Abandon Ship!!

Friends, there's something so interesting about this student teaching internship experience. 

So much of it is a dream come true, here I am being an agriculture educator, teaching lessons and advising blue-jacket wearers. 

So much of it is an uphill climb as I daily am seeking opportunities to become the best version of an educator I can be. Reflecting on failures (which happen quite frequently) and rejoicing as I find myself smiling at the end of the day because "I did it." Small victories friends, small victories.

 Midd-West 8th graders learning about
the many careers in Agriculture

You could argue that week three of this internship still classifies as the "honeymoon stage," which is absolutely a valid argument; however, I would say that so much of these past three weeks has been quite realistic. So "real" in fact that it makes me laugh. The craziness of the day-to-day life of an agriculture teacher, the relevancy of everything that my cooperating teachers put me through has been so intentional, so valuable. My experiences thus far have been incredibly authentic, some purposefully designed that way as my cooperating teachers strategically include me as a fellow colleague, not just some average student teacher (for that I am so thankful) and has my students, quite simply, are just normal students. 

Here's the thing, these first three weeks have flown by, this week was full of seed dissections, engine disassembly, lesson planning, faculty meetings, advising over an FFA executive meeting, banquet preparations, FFA recruitment, torch-lighting struggles (it happens), judging practice, greenhouse planting, department meetings... Yea, you get the point. No wonder these weeks are flying by!

As I look back on week three, I'll be sharing a high (some of the top notch, #thebestofmiddwest and other dynamite moments), a low (the not so glorious, wish it couldn't been better or those "you'll have that" kind of moments) and a tip (something of the Teac{HERR} Way that I learned or heard that should be shared with #psuaged16 and friends). 

Three cheers for unconventional
writing spaces!

High: I feel confident in saying that I believe I have mastered the art of organized chaos this week. Welcome to the life of teaching in a multi-laboratory facility right? Out of all the lessons I taught this week, I think I bypassed the lesson and rolled on my own for a good 80% of them. Listen, I led the crew to abandon ship and we ended up drawing on tables and doing some self-led dissections. Here's the thing, good things can happen when you stray off the lesson, people!

Low: This week has made me so very thankful for the upbringing and I have had. Not a day goes by when I don't learn of student who's home life is quite frankly just not fair. There is no doubt that these kids deserve a quality education and a safe learning environment regardless of their background and  home life is. I've been privileged enough to grow up in a home where I never went a day without knowing that I was loved and cared for. It hurts me to know that's probably not the case for some of my students. As I work through these 15 weeks I desire to find ways to love on these kids and showing them that I care in unique way. 

Tip: "Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods." It's really that simple. When you can get to the point that you will be flexible about the way in which we deliver our content, but consistent in our goals to provide a high quality, engaging and rigorous learning environment good things can happen in our classrooms. It requires some conditioning of your students to venture off the beaten path with you, but from what I've found this week, it can make for an incredibly powerful learning experience.

Simply put, adapt and overcome! Students will be crazy, pieces won't come together quite always as planned, but you owe it to your students to move forward and give them your best regardless.

Simply put, I'm just really thankful for this experience. For the challenge that it daily presents me, the constant learning curve I'm up against, the people I get to work along side and the authenticity of my day to day adventures. 

Until Next Week, K. Janae

Snow doubt about it! Week 2 was a wild one!

I'm sure of it. Absolutely sure of it. Snowstorms just throw weeks way out of whack.

Week two was a crazy one. But a good kind of crazy.

Excited to work with these passionate judgers!

It was a wild combination of a snow fall prediction somewhere between 12 and 60 inches (for real weatherman?!), an In-Service Day, an intense Science Department Meeting, picking up three new classes, a cat wandering through the classroom, an advisory board meeting, bright beginnings for the greenhouse crop, reasons sets with some livestock evaluators and 20-some rather talkative boys in a last period Small Gas Engines class.

Want to know something? I made it through. Looking back on week two, I'll be sharing a high (some of the top notch, #thebestofmiddwest and other dynamite moments), a low (the not so glorious, wish it couldn't been better or those "you'll have that" kind of moments) and a tip (something of the Teac{HERR} Way that I learned or heard that should be shared with #psuaged16 and friends).

Getting ready to plant the first round of the
greenhouse crop

High: I had a lot of unique and influential experiences this week. But surely one of my favorites was the opportunity to join in on my first Midd-West FFA meeting. I loved the opportunity to get to watch my kids in action. My "job" lets me interact with my students on many different levels. Not only do I get to watch them succeed in the classroom, I get to watch them develop exciting ideas to serve their community and peers. More on that soon!

Low: I made the decision part way through last semester to digitally evidence and archive my lesson plans and accompanying materials. I had chosen Google Drive as my desired platform which has worked so great as a method to collaborate with my cooperating teachers and connect with my students who are one-to-one with technology. All is well with this plan until the tech department kicks your "rogue computer" off the internet server conveniently in the middle of your lesson. I mean they're just looking out for the well-being of their server, but I am up the creek without a paddle without my teaching resources. Adapt and over come, my friends.

Tip: Own it. It's week two, meaning it did not take me long to figure out that, believe it or not, you're going to bomb lessons from time to time. And here's the thing, that's okay. You've just got own it and tomorrow, you re-do it. I'll own it, that was me! Some tech fails lead to some teacher fails and I owed it to my kids to try again.

Ms. Herr's class bulletin board!

Simply put, I was giving access to the guest wifi, so we're back in action. But lesson learned, none the less. 

Simply put, this week was kind of hard. It was way long, with lots of meetings and some challenging classes. But I left each night with a smile on my face. It's encouraging to know that these challenging weeks will still reap rewards. 

Until Next Week, K. Janae

The Classroom Down the Hall

There's a lot to be said about getting views from different vantage points. 

For example, in efforts to gain a better understanding about the way in which other classrooms are run at Midd-West High School, I was assigned to perform an observation in a science classroom. There's much purpose behind this assignment, agriculture is an applied science so there are a lot of connections that can be made to delivery and management of my classroom. 

I observed Mrs. Shellenberger's Biology class, primarily 10th and 11th grade students. I observed this class on a lab day, however; I appreciated getting the opportunity to observe how Mrs. Shelleberger prepares and manages the students to complete the lab assignment. 

Mrs. Shellenberger was very enthusiastic, clearly passionate about her subject area and embraced the energy of a last period class. This was quite evident by her tie-dye lab coat she was sporting that day, she does her best to make her Biology classroom a positive learning environment for her students. 

I have a strong appreciation for Mrs. Shellenbegers well established classroom routine, something I absolutely strive to build in my own classroom. This routine was very definitive but allowed for flex room for a little bit of fun, like singing happy birthday to a student. She did a phenomenal job at helping her students understand her expectations for the class period. Her lab packets were extremely thorough, setting students up for success. The clarity she worked hard up front to provide, proved worthwhile because she had much more time to enjoy the process and help students dig a little deeper into the lab instead of answering and clarifying over small details. 

She also utilized several tools to effectively manage the class time. During the lab students were held accountable to complete tasks by a digital count-down clock on the screen. She also posted her class agenda, with time limits on the board, so each student understands the plan and goals for the day. Midd-West High School has forty minute periods, which fly by, so strategies like both of these help maximize learning time. 

Simply put, this assignment proved valuable not only as an opportunity to gain some tips and tricks for my teacher tool box, but also to help me to continue to understand the workings of Midd-West High School. 

Simply put, I have a long way to go before I can master the classroom as well as Mrs. Shellenberger did. But I am confident in my training from Penn State and coaching during my time here at Midd-West to help me get on my way!

Until Next Time, K. Janae

K. Janae, Reporting Live From Room 312!

This week has been a little bit surreal. Somewhere, somehow I ended up in Snyder County. It's like I blinked or something. Somewhere, somehow I ended up in my last semester of my Penn State career, the capstone of my degree program - my student teaching internship.

Ms. Herr's Desk

Somewhere, somehow, by the grace of God, I have the privilege of teaching and coaching the students at Midd-West High School under the mentorship of two passionate educators. And for that, I am grateful.

I have officially made fort in room 312. In the last five days we have transitioned from the "new lady over there" to "good morning, Ms. Herr!" In the last five days I have positioned myself strategically in the corner of the room with observant eyes and at the door with a welcoming smile. In the last five days I have met many members of the Midd-West team, participated in faculty room lunches, decorated bulletin boards and did Friday morning coffee and donuts in the ag room with Donna the
janitor.

FFA Executive Team Meeting

As I reflect weekly on my student teaching internship, I'll be sharing a high (some of the top notch, #thebestofmiddwest and other dynamite moments), a low (the not so glorious, wish it couldn't been better or those "you'll have that" kind of moments) and a tip (something of the Teac{HERR} Way that I learned or heard that should be shared with #psuaged16 and friends).



High: I did that teacher thing this week! I picked up my first class, there's no just dip your toes in around here, we do cannon balls! Small Gas Engines was the first to welcome Ms. Herr to the front of the room. This class will definitely be a challenge, last period and 18 boys, but it will most certainly be a good challenge. We knocked out some micrometer reading skills this week, next week the tool kits come out!


Low: This week began the official lesson planning adventures. As I planned with Mr. Bittner and Mr. Erb and dug through some of the lesson plans I made the semester before, I was a little defeating to see that I wasn't able to use some of the lesson plans I had written, but a good reminder of the importance of planning and planning ahead.


Tip: "You cannot make enough mistakes." It's that simple. My cooperating teacher gave me that advice as I stressed a little over the art of classroom management with some of my classes. #psuaged16, don't be afraid of the mistakes that we most surely will make. We're not doing this because we knew it would be easy!

Simply put, this is really happening!! Teacher badge, my own desk, FFA executive meetings, my very own classes and getting to students. 

Simply put, I am excited to dig deeper into this sphere of influence I have the opportunity to participate in. 

Until Next Week, K. Janae

Field Trips & Proud Teacher Moments

Traditionally, those who ride school buses are students, which is true. However, this time, I rode the bus as a teacher. This time, I rode the bus with 60 some students, as one of their fearless leaders. Boom. Reality hits, this is real. The capstone of my entire college career, student teaching, has officially arrived.

But hey, nothing says first day quite like a field trip!

And what better field trip then one to the 100th Pennsylvania Farm Show!

Midd-West FFA loaded up, 60 students ready to go explore the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation and celebrate the successes of their peers.

I enjoyed the morning visiting with teachers from across the state (and nation!), enjoying infamous farm show delicacies and learning more of my students throughout the day.

We collected students and sat down in preparation for the 87th Pennsylvania FFA Mid-Winter Convention and I got to catch some pretty cool exchanges by my students. A life skills student of ours was receiving his very own official FFA jacket through the PA FFA Alumni Jacket Scholarship during the convention. He met up with the group, dressed to the nines in his almost-complete official dress. He was SO excited and his parents, SO proud.

Better yet, I watched my other students walk up to this student and congratulate him, complement him on his belt buckle (which clearly was a big deal to him) and celebrate with him in this milestone. You see, for this student, zipping up that jacket for the first time was only the first of many huge and life changing experiences that the FFA will provide for him. I was there. I sat on that dirt floor and wrapped around the arena with all the other awkward freshman and pulled on that stiff corduroy jacket for the first time. Seven years ago, little did I know.

Simply put, I wish nothing but all the same and more incredible opportunities for this life skills student and all my students, present and future. May they diligently seek out and take advantage of all that national blue and corn gold can offer them.

Simply put, I was so proud of my students, for being proud of their peer, complimenting him and building him up. But more so, I am so thankful to be a part of a national organization that provides opportunities for all students regardless of the abilities, appearance or background.

Forever Blue, K. Janae

Final Presentation: the Teac{HERR} Way

This is one goes out to my people. The ones that stood beside me, pushed me, stretched me, challenged me, cheered me on, laughed and cried with me. I couldn't have made it this point without each of you. So, thank you.

Next stop in this passionate pursuit of the "Teac{HERR} Way..." Midd-West High School!

Until then, K. Janae