Week 7: Half Way There!!

This past week was full of great activities, student projects, and lots of opportunities for reflection on my teaching. Hitting week 7 marks the half way point in my student teaching internship. I am currently teaching a full load with Agriculture Mechanics 1, Small Gas Engines and Vet Science 1, and so far I am loving it! Yes, it is very hard to find enough hours in the day to accomplish instruction, grading, planning, CDE team coaching, and the many other tasks that come with teaching, but as the pressure mounts I feel that I am falling into a good rhythm that will carry me through the rest of this experience. 

Some peaks from this week include...

1. All three of my classes were able to engage in some pretty awesome hands on activities during their lab days. Vet Science completed their personal digestion labs, Ag Mechanics got started on their plumbing squares, and Small Gas Engines finished up their micrometer practice and began the disassembly of their school engines. 

I wasn't able to snap too many pictures, as I was pretty busy moving between students to answer questions or provide some real time feedback, however these projects might have made me more excited than the students. Some of the classes I was most nervous to teach coming into this experience (Small Gas Engines) are now my favorite! It takes a little more time on my end to prepare and learn the content material, but theres nothing better than being able to teach students by doing and working through problems together in class. 

2. This week I received my mid-term evaluation, weekly teaching evaluation, and a formal observation from Penn State. One thing I have learned throughout the past 7 weeks is the value of feedback. I know that I am here to learn, and I truly appreciate hearing what others thought went well and what I could make better. Even if things don't turn out exactly how I had planned, theres always tomorrow and as long as I take time to reflect and adapt it will be a better day.

One pit from this past week ties into this reflection piece. During what was supposed to be a simple, quick review during my Vet Science 1 class, I realized this half group hadn't quite comprehended some of the major content material from the unit. I was a little discouraged, however I asked the students where they felt something was missing with instruction and talked to my CT about it as well. I now know where we need to focus our review this week and how to improve my clarity and instruction in the future. 

While there are definitely areas of growth for me to work on moving forward, I can really feel myself becoming stronger as I continue to move through this internship. I plan to focus my attention on my organizational skills, clarity, and question technques. I am excited to get back into the classroom on Monday and see what week 8 will bring. 

Questions: #psuaged21 How are you feeling at our half way point? What are some of your major growth areas for the remainder of our internship?