National FFA Week Reflections

Monday - I spent the weekend at ACES and really enjoyed the event with Mr. Anderson, another teacher chaperon, and the students. It was a great chance to get to know another teacher in more than passing here at Etown. The more time I spend at Etown the more I value the time at Etown. I am stretching myself and testing different approaches which is of great value in trying to establish my craft. Of equal importance to me is the experiences I am sharing with Mr. Anderson and opportunities like ACES to get to know others in the profession on a closer level than possible in passing. I consider these experiences to be vital to what I consider my survival kit that I will need to navigate the various administrative, political, and other relationships that are part of joining a community of educators.
I really appreciated a lot of the planning that goes into an event like ACES because the FFA students really benefit from an engaging and balanced experience that is really not available anywhere else in public education to my knowledge. I heard many positive comments from my centers' students as well as other student teachers' students about both the activities and the evening entertainment.

Tuesday - My experience co teaching two sections of Ag. Mechanics stands out as one of the most unexpected benefits of my student teaching experience thus far. While I was exposed to the concept and practice of co teaching at PSU, it is another experience to do it with someone who really embodies the ideal of a mentor. In my experience there are moments of synergy or chemistry that can happen in co teaching where the two are able to truly share themselves selflessly in an exchange of knowledge that would be hard to duplicate when you are the only one on stage. The students benefit in many conventional ways that I have touched on before but I now see them benefit from the relationship they are witness too and derive a better level of engagement that comes with witnessing two educators invested in their experience. Superficially, they initially experience this with reduced student teacher ratios and later on a deeper level in my perception.

Wednesday - Today was camo day for FFA Week and I decided to try out a camo bow tie which for me personally respresented a visible sign of the stretch I am trying to make in my student teaching experience. While I can tie a mean double windsor with a conventional tie, I have never been bold enough to sport a bow tie. Consistent with my prior experiences the stretch is often rewarded with good experiences, I got compliments on my tie and this gave me confidence in the stretch. The student teaching experience is unique in my years of experience as a great chance to experiment to determine what works and doesn't work without the monetary, career, or other high stakes experiences where your neck is on the line if you stick it out.
I continue to face a challenge kicking off new units or content that is not closely related because I tend toward overestimating where my students are in relation to where I want to begin. It seems like it takes us a good day or two to get synchronized or a rhythm developed. It's a valuable experience but, it can be frustrating and take it out of you by the end of the day.
Interestingly, when we went to pick up a half a hog for tomorrow's hog roast the butcher asked Mr. Anderson how many or did he have many FFA members. I found this interesting because beside a few comments about the winter we're having this person was interested in the level of FFA participation in this day and age. I don't think it is too much of a stretch to wonder if a country butcher who grew a successful business with the surrounding areas was really wondering about the next generation that will raise the hogs, beef, and other animals to feed the people of Lancaster county the way he has.

Thursday - Today the students cleaned the shop in preparation for the hog roast that afternoon, it was great to see them take pride in their shop and the FFA program. It was a great experience to visit with other faculty and break bread in an atmosphere of enjoyment as a community of educators. I had a challenging experience with my Greenhouse class today where it seemed like I could never hit a stride due to fire alarms and student participation issues. I felt like I had hit two days in a row that weren't working like I expect in my classroom and the frustration got the better of me today. On my way home I used the commute to evaluate primarily my reaction and frustration because I feel like while I have the tools for classroom management and kids will always be kids, how I react to them is where I have control.
It was cool to see the FFA Week buzz really hit a high note with the drive your tractor to school event. The students who drove really made an impression with their rigs. Events like these really polish the image of agriculture education in the school and the community.

Enjoying some roast pork!

Hands on snow load sampling!

Friday - Today I took an opportunity to hit the reset button with my students by developing a snow load lesson that gave me another opportunity to discuss class participation in activities and class discussion. Instead of the responsibility of participation resting upon me to generate through dynamic activities and engaging discussion I am trying to create a community of learners responsible for their part in the exchange of knowledge. Participation will be worth a test grade in the grade scheme and each student being human will have a "bye" card they can use each week if they weren't feeling up to it, having a bad day, or being annoyed by the "student teacher." There seemed to be a positive reaction to this change because those who participate are not being penalized or scolded for the actions of a few who choose not to participate.
I continue to face a challenge to create dynamic lessons on a timely basis that are at the students level and feel like I haven't fully visualized my approach prior to execution due to the
pressure I put on myself to be relevant,  dynamic, and engaging. I need to hit a stride where I am prepared further out on the planning horizon, since I feel like I don't even have one in Greenhouse mgmt.