Teac{HERR} Tales: Don't Break Your Benjamins!

There's this one thing that serves as the grease to the wheels of agriculture education programs. It's the budget. Finances, like in all facets of life, play a huge role influences abilities to function as a productive unit or individual.

This post goes out to all those new and upcoming Career and Technical Educators out there. We sit in a unique seat. Our budget goes further then index cards, highlighters and textbooks. We have equipment needs, repair needs, plant needs, transportation needs and the list goes on and on. I am going to share the top three things regarding budgets and school funding in the realm of Career and Technical Education utilizing advice from two seasoned agriculture educators and the business manager here at Midd-West High School.

1. Relationships

• Initiate and Invest. Relationships like the Secretary that oversees your accounts, business managers and administrative assistants play a huge role in the success of the financial aspects of the program. Initiating and investing into these individuals help get them on your side is will be powerful down the road. Give them flowers, FFA apparel... long story short, make them feel appreciated. I was also recommended to send students to them first, they enjoy the opportunity to help them learn through the process and see their successes. In that though, these relationships are delicate in the sense that your emergency does not constitute as their emergency. Ever. The district office is a business office, they run on business hours, not school hours. They're "slow" season is during the summer, take the time to work with them then!

2. Fundraising

• Identify multiple funding sources. Whether that is through program fundraisers sponsored by the FFA or through an alumni association, access to resources beyond simply school funding can help programs ensure a "safety net" for years when funding may be questionable. When solidifying these multiple funding sources, it is important to keep a creative mindset. Never say no to an opportunity that may result in an profit. These multiple sources help teachers plan for success. These efforts also allow for a unique opportunity to keep your program visible in your community. When those external groups see the value see the power of the program they will seek out ways to support. My cooperating teacher also gave some awesome advice, the school board approves each major financial decision of the program. This helps build rapport and maintain program support on an administrative level.

3. The Program Budget

• Much of this process is dependent on infrastructure at the local level, but there are many general terms and themes that arise across the board. There are potentially up to three sources of external funding that the school (with an agriculture program) can secure - Perkins (federal funding), Vocational Subsidies (state funding) and Fair Funds (state funds). These funds will come a year late and because of that, is why careful recording of program concentrators, students who take at least 2 agriculture classes a year, plan to continue taking agriculture coursework and have set an agriculture career objective, is so important. The program budget will be itemized into subcategories that can range from equipment repairs, propane for the greenhouse, NOCTI testing, etc. Purchase orders play a big role in billing process throughout the year, because of the line-item system in the budget. Again, another important reason that those relationships with the secretary is so important!

Simply put, plan ahead - budgets get completed a year in advanced. You won't really know what you'll need next year but with careful planning, good record keeping and efficient communication successful budgets can be possible!

Simply put, as always, relationships are easily the most important factor in this situation. Establishing and working to maintain relationships with the correct parties will help ensure effective and efficient use of program dollars.

Until the Next Teac{HERR} Tale, K. Janae

Teac{HERR} Tales: Mastery & Growth

As a 4-H alumnus, I'm naturally drawn to their motto: to make the best better. Despite long to-do lists, I am continually reminded that there is purpose behind each assignment that accompanies our student teaching internship. Many of them to quite simply, make the best, better. 

Now, please don't miss understand me. I am by no means writing this blog and boasting that I am already classified alongside the best and just working to be better. I've got work to do to get there, but assignments like the Action Based Research and Student Learning Objectives are designed to help to do just that. 

I worked alongside my cooperating teacher to develop my understanding of the Student Learning Objective, or SLO process early on in the semester. During which, we selected my Equine Science class and Horse Selection and Evaluation unit to focus my Action Based Research and SLO on. 

SLO's are based off of five components. Those components are strategically designed to help teachers identify an area of need and improvement in their classroom that they wish to intentionally improve. Results can be analyzed to serve as Action Based Research. These five components and how they fit for my SLO are shown below. 

1. Context

- This SLO was focused on 36 students enrolled in an Equine Science class in grades 9-12. This class is an every other day course that is 40 minutes long. 

2. Goal

- Students will classify, evaluate, select and manage animals based on anatomical and physiological characteristics

3. Measures

- Students will take a written pre-test, mid-term and final. They are designed to determine mastery at an initial level (pre-test) and mastery or growth of content knowledge and competency levels at the mid-point and final point of the unit

4. Indicators

- Students will achieve at least a 25% or higher on the pre-test, while on the mid-term and final student scores would increase by 25% of the pre-test score or achieve 100%

5. Expectations

- Scoring brackets were set to determine success. For example 0%-64% of students meeting the indicator targets equates to a failing status, 74%-91% is proficient and 92%-100% earning distinguished

Simply put, various factors played a role in the results that were determined during this assignment. Student awareness of assessments, student absence, every other day class schedules are just a few of the factors that surely influenced the results. 

Simply put, regardless of what school or state I teach in, I will surely be required to perform some form of an SLO or Action Based Research assignment. This was excellent practice, along with a great mentor!

Until the Next Teac{HERR} Tale, K. Janae

Teac{HERR} Tales: Enhancing the School Farm, One Tree at a Time

The Forestry classes at Midd-West High School have a unique outdoor classroom. Granted to the program by the school district, these students, along with other agriculture students at Midd-West have access to a 15 acre school farm. This land is viable for planting and student committees hav
e actively sought out resources to get seeds donated.

Last year, the school farms inaugural year, students and parents put forth time to plant a corn and pumpkin crop on the school farm. This year, as the school farm moves into further phases of development, Forestry students are focusing more on environmental impacts.

During our Silviculture and Forest Ecology Unit, we focused our energy on utilizing the content learned in this unit to help invest into the land around us for future use. Our Community Based Unit of Instruction was designed to look like the outline below; however, the weather created a constraint of some form because I will unfortunately not be here to see the full project in fruition. Nonetheless, the project is off to a great start!

1. Defined Riparian Buffers
2. Identify Soil Type and Texture
3. Evaluate the Site
4. Research and Identify Tree Species
5. Identify Funding Sources
6. Order Tree Seedlings
7. Install Riparian Buffer

The Forestry students determined that the most suitable species for the riparian buffer include Graystem Dogwood, Speckled Alder, Button Bush, Red Elderberry, Viburnum, Silk
y Dogwood, Eastern White Pine and Winter Berry. All of these species have expansive root systems, do well in partial sun, wet or sandy soils and produce a fruit or nut that can help enhance the wildlife habitat.

While the students evaluated the riparian buffer site they identified other needs aside from the riparian buffer that need addressed when looking at the site from a conservation stand point. The stream access needs established infrastructure and the
current field line should be pushed back to the line of soil type change the students identified during their soil survey.

As the projects continues the Horticulture class will also have more of a prominent role as well as the school farm FFA committee.

Simply put, it's been fun getting to dive into this project with the Forestry class. I wish would be around long enough to see the fruits of my students labor, it may mean swinging back around for a visit!

Simply put, there is extreme value in designing unit like this. Students have a unique sense of buy in because of their direction connection, opportunity to work and ownership. 

Until the Next Teac{HERR} Tale, K. Janae

Time Flies When You're Working With Great Kids

I'm not going to lie, I am getting ready for the end of this semester.

But at the same time I'm not. It's not because I'm tired of this teacher life. It's just that I'm ready for graduation and more job seeking and "big kid" world. You see, I LOVE what I do. I love the sphere of influence I have in this job. I love the daily challenge of this job. I love these kids. Quite simply, I'm ready for my own classroom. I'm ready to continue on this passionate pursuit of a brighter future for agriculture's tomorrow through today's youth.

Each day of this journey reminds me of how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to serve these students as their teacher for a period of time. I am incredibly thankful for all that they have taught me, the laughs that we've shared, the challenges we've overcome and the growth I've gotten to witness.

Chalk talk in Agriculture Biology - tell me the difference
between DNA and RNA

Week 14 was off to a storming start. I had the opportunity to join Mr. Bittner in Harrisburg representing PAAE at the Pennsylvania State Council of Farm Organizations "Cornucopia" Event. I enjoyed the opportunity to visit with other passionate agricultural commodity and special interest groups on behalf of PAAE. We busily worked outside, soaking up all the sunshine we could this week. The greenhouse, raised beds and school farm are in full swing production and ma
ny other fun projects, this week has been a good one.

As I have for the last 13 weeks, 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 got to attend an IEP meeting this week for one of my students. I've mentioned this student before in my blog. This student a pleasure to have in class, he has a smile on his face always, is a hard worker and participates to the best of his ability, all things that I appreciate about him. Mr. Bittner sits on this students IEP committee as his regular education teacher. Mr. Bittner asked our student to present a set of oral reasons he wrote for our Equine Science class for the IEP committee. Our student was quite proud of himself as were his parents and it was an awesome way for the other members of the IEP committee to see what he is doing in his agriculture classes and how successful he can and has been there. Three cheers for student success!

Low: I don't really justify this as a "low," simply as a really awesome growing experience. I have had the opportunity to teach an Agriculture Biology course while at Midd-West. It's definitely been a challenge. I've discovered a different art of planning through this Biology class. A type of planning that doesn't let me plan a week in advance like I can with other classes, a type of planning that requires intentional incorporation of Keystone vocabulary words. I've learned through this class to master effective planning and master the art of learning my content before I teach it to my students and mastering the art of gauging my students ability and comprehension of content knowledge. Now, I use mastering lightly, because it will take time till I'm truly a master at these concepts; however, much practice this semester has helped me gain much confidence in these areas.

Tip: Quite simply, finish strong. Somehow, somewhere we got ourselves to our last week of student teaching. It doesn't quite seem possible. I have regular conversations with students about leaving next week, sad conversations to have but a good rem
inder of how blessed I am to be here.

Simply put, I'm thankful that there's still challenges even in these last few days. Challenges that keep me fresh and relevant has I (hopefully) make my way into some job interviews in the next few months. 

Simply put, how am I possibly in the last week of student teaching?! Here's to finishing strong in this last few days and savoring each moment with these awesome kiddos.

Until the last week, K. Janae

The Not So Normal Days

Edible DNA made Agriculture Biology way fun!

What an interesting week this one has been. You just can't prepare for some of this stuff, I'm telling you! For real, some days you have to accept the fact that people forget to work smarter, not harder. And somedays, your school server is going to get hacked and even Google will be considered and un-educational site that you and your students cannot visit and some days student stories will remind you again how fortunate you are to have been brought up the way you were. Oh, and somedays you just have to laugh it off and move on. 

For Week 13, 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: First things first, I just really like this place. I also just find it very hard to believe that we're this close to the end. It's been a great week of getting to see my students do awesome things. Crazy schedules let me get the chance to coach CDE teams on my own. Dairy Judging, Livestock Judging and Veterinary Science practiced this week experiencing awesome progress in preparation for State Activities Week. I got to watch several of my students rock out an wonderful performance of Anne of Green Gables for a school-wide teaser. I'm proud of these kids. Proud of them for working hard to make themselves better and proud of them for making themselves involved in areas outside of our "corner" in the school.

The Agriculture Mechanization NOCTI

Low: This week has been a crazy one. NOCTI testing and assemblies made for some funky schedules. The lack of internet for all parties in the school made for a week that felt rather unproductive. I found it a little defeating to have all of the different factors affecting the flow of the week. With no internet, students expected to not have to accomplish anything in the classroom, NOCTI testing pushed all of our classes to the auditorium, limiting our facility usage. But here's the thing, despite it all, you just push through and make good out of it. These road blocks allowed Ms. Herr to catch up on blogs and write some assessments and students to get prepared for the next AET evaluation. 

Tip: It was NOCTI testing week at Midd-West High School. My experience with NOCTI is pretty limited, I took the test as a senior in high school and discussed the importance of the exam for program funding in college courses. I'm thankful that I got to experience the NOCTI testing process while at Midd-West. Here's my tip, Midd-West pre-tests their students, holds several study sessions with their completing testers and uses those tools to help make their program better. Though the NOCTI is essentially a standardized test, there is a lot of value in the results from the exam. I also saw the immense value of keeping your administrators in the loop, not simply about what is going on in your program, but what why their support of you and your students in the NOCTI process is so valuable. Their support is needed for the success of your students in the process. 

Simply put, there is so much importance in getting your administrators and guidance counselors in your corner. Not just for the sake of logistics on the day of a NOCTI exam, but for continued support and gained understanding of the value of school-based agriculture education.

Simply put, find the good in the crazy. Find the good in the "not so normal" days. Find the good because the days fly by.  

Until Next Week, K. Janae

Teac{HERR} Tales: Good Food & Good Conversations

There’s something to be said about the camaraderie in the "ag teacher world." One of the things I find most attractive about the profession is certainly the network that extends from not just the local level to the national level. Coming together with a passion for student success and the future of agriculture, agriculture educators

The Center for Professional Personnel Development annually hosts regional new and beginning teacher meeting, allowing teachers to come together to fellowship and share resources. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to expand my professional network across the state of Pennsylvania into the Northern region during my time student teaching at Midd-West High School.

Under the organization of Mr. Ron Frederick, Northern Region new and beginning teachers (and pre-service teachers!) met for a lavish buffet dinner, provided by the Center (huge shout-out to them!) at the Country Cupboard. I enjoyed a chance to catch up with Ms. Royer and Mrs. Gouger, the other Northern Region #psuaged16 members.

Mr. Frederick facilitated a discussion following the meal that allowed the seasoned teachers to share a funny story, a piece of advice and a resource that they find valuable. I learned quite a bit, for example bus drivers licenses aren’t all that they’re cracked up to be, rumen stomachs should only be dissected outside of the school building and other valuable information.

Between the ten of us that sat around the table, some unique teaching resources were shared! Arguably an anthem of teachers across the nation is beg, borrow and steal. The new and beginning teacher meeting surely prepares us to do just that! 

Here’s a few of them...

• PA Envirothon Mobile App (check it out here!)
• PA Extension Resources for Wildlife and Natural Resources (Mr. Frederick filled our bags full with those!) 
• A meiosis lab with these crazy little critters called "rebops" (check it out here!)

The last item on the evenings agenda was a chance for the student teachers to ask questions of the in-service teachers seated around us. Ms. Royer and Mrs. Gouger and I threw out questions that ranged from technology implementation strategies, job interview tips, acquiring program advice and time management strategies.

Simply put, I’m thankful for a night of fully stomachs, good conversation and additions to my teacher bag. 

Simply put, what a blessing it is to be a part of an occupation that allows for me to be a part of this expansive network of teachers who are seasoned with knowledge and experience and so willing to share. 

Until the next Teac{HERR} tale, K. Janae

Adventures of an Advis{HERR}: SAE's & Surveys

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 Mariah. Mariah is a junior at Midd-West High School, an avid field hockey player with a big personality and bold, adventurous spirit. I appreciate Mariah's willingness to just jump in and try new things. One of them being her SAE, which she chose to do an enterprise in the area of Agriscience Research with a focus on Social Systems.

An example of Mariah's questions

Mariah is interested in determining why the students enrolled in agriculture at Midd-West High School chose to take an agriculture course. There are ten agriculture classes offered at Midd-West High School this semester, all of these students will be asked to complete the survey for Mariah's research.

While Mariah and I met, we discussed the process of ensuring all students will have access to the survey and made sure that her questions were designed to help her accomplish her goal. Mariah finalized her message to the student body so that I could post it on our school's online platform for the students to take in class.

Student responses will be complied for Mariah to determine various themes and patterns in the data. Not only will the results of Mariah's survey help her be able to progress into the state Agriscience Research competition, the data will also be beneficial for the future of the Midd-West Agriculture Program. We discussed these options and designed a timeline and action plan for her to accomplish these tasks during this meeting.

Here's Mariah's message to the students

I am anxious to see the results that Mariah gathers through this surveying and helping her break down the results!

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

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

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