being able to lean on those who believe in me has done wonders for my mental health throughout this Student Teaching Internship. It takes a village to raise a child and being that I have nearly one hundred of them in class, it also takes a village to support a teacher. One of the biggest pieces of advice that I have to give to future Student Teachers is to know your support system and run to them often. Needing support does not make you weak, it makes you human.
Ten Community Interactions
Community is vital to the success of an Ag Program. Not only are we growing the next generation of community leaders in our classroom, but we are building relationships with community members in order to provide our students with as many opportunities to learn and grow as possible. From Ag Advisory Board Meetings to Business tours, I have had a lot of chances to learn more about the community of Cumberland Valley as a Student Teacher. I have also had the chance to work with an industry partner to enhance the learning of my Food Science class, which I am excited to see the end result of!
Nine Officers & Committee Chairs
Working with the nine incredible Cumberland Valley FFA Officers and Committee Chairs has given me the opportunity to truly experience my role as an advisor to a student led organization. Up until now, I have always been a student doing the leading in FFA. As a teacher I have been learning the intricate art of guiding my students toward possible solutions to problems, challenging them to come up with ideas to implement in the chapter, and planning behind the scenes how to best support my students and their events. I am by no means a master at this, but I have begun to see how to transition from my past role of an FFA member to my future roll as an FFA advisor.
Eight Inquiry Based Lessons
Do I know that I have taught exactly eight inquiry based lessons? No. Do I know that I have taught quite a few inquiry based lessons and even more that have had an inquiry influence since I have begun Student Teaching? Yes! Incorporating inquiry based learning in my lessons has allowed me to push my students to cultivate solutions to challenges they encounter in the classroom. I love how inquiry based instruction engages critical thinking skills and gets each of my students involved in their learning. In the future, I hope to continue to utilize this teaching style for the benefit of my students.
Seven Days In A Week
From Student Teaching I have learned that teachers go to school for five days in the week, but work for seven days in a week. There is so much going on during the week that I need to utilize my weekends to thoroughly plan for the week coming up. That being said, I have also learned that it is important to balance work things and life things and take a little me time over the weekend as well. We can't fill the cups of our students if we don't fill our own cups!
Six CDE Teams
This year Cumberland Valley has six different Career Development Event (CDE) teams. As the Student Teacher who is only half in charge of one team, this blows my mind. On top of planning for lessons, keeping the FFA chapter running, supervising SAE projects, and attending community events, time is limited as an FFA advisor. A goal that I have for myself going into my first year of teaching is better facilitating coaching my CDE teams. While I have been helping to coach our Veterinary Science Team, I feel like I could be doing a better job getting familiar with the contest and planning ahead for practices. I am glad that I have an experienced CDE coach by my side as I navigate these unfamiliar waters.
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| A "Living Timeline" In Plant Science! |
One of my goals going into my Student Teaching Internship was getting experience teaching unfamiliar subject matter. At Cumberland Valley I have gotten the chance to do just that. I have taught Animal Science, Plant Science, Ag Power and Technology, Food Science, and Biotechnology and each class has given me a chance to learn something new, some more than others. Agricultural educators teach for such a broad range of topics that not one teacher can be an expert in everything. However, with experience comes better lessons, which is why I am thankful for the chance to step out of my comfort zone at Cumberland Valley to gain experience in different areas.
Four Professional Development Sign Ups
Speaking of gaining experience, taking advantage of Professional Development opportunities has become increasingly important to me as this experience has progressed. I have always loved learning and I am excited to be in a profession full of life long learners. Now that I am nearing the end of my Student Teaching Internship, I have made connections that keep me in the loop of Professional Development. From the Curriculum For Agricultural Science Education Introduction to AFNR Institute to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, this coming summer should be packed full of opportunities to grow in my knowledge of agriculture and I am excited to see what I can add to my list of opportunities for professional growth as the school year comes to a close.
Three Really Fun Fundraisers
Fundraisers are vital to the success of an FFA chapter. I have been very fortunate to be privy to three that Cumberland Valley FFA implements. From sub sales to sweets sales to flower sales, there are countless ways to accrue financial support from the community so that every student has the opportunity to be involved in something that interests them.
Two Animal Science Dissections
As a Student Teacher, dissections can be intimidating. However from watching Ms. Romberger lead a fetal pig dissection to leading the reproductive tract dissection myself, I have learned that dissections are an incredible way to implement hands-on learning in my classroom. Dissections often mean more set up and clean up for a teacher, however with proper planning and student help, it was actually one of my favorite ways to engage my students in their learning. The students really enjoyed these lessons and I really loved that they were asking an endless stream of questions and applying their knowledge.
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| A Few Cumberland Valley Public Speakers |
Just this week we had our Cumberland Dauphin Perry Area Public Speaking Contest. It was exciting to see my students improve as they practiced and I really loved getting to interact with the Prepared Public Speakers as a judge. I was also filled with Cumberland Valley pride after hearing that our Conduct of Chapter Meetings team placed first, one of our Creed Speakers placed first, one of our Prepared Public Speakers placed second, and one of our Extemporaneous Public Speakers placed fourth. Overall, this was a great day to see my students grow and learn more about how to lead a Leadership Development Event.
There are just three more weeks in this Student Teaching Internship, so be sure to keep up on what is happening here at Cumberland Valley as this experience winds down.
"Taylor"ed with love,
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