Wooaahhh, we're half way there...

It was a typical start to the week, I was participating in my normal Monday-morning review of my agenda planner. During that particular moment, my eye was drawn to the weekly count down written beside each week. A seven was scribbled on the left hand side. Seven, which is half of fourteen and fourteen which is the total number of weeks I spend here at Midd-West High School.

[insert minor hyperventilation moment]

You people, we are half way done with this student teaching internship; this capstone experience of my college career. It doesn't even seem real. No doubt, it will get harder before it gets easier. My class load will keep increasing, classroom management issues will surely not disappear and it will most definitely keep getting harder to say goodbye to this place and these kids.

Week seven meant National FFA Week, a quiet week for Midd-West FFA as energy was focused on a school-wide food drive for families in need in the school district, the annual awards banquet in two weeks and the teacher appreciation breakfast to be held in conjunction with an upcoming teacher in-service day. Agriculture Education 8 had a week full of labs, Horticulture, Welding and Small Gas Engines diligently worked on cumulative projects and self-directed learning. My newly acquired Forestry class jumped in both feet, to our Maple Syrup Production unit, mastered the art of putting out student "fires" Our first full week of school in a while was a good one, full of exciting learning.

Week seven will be no different, 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: Disclaimer: I by no means have figured this teacher-thing out; but I've certainly come to the realization that there is not worth stressing over the minor details. I am here to cultivate growth, a learning environment that is safe, engaging and meeting all of my students needs. This week was full of "ah-ha!" and "ohhhhhh's" and "that was actually really fun!" coming from student mouths. All of which I count for small victories in a week that was tiring and long. 8th graders are challenging, high school boys are a little bit crazy, but nonetheless I'm so proud of these students and the progress they're daily making even when I end my day quite beat.


Low: My challenge this week has most certainly be this growing need in my class for differentiated groups. With a week full of plant science labs for my eighth grade students, I've been testing grouping students by their ability, if you well. Allowing my higher performing students to dig deeper at their own advanced pace and giving me more time to work with my lower performing, or behaviorally challenged students. Differentiation requires extra planning on my part to ensure that the rigor of my lesson is appropriate for all of my students. It's challenging to gauge the best way to execute this in all my different classes, each with a more diverse range of students then the last.

Tip: Seek out the small victories. The next seven weeks will probably get a little more stressful before the get a little easier. This week and the next few weeks following I'll be jumping into some units with content that I am not familiar with. Of which is a humbling reminder that I most certainly do not have to know it all but is also a reminder that I need to actively seek out those "ah-ha" moments for my students, not letting myself get stressed and exhausted in the content that is unfamiliar territory for me.

Simply put, it's still blowing my mind that we're half way done with this experience. Only seven weeks left with these kids! I'm feeling the pressures of "did I really leave a lasting impact here?" "do they know and understand how passionate I am about their success?" Here's to seven more impactful weeks! For both them, and me.

Simply put, I certainly say it every week, this job is exhausting but oh, so very rewarding. So very thankful that the Lord has called me to this place; to this field. 

Until Next Week, K. Janae

Week Six & A Donkey Basketball Fix

FFA Team 1 was nothing
but net!

 Wintery weather can surely get the best of us. It only took a little bit of snow and ice to quickly turn week six into a very short, two-day week. Jam-packed full with re-adjusting students from a long President's Day and snow-day weekend, long days for Parent-Teacher conferences, banquet preparations, muddy hands after some soils labs and of course, the ever-popular event Donkey Basketball, week six did not disappoint.

High: Friday was a day out of the "office" for Ms. Herr as I made my way to State College for a mini-reunion with #psuaged16. I'm thankful for a program design that values and actively prepares professional development for my peers and I. Not only did we get to spend some quality time problem solving as a cohort, we revisited the importance of ensuring rigor in our course content and that we're teaching within appropriate realms of Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development. I want to ensure that my students are most certainly not anxious and frustrated or bored and unengaged with their learning, yet they are being challenged right at the "sweet spot."

Low: Since I would be out for the day to attend our seminar in State College, I busily prepared sub plans for the day. In preparation to do so, I faced the reoccurring frustration of this experience in a weak point in our teacher preparation process. We have a jam packed four years at Penn State, each credit slot filled with just enough technical agriculture, general science and methods courses. The hard part is that all of that good stuff leaves little room for the equally important preparation in the area of diverse learners. It is on almost a weekly basis in which I face the frustration of feeling as if I cannot serve my learners who have varying needs of lesson adaptions and accommodations because I lack the ability to translate the SDI's (Specially Designed Instruction) spelled out on a students IEP. Don't get me wrong, I think that much of these skills have to be acquired through the learning process during the student teaching internship. But I am legally required to provide these services for my students and can't to the best of my ability because of the current course work in the area presents such a strong focus on English Language Learners (ELL) and little on the "average" learning with diverse needs and abilities. Granted, I am working alongside good coaches but would argue a strong need for increased preparation in this area for future cohorts.

Almost 500 people filled the stands for Donkey
Basketball!

Tip: By the advice of my cooperating teacher, my challenge for the upcoming weeks and an encouragement to you, #psuaged16 as well, when you state your objectives for the day, are you explaining the purpose behind it? Am I effectively communicating a "Career Connection" or "Agriculture Application?!" I'd imagine it surely leads to increased student engagement, stay tuned! I'm working on ways to display this "purpose statement" on my classroom board.

Simply put, there's no reason to discount a two-day week versus a five-day week. Both come full of new and exciting observations and adventures. I'm 

Simply put, the refining continues! Here's to the half-way point of this adventure! It doesn't even seem possible, time flies when you're having fun and teaching kiddos!

Until Next Week, K. Janae

They all need a champion.

Stop what you're doing. Watch this. Even if you already saw it, watch it again. Then read my blog.

You know the drill, 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: Sappy teacher moments happened this week. I get it, I fully understand that in this job I have a HUGE sphere of influence, no pressure, right?! This week I served as an unofficial life coach for students as they navigated relationships, college and careers. No, I am by no means an expert at all of those things but nonetheless thankful that I have been able to build such trust with these students. Also, I did not have the opportunity to coach our small gas engines CDE team, but I have had the opportunity to teach them in class. And no, they didn't get their engine started in the area contest this week but they did give it their all and I was super proud of that. Some of my kids come from a tough background, I'm sure that goes the same for you #psuaged16. These students may not ever hear anyone say that they are proud of them; to silently root for them while heads come together to solve a problem; to be their champion. I got to be that this week and that rocked.

Low: Diverse learners have been a challenge for me throughout this experience, maybe one of these times I'll share to with you more observations on that topic, but this weeks low dealt with the challenges of IEP's. This week I watched one of my 8th grade students use his IEP, the adaptations and accommodations that I am legally required to provide for him, as a cop-out on an assignment that he wasn't prepared for. I know he struggles academically, but I know that we had worked hard in class to prepare for that assignment and that he was more then capable. It's sad to see that in some cases, the purpose of the IEP, to gradually strengthen the students skills so to "wean" them off their required accommodations and adaptations actually becomes a huge crutch for students, one that they solely depend to carry them through school. Granted, I have a wide variety of diverse learners in my classes and I know that is not the case for every one of those students. Irregardless of whether that test retake option is a crutch or not, these students deserve a teacher who stand beside them and push them to be the best they can be, despite academic challenges. They need a champion.

Tip: Here's something I've noticed, there's no perfect school out there. No matter what district you walk in to, there's going to be things that will not directly align with your personal philosophical views. Politics, budgets, legalities and all that other fun stuff cause us to quickly poorly perceive our schools. Sure, the public school system is wacky, believe me, I've been experiencing it first hand for the last five weeks. I've said it before and I'll surely say it again, I'm thankful for the authenticity of my student teaching experience and the relevancy that my cooperating teachers help me experience. But as I notice more and more the glaring "inconveniences" of the public school system I am reminded to not let those things become my sole view of my school. It's not in my power or physical ability to attempt to solve or worry about those big public school issues, this does not mean ignore them, but it does mean don't lose sleep over them. The bigger day-to-day issue should be ensuring that am I fully-present in that moment. Am I coming to school awake, alert and ready to serve my students, to provide them with a high-quality education and support them in the learning process? Politics, budgets and legalities aside, my "kids" deserve for me to put forth my best efforts to attempt to be a champion of a teacher.

Simply put, this week that was full of two hour delays (yay for a few extra minutes of sleep), two almost-fires in the shop (no worries, crisis quickly averted!), developing Sub plans, teacher in-service (which was a glorified version of #AEE412), chapter officer interviews, CDE contests and that's just the beginning. Also, I have never heard my name shouted across a room so many times then I have this week. 

Simply put, each week it gets "real-er." Yes, I know that's not a word. But seriously, each week during this internship the importance of me daily coming to school to be more then just a paper-passer-outer, test-grader, lesson-planner, meeting-attender and rule-maker gets "real-er." Each week it gets "real-er" that these kids need a champion, here's to being just that.

Until Next Week, K. Janae

Advis{HERR} Adventures: SAE Visits

This student teaching internship obviously creates a lot of unique experiences for me. Some of them intentionally placed throughout the program, others occur organically as I daily progress through this journey. One of these strategically placed experiences is the an SAE visit with one of my students.

One of my first encounters with Midd-West FFA students was this past summer when I participated in several different SAE visits, you can read more about those here. I had an opportunity to host an SAE visit with one of my students that I now know much better then I did the students I met with back in the summer.

Meet Corey. Corey is a hard-working student who recently moved into the Midd-West School District. I appreciate Corey for his willingness to accept responsibility, dedication to assignments and innovative mind.

Midd-West FFA has taken on the responsibility of maintaining the flower beds around the original school sign that sits outside of the administrative building. With a recent addition of a newer school sign outside of the high school, the folks in Buildings and Grounds were looking for some landscaping to be done.

Corey jumped on the opportunity to be the lead on this project. With his previous experiences in CAD Design and Landscape Design, he created a partnership with the Midd-West High School Tech Ed teacher to utilize their software to draw up the design for beds around the school sign. Buildings and Grounds gave Corey and the Midd-West FFA a budget to spend on plants for the bed.

During our meeting, Corey and I discussed the potential for various types of plants to grow in the beds, dimensions, slope and other concerns that may arise in the future of this project. We headed inside from the chilly weather and discussed some goals for Corey to set in the next few months. Corey keeps his records in AET, where members are evaluated on a bi-monthly basis for maintained progress and valuable entries.

Corey has plans to perform a soil test to identify the type of soil he'll be working with at the sign and continue to identify plant varieties that would be a good fit for the needs of this project.

Simply put, I'm excited to get to participate in the progress of this project alongside Corey over the rest of my time here at Midd-West. He's got an immense amount of potential and will surely do big things!

Simply put, I shared in my blog post over the summer about how thankful I am to be in a position where I am a catalyst of impact. SAE Visits allow for just that, impact that stretches outside of the classroom. One of the very many unique components of school-based agriculture education!

Until the Next Advis{HERR} Adventure, K. Janae

Time Flies. Good news, you're the pilot.

Time surely does fly, here we are less then a hundred days away from graduation, a quarter of the way through the semester and I'm pretty sure just yesterday I was setting up my desk. This week basically looked like this... It's barely 9 in the morning and my desk is already covered in papers, small dogs running across the floor, transplanting pansies, influx of strawberry and spring flower order sales, FFA committee meetings, acquiring two new sections of a class and a winter pep rally. It is so crazy to think that we've made a quarter of the way through this experience!

With week four in the books, 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).

A week for growth in the greenhouse
& growth in my students!

High: As I get further into this experience I am able to witness continued growth in my students. Not only to I get to witness progress on various projects and get excited about upcoming opportunities. I so loved watching one of my students put on his FFA jacket for the first time this week, helping prepare anxious prepared public speaking competitors and watch some aspiring welders daily improve. This job is hard, but oh so very rewarding.

The student "certifier" system at work in
Mr. Bittner's Forestry Class

Low: Differentiation is hard. Especially in a lab setting. This week has been a stretching one; the further we get into lab assignments the more diversified my student needs become. I would argue my biggest challenge this week has been discovering ways to master managing a classroom and lab setting where my students are working in different areas in the classroom, making varied levels of progress on their assignments and ensuring that the learning environment is safe and influential for all students. As I sought out strategies to better improve in this area, my cooperating teacher suggested a student "certifier" system, asking higher performing or more advanced students to teach and/or evaluate their peers through the learning process. Looking forward to week five, I'm hoping to implement this strategy in both my Introduction to Welding and Small Gas Engines classes.

Tip: Teac{HERR} Observation 34,756: Students are actually not digital natives. Despite assumptions on this generations abilities, we cannot hand them a laptop and expect them to know how to operate it efficiently. In fact, during my time student teaching at school that is one-to-one with student technology, more often then not my students don't know how to use various tool on their device and/or they are tired of using them, almost as if they crave paper and pencil. Schools that move forward to establish a technologically advanced infrastructure have to provide their students and teachers with the training and assistance that they need to operate their machines so that it can be used as a learning tool, not simply a note-taking, email-sending, expensive mix of plastic and motherboards. My cooperating teacher and I have daily witnessed this challenge as we seek to discover collaborative and innovative working spaces that utilize these devices for more then the sake of classroom routine and word processing. I'll keep you posted on what I continue to observe here as the weeks progress.

Simply put, there is this existing love-hate relationship with technology. It holds the key to so much potential to enhance learning in the classroom; however, only if both the teacher and student have been provided with the training and support to do so effectively and efficiently. 

Simply put, I so love the daily challenge that this experience presents for me. It is exhausting, but the most rewarding type of exhaustion I have ever experienced. I daily thank the Lord for carrying me here, carrying me through. I am so blessed by this journey.

Until Next Week, K. Janae