Week Two: Time to wake up!

This week I picked up my first class: Ag Mechanics. With the start of the new semester at L-S, the students began their first day with me in first period. After homeroom we jumped right into some introductions and took the rest of the period to complete a fun inquiry lab. I thought it would be a good idea to have the students moving around and working with each other, instead of simply reading through the syllabus on day one. 

Overall, I am very happy with my first week, however there are definitely some areas I would like to improve on moving forward. This weeks peaks and pits are as follows:

Peaks: 

1. During our "Batteries that Make Cents" lab students were able to troubleshoot and get some amazing results. (Much better than my cohorts results lol)  I was so impressed by the students ability to work through problems, adjust and persevere. They also seemed to really get into the spirit of inquiry and started testing different models to answer their own questions of what could make their battery even stronger. 

Students worked through the "Batteries that Make Cents" lab using household items to create their own batteries! Students were able to reach up to 2 Volts! 

2. I am normally not very good at remembering names, however I am very proud to say that I already have a pretty good sense of who's who and some of their interests. I  know that it can really make a difference when a teacher is able to show their students that they care by saying their name in class and creating a good rapport with them. I plan to continue to form these important relationships with my students over the next few weeks and hopefully that will help with some of my engagement issues as well. 

3. I also had the opportunity to tag along on an SAE visit this week! The students we visited were raising dairy beef steers for the fair (That was my SAE in high school). I helped Mrs. Oberholtzer show the students how to give the steers vaccines, place ear tags, weight their animals and talked about the importance of a good feed as well as just a few general pointers. It was so fun to see the students so excited to be working on something they were passionate about. I was also impressed by the students willingness to try new things and take charge in the care of their animals. 

Students took charge and successfully gave their Dairy Beef SAE projects vaccines with a little help from their student teacher :)

Pits: 

1. While students seemed to be engaged once we moved into each lesson's major activities, I found it very hard to get them to answer questions and excited during our discussions. This was a little discouraging at points, and I want to be able to find a way to get each student just as excited in class as I am. While some of this problem may be due to it being 7:30am, I feel like there is something I can do. I am going to try to give students a little more time to think after asking questions and try calling on them by name more instead of asking for volunteers for answers. 

2. I am still getting adjusted to block scheduling and the pace at which each of my student groups work. One day I ended my lesson with almost 15 minutes left in class, and then the next I was rushing to get everything done before the bell. I've learned the importance of flex activities and next week I will be working on managing class time a little better. 

One other noteworthy activity from week one was the creation of a classroom jam board that outlines what our classroom expectations for the semester will look like. I really liked allowing the students to think about what each expectation I had actually looked like in our classroom. 

Questions: 

1. How do I motivate and excite students at 7:30 am (or in general) so they are ready to participate in class discussion/activities?

2. What is the best way to motivate students to complete work outside of class time (online days) ?

Entrepreneurship SAE Visit

 This week I had the opportunity to go on my first official Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) project visit. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect first visit, as the students' project mirrored my own project from high school: Market Dairy Beef Steers! It was very interesting to experience SAE's from the "teacher" perspective, and made me reflect on how influential my own Advisor was to my development. I loved being able to share some of my own experiences and offer advice, as well as see the students' apply knowledge they have learned in agriculture classes to their own projects. Below I will answer eight questions to summarize my visit. 

1. Who did you visit?

I visited two juniors who are currently enrolled in the Agriculture Business and Management course in the Ag Program. These students currently have two active SAE projects (Entrepreneurship - Dairy Beef and Foundational - Exploring Career Opportunities). This is their first year in this Entrepreneurship SAE, but they are jumping right in and taking an active role in trying to learn as much as they can to produce a quality animal for their fair at the end of the summer. 

2. Where did the visit occur? 

These students are keeping their project animals at their advisor's barns. In order to do this they each (and their parents/guardians) had to sign a contract that clearly outlined the student's responsibilities regarding the care of the animals and facilities. The students purchase their own feed, bedding, vaccines and the miscellaneous supplies, and go to feed the animals twice a day (once before school and once in the afternoon/evening). Luckily, the barns are located within close proximity to both the school and the students' homes so traveling to this location is not a burden on the students. 

3. What preparations did you make prior to the visit?

In preparation for the visit, we (myself and one of their advisors) had to schedule a time that worked for all parties. Additionally, I reviewed their record book entries in AET (an online platform used to track a student's time, finances and achievements in classroom and school projects), and made sure everything was up to date. We also took time to discuss any current concerns or questions that the student's had regarding their projects. Following this conversation we decided that the steers need ear tags and two vaccinations at this time, so their advisor agreed to pick these up for the students prior to the visit. 

4. What was the student's SAE program?

As I said before, both of these students are currently in an Entrepreneurship SAE for their Market Dairy Beef and a Foundational SAE which focuses on continuous career exploration throughout the years in agriculture classes.  For more information on Entrepreneurship SAEs check out this link.

5. How would you evaluate or rate the program? On what criteria? 

While I did not have a specific rubric to evaluate this project, I would give these students a 4/5. Their animals were in good health, their facilities were well managed/clean, their records were up to date and accurate, and the students were actively researching and asking questions to improve their projects themselves. Additionally, while we were there the students eagerly took charge and placed ear tags in their animals and administered two vaccines (through the nose and mouth of their animals). I was impressed by their dedication and enthusiasm. The only reason I did not give the students a 5/5 is because their is always room for growth and improvement. 

We did utilize a check list for the visit, which is pictured below. (Note: The degree and proficiency areas were discussed prior to the visit while reviewing student record books)  This serves as a record of our visit and we provide a copy to the students so they can look back at our comments to improve their projects and use the information to update their records. 

6. What recommendations were made for improvement?

As it is early in the project, I did not check showmanship or fitting techniques yet, however I suggested that the students begin taking more time to exercise the calves and get them accustomed to being led on a halter. Additionally, we discussed the calves eating habits and suggested that they find a higher quality milk replacer (one with higher protein and fat %), as well as start feeding a starter grain. Since these animals are for show, we discussed the justification for spending more money on higher quality feeds. We were also concerned about mice getting into feed or water damage on the floor spoiling it, so we suggested that the students buy a hard plastic storage tub and keep the feed bags in that. 

During the visit we also weighed the calves, using both a weight tape and digital scale. The students have continued access to the weight tape and can use it to track their steers' gains from week to week. 

7. What record books were being used?

These students, and all L-S students enrolled in an agriculture course, utilize the AET record system. The AET, or Agriculture Experience Tracker, is an online platform where students can create journal entries to log time in experiences and manage expenses/income for their projects. 

While both of these students have up to date records, I suggested that moving forward they focus on adding pictures to their journal entries and adding more detail to each description. This will benefit them if they choose to apply for proficiencies/ awards or record book contests in the future. 

8. How does the cooperating teacher "grade" the SAE program? 

Students receive a weekly grade (10 points) for their AET journal entries related to foundational SAE's from class and Immersion SAE project updates. Additionally, they are expected to complete and update their SAE plans in AET from year to year or as any changes occur. 

This visit really got me excited about pushing students to pursue agricultural projects outside of class. These students were passionate and fired up about learning new information about their animals, and it was great to see them put the knowledge and skills learned in class into practice. I am looking forward to my next visit in the upcoming months, and I hope to visit an internship/placement SAE project, as that is the most popular type of SAE project. 

Student using a weight tape to record current weight of project animal.

Students also used a digital scale to compare the accuracy of  their weight tape. 

Students placed ear tags in their animals to help identify them.

Students also administered two vaccines. After listening to instructions on how to use syringe and how to administer them, the students completed this task on their own. 

Student administering a vaccine through the calf's nose. (With a little help from their student teacher to restrain the calf.) 

Week 1 down, What's next???

As I began my student teaching internship at Lampeter-Strasburg, I was overwhelmed by how welcoming my cooperating teachers, the staff and students were. I can honestly say that I was happy and excited to be walking into school everyday, and I can't wait to start teaching my first class next week!

My first week included observing final exams and projects, getting my first taste of grading, navigating missing work due to covid restrictions, department meetings and of course figuring out how to keep students on task and engaged. Everyday provided me with a new learning experience and I'm excited to see how much I will grow over the next few months. 

A few Peaks and Pits (Highs and Lows) of my week include:

Peaks: 

(1) I really enjoyed helping students complete their final projects, and one of my favorite moments from  this past week was watching a student troubleshoot and connect all the dots to finally get to that 'ah ha' moment and get his lamp to light up. I hope to have many more of these moments during my student teaching experience. 

Ag Mechanics 1 final projects! Students incorporated electrical and plumbing knowledge and skills to create a lamp/charging station that they could take home. 

(2) To be completely honest, I still do not feel very confident in my abilities as a teacher at times, whether it be content knowledge, classroom management, etc. However, Mrs. McMicheal really pushed me out of my comfort zone this week and entrusted me with a lot of responsibility right from the start. From grading to assisting students in the shop I feel that within a few short days my confidence has already become a lot stronger. So, huge shout out to my CT for all the support!!

Pits:

(1) It seems that plans constantly keep changing (2 week units are now 3, different organization structures or students adding/dropping courses) and it can be confusing to try to constantly adapt. While this hasn't made my first week of observing classes change that much, it has made me a little more nervous for next week as I start picking up courses. However, it seems that this is all part of the job and I'm appreciative of the learning experience. 

Looking forward to next week, I will be picking up my first class. Ag Mechanics 1 will begin their second semester with Ms. L! I am excited to meet the students I will be teaching for the rest of the semester and start of the course with a fun inquiry lab. 

Questions: 

(1) #psuaged21 What advice would you give me for my first day teaching students? Is there anything you wish you would have done differently?