All Eyes on You {SLO/Action Research Based}

How can we be better educators? How can we enhance our students learning and their classroom experiences? The action based research projects that our cohort conducted allowed us to see quantified data on an area of progress or mastery that we want to see our students succeed in. I chose to focus on individualized instruction in my Introduction to Agriculture class that consists of 24 students, a majority of underclassmen with minimal agriculture exposure. Before I became their teacher my cooperating teacher had a current event assignment. Unfortunately a majority of the students did not buy in and did not complete the assignment. After observing the class and recognizing the challenge of individualized learning in this classroom would be challenging I based my research around this class, this assignment, and their need for individualized learning. Below breaks down the steps and results of my research:

Problem Statement:

Students do not receive enough small group or individualized instruction within a large classroom and a small amount of instructional time. Many students are afraid to ask questions about assignments in large groups.

Problem Identification:

Students enrolled in the Introduction to Agriculture class at Big Spring High School did not turn their work in on time or or not at all in the fall semester for their current event assignment. I observed the class was large in size, with 24 students and that individualized instruction was difficult to give of every student everyday. There were 9 students enrolled in the class with IEPs and a majority of students did not have an agriculture background.

Research Plans:

During a 30 minute Flextime period teachers can claim students to come visit them  for clubs, extra help, etc. I choose 50% of the class to claim for small group instruction and individualized coaching on their current event assignment. The students were chosen based on grade in the class, IEP,  and assignment turn-in rate from the fall. I brought 6 students in on Monday and 6 in on Wednesday to work on their current event assignment that was due bi-weekly.

Date:

58% students increased their scores bi-weekly

83% students turned their  6th assignment in on time

Results:

After collecting and analyzing the data, I concluded that students increase their scores and their turn-in rate when they are in a smaller group. The 12 students show the largest progress between weeks 4 and 6. with their scores and their turn-in rate increased the greatest between weeks 8 and 10.

Solutions:

Students are more successfully when they have the opportunity to ask questions in a “safe” environment. They are more productive without their classmates distractions. The students also have more confident completing the assignments because they can check in with me on each step to ensure they are completing the assignment correctly.

The Tribute {Reflective Experience}

Day 1: Mid Winter Convention

This post is my tribute to Big Spring High School and everyone within it. Big Spring High School blew all my expectations out of the water and it boils down to the teachers and the students. The Big Spring program is a high caliber school that I would want my kids in. From the start I knew the students were held to a high standard to be the best people, students, and FFA members they could be. Right away I knew I was going to be challenged to maintain that expectation daily. What flabbergasted me though was the students who continually stepped up to the challenge of these expectations. Trying to learn the ways and tricks of the trade from two extraordinary teachers was my goal everyday.

Let the good times roll

Lets talk about these two teachers. If you ever want to see what a "power couple" looks like, you should see these two in action. No they are not a "couple" but they are partners like Batman and Robin. They manage two rigorous academic schedules filled with AP, CASE, and honors classes. They have each have families and their own farms, and they are involved in the school district, and at the local, state, and national levels. I ask myself everyday, "how do they do it?". I was fortunate to get a glimpse into how they successfully manage this all, in addition to learning how to become a better educator.

Starting my student teaching internship I expected it to reassemble my other internship experiences. I was to be there from 7:00am to 3:30pm, give my absolute best, build relationships, learn all I can, and complete my assignments. I expected that I would have extra time on my week nights and weekends. I expected the students to disregard me because I look like I should be sitting in the class. I did everything I expected I would but the difference is was my investment. I wanted to do more, I wanted to learn more, I wanted to be involved. Coming into student teaching I was not sure if industry or education was where I was called. Leaving student teaching, I know I want to be in secondary education, working with students.

This blog is very broad compared to what I usually write. It is hard to articulate appreciation, experiences that mean so much to you, and summarize 15 weeks in one blog post. So I will leave everyone with these final thoughts:

Teacher Dinner

To the students at Big Spring: Keep striving and never settle. You all have talents and skills that will make you successful. Do not ever tell yourself otherwise.

Big Spring FFA: Continue what you do because you do it well. I may not be in class everyday but I am always here when you need me. Do everything you can to be the best you! Remember: Penn State is the place to go to school :)

Parents/Friends: Thank you for your patience through my times of stress and my times of happiness. You will always be my rocks.

Mrs. Nailor and Mrs. Fulton: You are awesome people and teachers. Your mentoring will always be sought out as I continue my journey in life and education. Keep changing lives with the zest and flare you possess.

Three cheers for completing student teaching and three cheers for what the next chapter holds!

Forever Learning {Weekly Blog}

When learning something new there is always a point where you finally feel comfortable. Maybe it is around the people you are with, with the skill you are learning, the content you are memorizing... there is a point when you feel comfortable. Comfortability is a great feeling but a dangerous one. Comfortable often times is aligned with being complacent. Unfortunately complacent can result in laziness, no lack of growth, lack of care, and simply put, just riding along. There has been a point in my 14 weeks where I felt comfortable with the people, content, and every day workings. I can say I never was complacent but, I know when I hit this point there were some areas I did not stay as sharp in. 

Within this profession you are forever learning, something my cooperating teachers continually remind me of and something I have recognized. Everyday of student teaching there are multiple new lessons to be learned. I often find myself trying to cross of items on my checklists but not sitting back and assessing why things are happening in the classroom or why students are behaving the way they are. I get caught up in the operations and expectations of the day. Something I admire about my teachers if their "students first and student driven" philosophy. It is an aspect they role model daily. This week one of my cooperating teachers and I had a repeat conversation of something my other cooperating teacher and I discussed in the 3r quarter, point distribution. Sitting back and looking, discussing, and assessing, I missed the mark with the 4th quarter grades and point distribution which affective student motivation in my class. There are other factors to assess as well but reminding myself to stop, observe, and assess where the class is at and not just continue working through something that feels off is important.

This concept comes back to the overarching concept of forever learning. Every class will be different every year, quarter, and semester and new problems or concerns will arise each year I am taking. There is no room on the complacent train and no day that should be a " I just have to get through this". Sometimes that is hard, especially when outside of school factors are weighing on you. Even writing and rereading this blog is an extra motivation and an excellent reminder to be more then just present. 

South Central Swag {PAAE Region Meeting}

The south central region has some swag. The experience and diversity of people that sat in on the meeting is extraordinary. We celebrated the retirement of two agriculture teachers who have contributed to the agriculture education family for many years. There was 5 student teachers, 3 guest speakers who continually support PAAE, Dr. Ewing, and a wealth of teachers who have expertise in a multitude of different areas. The meeting was once again a reminder of the power of the word family within the agriculture education profession. We had teachers share heart-aching news, data collection and progression within the profession, updates on events and activities, and of course, simply talking to other teachers to "catch-up".

Mentoring comes in all forms

I am going to discuss to observations from the meeting, one being more positive and one being an opportunity for growth. The positive is the amount of support that we are agriculture educators have outside of our colleagues. The Center for Dairy Excellence, Versant Strategies, SAE specialist, and the list goes on. They are here to support the agriculture education programs in the state to ensure student success. We are extremely fortunate to have what we do offered to us that we do not have time to utilize it all! I think often times, as the years pass and the routine of teaching occurs, teachers forget how fortunate we are to have the access we do. If I read this in 10 years, I want myself to remember to not take anything resources, events, or support for granted because not every profession gets what we do. An opportunity for growth is the length of the meeting. We started at 5:30pm and ended at 8:30pm. Yes, PAAE meets only two times per year but there are other meetings and people traveling from far distances to attend the meeting in the middle of the week.

Overall, PAAE continually reminds me that being an active member of professional organizations is important. Side note is that when I completed the schools observations forms this week it had three separate questions for involvement in professional organizations. Even your districts want you involved with your area of teaching. Shout out to whoever designed the student memberships because I am forever grateful to have started my active role as soon as I choose the profession.

Rain to Drain - Slow the Flow {Community Based Unit}

Drilling a hole into the barrel

The Community Based Unit (CBU) that was implemented during my student teaching internship was called Rain to Drain - Slow the Flow. The inspiration for this CBU came through an email sent over the list serve. The topic aligned with the Introduction to Agriculture class's Water World unit. I set the unit up that every Wednesday would be CBU day. There was a lot I learned through this process, but the end result was well worth it.

Putting the CBU day on Wednesday seemed great in January but I have a lot of regrets sitting here in April. With snow days and multiple day labs Wednesday quickly became a hassle. I was always rearranging the CBU days which resulted in lack of interest and understanding from students. This was the biggest hurdle, student interest and purpose.  If I was to implement this CBU again, I would take 1-2 weeks and make it a short unit. There was a lot of disconnect with the students the purpose and knowledge I wanted them to obtain. 

The gem of this was the hands on lab with Cumberland County's Conservation District. Mr. McCollum, a Technician for the Conservation district came into the class and talked about rain water within the community and how rain barrels helped. One week later he came back and we built the rain barrels. Prior to this day I taught a shop safety lesson and the class and I read through the directions for putting together rain barrels. The class is mostly underclassmen and they vary in shop and tool abilities. The students were broken out into 4 groups of 6 people that were assigned. We completed the 4 rain barrels in approximately 40 minutes which I found phenomenal.

I really enjoyed creating and implementing the CBU. It was one of the units that I needed to prepare the most for and caused a lot of extra planning, but working with Mr. McCollum and having the opportunity to see some of my students who have never worked with tools, smile and enjoy theirselves making rain barrels was worth it.

Period 2 - Rain Barrels Complete

The Extra Time {Professional Development}

The opportunity to be involved with other individuals who are striving to achieve the same goals as is refreshing, empowering, and as a green teacher, motivating. Mr. Ron Fredrick, a retired agriculture teacher purposefully sets-up a dinner during the time students are student teaching to introduce us to teachers within the region, share resources, ask questions, and to ultimately support us. This evening fell nothing short of expectations.

Like all good agriculture teachers, Mr. Fredrick had the evening planned out to ensure our time together was fully utilized. Teachers had certain questions to answer and student teachers had questions to ask. Mr. Fredrick handed out posters, books, and other resources for student teachers to claim. I would lying if I did not say I feel as if I left with the best resource, a 4D chicken for my Poultry Evaluation CDE team. Additionally, we each brought one resource to share with everyone. 

This experience was one that was valuable but I want to look at this from a broader perspective. This was an evening that I gave up. It was a long meeting. I had extra work to prepare for the evening by gathering resources. There is value in attending extra opportunities because you will always gain something. This experience it was multiple resources, motivation, refreshment, empowerment, and of course a meal. Yes, there are times when you have to say no, but sometimes an opportunity will do more for you then you realize or you intended it too. 

Cluck Cluck {Weekly Blog}

The Career Development Event (CDE) is an integral part of the three circle model under the FFA portion. I have had the opportunity to work with a newly formed team at Big Spring HS, Poultry Evaluation CDE. With growing up on a poultry farm I thought I would know about this CDE, but I was wrong. I can explain how to raise poultry and define and describe some of the terminology, but poultry evluation is a whole other ball park.

We are continually told that agriculture education is a family and they are always their to support you. This was evident as I reached out to current and retired agriculture teachers within the state. One of these communications was to Penn Manor's Poultry Science guru, Neil Fellenbaum. Mr. Fellenbaum has had multiple successes at the state and national level and as a dedicated passion for this CDE. This was proven in his willingness to drive his poultry CDE team to Big Spring for 2.5 hours where the Big Spring and Penn Manor teams studied and learned the Poultry Evaluation CDE. 

Mr. Fellenbaum went all out. He brought 3 hens and multiple products and equipment to let the students practice with. Not only did my students learn, but so did myself and my cooperating teachers. So what is the big deal? An ag. teacher helped out another teacher and it was a huge success, makes sense. Experiencing something brings a lot more meaning to it then being told about it. This equates to not only CDE's but bring in guest speakers, taking field trips, volunteering my time and expertise to other people within and outside the district. Ms. Royer also gave her time and expertise to my student when she made her school visitation in late March. 

Take aways:

1. Never be afriad to ask

2. I will never know everything - use the experts

3. Don't always take, give equally as much 

Steering Towards Success {SAE Visit}

Mikayla about to weigh-in

The second SAE visit I made was to visit Makayla Kutz who raises steers on her family's farm. Mikayla grew up around steers and has shown them since she was allowed. Mikayla is a senior at Big Spring High School and has kept records on your steer projects the past 3 years. This has been her project of choice because she knew early on she wanted to be a large animal vet. Mikayla is going to live this dream out by attending The Ohio State University in the fall.

Mikayla's goals with her steers were to lower her input costs. She set this goal knowing she has experience with raising steers and would like a bigger return since she knows college is expensive. As Mikayla has assesses her finances she knows she can barter with her parents to receive free hay and grain for her animal if she works on the farm. Makayla would like to stay involved with steers when she attends OSU because she wants to continually learn to bring back her knowledge to the farm. She is also raising a steer to show at Shippensburg fair she her final project this year.

Mikayla finds keeping records on steers difficult because the project starts int he fall. She wants to improve her timeliness with entering her journal entries and income and expenses. She also has a goal to utilize Flextime at Big Spring HS to enter her in-class time and FFA activities to ensure she does not get behind. Mikayla is concerned with going to OSU that she will lose her dedication to her record book but has a long term goal of obtaining her American Degree. Mikayla has made many positive decisions to set her up for the American Degree and her career as a large animal vet after he time at OSU.

Sometimes it Takes Two {Weekly Blog}

This week we started our third quarter and that means Introduction to Welding is over and Equine Science is in my schedule for my remaining time at Big Spring High School. Equine Science, is a content area I am weak in and am hoping to learn a lot from my cooperating teacher and students. The new aspect of this course is that I will be co-teaching with one of my cooperating teachers whom has years of experience with showing, teaching, and owning horses.

To prepare, I read the textbook, received a mini lesson from my cooperating teacher, and had all my documents prepared. I had an extra boost of confidence with having my cooperating teacher in the back of the room, ready to answer any questions and jump in as needed. My role was to lead the class and then to use her as a support as needed.    

With having only 3 weeks to teach, we decided to follow her lesson plans so it would be a smooth transition. Teaching only 3 days was the perfect amount of time I needed to understand the flow of our co-teaching and how to better prepare for the classes. Our co-teaching system simply works with me teaching the lesson and as questions are asked and or I conclude talking about a topic, I ask Mrs. Fulton if she has any further information or experiences she wants to share about. I know that I can prepared myself but I will not be prepared to answer every question asked, especially with many of the students being horse owners or riders. I believe that I would rather ask my cooperating teacher for more information or the right information rather then shorting the students.

Now that I have a feel for how co-teaching will function, I can better prepare the content and activities. My challenge is constantly finding activities that are meaningful but do not take a large amounts of time. This is a class I could just flow through the motions with so I am challenging myself to take the content or already prepared activities and add a fresh flare original component to them.

Co-teaching is probably something I will have the chance to do when I have my own program, because I may be a single teacher or I and my other teachers will teach at the same time. In knowing this is unique, does anyone have advice or a strategy to try to implement while co-teaching? 

First Course in the Books {Weekly Blog}

Like many schools, Big Spring ended their third quarter this week. For me, I completed my first class as a teacher, Introduction to Welding. I looked forward to this class full of 16 lively students each day. Everyday, at least after we got through the safety unit, they were extremely excited to work in the shop. Even though I learned the most about discipline in this class, they are also provided me with  the most feedback and food for thought. For example, after I gave them the list of their required welds a student said "Shouldn't we get graded on improvement since we are doing a lot of practicing?" In taking the weekend to reflect and discussing this idea with my cooperating teacher, I decided improvement should be an area they are graded on. I created an improvement grade system that was implemented the next week and it was great. Why? I as a teacher could see their growth and the students who were frustrated, especially with their joints, could be reassured they were improving.

As I mentioned I had several discipline issues with this class. I had a student that skipped my class several days, a student who made beads of inappropriate things, and several students who would not be motivated to work in the shop and did not accomplish anything in a days time. I learned how to handle disciplinary issues on my own and on the spot as well as work with upper administration to ensure the proper consequence was awarded. I learned how to create work for ISS students and submit referrals the Big Spring way.

I would not have traded this class for anything. We had "Family Meetings" at the end of each day where students shared out about their projects, successes, or frustrations. This was a time I could build rapport with the students, teach in a different setting, and I could assess where students where. On the last day, I brought food (aka cookies) to the table and the students were extremely grateful and shared how they will missed the class and how they enjoyed the class. This then reiterated in their daily logs.

As student teachers we have been asked the question of, "What do you want people to say about you?" My answer is, "We want her." Yesterday I had a student ask me where I am teaching next year and I said I do not know. His friend then tells me that he was going home to tell his grandfather, the school board president, we need a third agriculture teacher. Knowing the short-term minds of many high schoolers this was just talk, but I was encouraged by my students to continue to work hard to ensure they are learning and enjoying their academic experiences.

Ram for the Day {Student Teacher Visit}

On Monday, March 21st I transitioned from a Bulldog to a Ram for the day. Ms. Timmons and Miss Smith graciously hosted me at Kennard Dale to see how a school day works in Southern York County. I am going to write this blog as journal entries, breaking down each class, my observations, and reactions. 

Period 1 – Animal Care Management:

It was refreshing. Ms. Timmons has such a light, caring, and sweet personality that illuminates her large classroom. She implemented multiple learning strategies and techniques. I was impressed with the organization and implementation of bellwork. Her comment to me was it either looks back or looks forward and I really liked the perspective. I struggle with bellwork questioning and resort to it being a direction or task.

Period 2 – Vet Science: I was impressed with the consistency of Ms. Timmons class activities. Students answer the bellwork questions, Ms. Timmons addressed the answer, reviewed where they were and where they were going, and start into the lesson. Her students came in and sat down quietly and were ready to go. Thinking about my second period, I knew this was a difference. Towards the end of the class Ms. Timmons had the students complete an activity that supported the content she taught. I saw the benefit of being in one room with a lot of space: preparation ahead of time, distinct stations and movement, and lots of space to move for the teacher, and students seem more comfortable because they are spread out.

Period 3 – Prep: The prep period which Ms. Timmons used very thoroughly. It was great to discuss the morning classes and the observations I made as well as Ms. Timmons preparation and thought processes on how and why she does certain things.

Period 4 – Animal Care Management (round two): Repeat of period 1 in content but the class was more awake and larger. Something different, that my ears perked to was, how she grades her students. She was giving a completion grade for the lab activity today. I am going to have to ask how she assesses and distributes points in this class.

Period 5 – CASE AFNR: This was fun to watch because I also teach this class at Big Spring. It is Ms. Timmons and Miss Smiths first year teaching this course and it was beneficial to converse with them. Jenna did well with implementing the course without training. She used an interest approach, let the students work through the lab, and then summarized the activity. Miss Smith showed me the organization she has for the lab aids and supplies and we discussed the curriculum and which activities we enjoy.

Before I made my way back to Newville, Ms. Timmons showed me their greenhouse and it was great. It was large, spacious, and fully equipped. The day at Kennard Dale was exactly what I hope it would be. Watching Ms. Timmons shine in her classroom, learn new ideas on classroom setup, activities, and resources. Ultimately I was refreshed to step out of my routine and be able to observe differences to take with me to Big Spring and beyond. One simple take away that I noticed and shared with my cooperating teacher was that Miss Smith laminates her folders so they do not get ruined. So simple, but supplies are expensive so always finding ways to preserve them to essential. 

Invested {Weekly Blog}

Investment or investing is often associated with money and putting a quantified amount towards something that you care about or want because you know the return could possibly be rewarding or benefitting. When reading the definition it sounds self-centered...giving something to get something. Frequently teachers say we invest in our students and we do. The definition for student investment should be: giving time, energy, guidance, and knowledge to students who in return grow, succeed, and eventually, change the world. The definition is in its raw form but I think with the great educational minds out there could evolve it. 

This week the saying teachers invest in their students came to life. I witnessed it and experienced it myself. Our local area competition occurred on Tuesday where we had students compete in senior prepared and junior prepared speaking, conservation speaking, extemporaneous speaking, creed speaking, and ceremonies. Being a timer for the junior prepared, where we had 5 Big Spring competitors and I found myself looking down as they competed because I did not want to smile too big and "freak" my students out. They each came in with confidence and being well prepared to deliver their speeches. My smile was a result of pride I had in claiming them as mine and excitement for what the results could be, competing at the regional competition. 

Also on this day I was able to be in the hallway with students who were not competing. They would ask me questions, share their thoughts on how they did, or ask "do you know the results?" This is a result of student investment of tangibles of writing speeches, saying speeches, and providing them with the resources to do so but also the intangibles of care, trust, excitement, and support. My cooperating teaches and I invested in them from start to finish and there is a trust and rapport. These intangible investments are what students want and need because when they look back at their experience in the years to come they remember how teachers made them feel and what was said to encourage or discourage them. 

The the other witnessing of investment I had this week was financial. First, the janitor for our hallways, Bonnie, bought me fudge as a late "welcome to the family gift". This investment gave me a feeling of inclusion, belonging, and appreciation. I knew Bonnie cares so much about me that she put her hard earned money into a gift. I am still overwhelmed with the kindness. 

We also took our students to the Keystone Tractor and Truck Pulls at the Farmshow Complex to volunteer. We have a new student to the district who did not know he needed to pay for his own dinner. One of my cooperating teachers gracefully told the waitress to include him on her check. This was a financial investment, but also it was a rapport and trust between advisor and new student. 

Investment comes in all forms - emotional, financially, tangible, and intangible. As a teacher investment will never cease and it shouldn't. As the quote above says. "Teaching is a 24 hour, 7 days a week job because when you invest in kids, you can never stop caring". 

Shining Bright {Administration Interview}

I was blown away with the preparedness and willingness the superintendent and assistant superintendent at Big Spring High School to were to share advice, best tips, and answer my questions. Leaving the interview I felt confident and ready to take on another. My two interviewers setup the interview as a hybrid of formal and informal. When I first sat down they explained the process that was about to happen and discussed my portfolio, which I was clinging to me.

Tip #1: Portfolio - do not hand it out, use it and, the materials within, as a reference. Pass around individual items and not the entire binder.

They had a list of mock interview questions that they would ask, I would respond, and then they would give me feedback.

The topics were as follows:
1. Background information
2. Classroom Management and Organization
3. Planning for Instruction
4. Implementing Instruction - Engaging students
5. Implementing Instruction - Difficult for students to understand and how do you teach it/activity
6. Candidate as a person - Strengths and weaknesses

The consistent tip I received was to make sure I knew the district and the community well and integrate that into the conversation and my answers. Another take-away was length of answers. Give appropriate length answers to ensure that I do not "lose" anyone.

In asking questions I asked two (due to time):
1. What questions don't new teachers ask during the interview process that we should be asking?
2. What are your teaching philosophies?

My response and tips were to ask questions that are not normally asked. DO NOT discuss salary, but also do not ask if the school has a mentoring program. Be specific and genuine in your questions and hope to engage in a conversation that goes further. One great question they suggested asking was about the retention of teachers at the school. Is there a high or low retention rate and why?

Tip #2: Jewelry: They want to picture me as a professional and someone who can get dirty working as an agriculture teacher so dress the part. What would you wear in the classroom? Also if you have a pin or rings that has a story that you can tie into the interview wear it because someone may ask. For example, they said to wear my varsity ring so I can talk about my athletic experiences.

If either of the administrators ever read this blog, thank you for taking the time out of your day to prepare me for all the interviews in my near future.

Try to Keep Up {Weekly Bog}

It is a madhouse. The students see the boxes in the shop. They know what is about to happen. They moan and groan. They know if they do not keep up, none will survive. Each individual plug is a life to save. Each plug needs to be transplanted into a 6-pack which will be its new home for the next several weeks. We need transplanters, labelers, runners, organizers, and students filling 6-packs with soil. We even need to bring in reinforcements, Mrs. Nailor's first period.

Working in the greenhouse has been one of the best learning experiences for me. I am not a "plant person" and after one work day in the greenhouse I feel as if I learned more in 80 minutes then I did in one semester in college. The delicacy with transplanting is that there are a lot of plugs that need to be transplanted, otherwise they will die. There has to be a system, tasks assigned, and every minute must be utilized.

My first day I looked like a chicken with my head cut off because we had students in the shop transplanting, students in the headhouse, and students in the greenhouse. I was not quite sure where to be, what my role was, and when students asked me questions I did not have the answers too. It was a whirlwind. Even though I did not know, I had to show confidence and make the decisions and facilitate this process  that was new to my students and I.

This was a throw to the lions and you either eat or climb out. I was able to climb out with the help of my cooperating teachers and two teacher assistants. A flash from the past: utilize people who have more experience then you do. I had two students you took this class last year and knew the process that works best with our facilities and class size. They were willing to guide me and I was able to give the class further directions or answer questions.

Trying to keep up. That is what is feels like in the greenhouse. Today, was the second day and it was much better, but I am still on a large learning curve with that class. Learning from my teaching assistants has been a resource for me in that class and they are always willing to shed light on whatever the activity or content is. After doing something, you are more confident about doing it again. Not only the greenhouse, but also learning from students, are two areas that when next spring rolls around and I have my own greenhouse I will be ready be telling the students" try to keep up"!

It is Contagious {SLLC Blog}

Bunch of goofballs

Let's break it down. The State Legislator Leadership Conference (SLLC) is another for students to get pumped about being the next generation to impact our country and industry, agriculture teachers to get work done, share ideas, and build relationships, and for students and teachers to enjoy three delicious meals with unlimited coffee. The energy and passion that students and teachers bring to the SLLC conference is the same felt energy at every other FFA event that is held at the local, state, and national levels.

SLLC was another first for me, and it did not disappoint. I was assigned by my cooperating teachers to plan this conference. Here are some of the take-ways from planning a trip and specifically SLLC.

- Your students are a valuable resource. In deciding on an after conference activity on Tuesday, I was researching and brainstorming for awhile until I simply asked the 8 girls we took what they wanted to do. They gave me ideas and then we decided on what to do together.

Representing the Blue and Gold well!

- Be prepared for anything. We had two of our girls get sick at the conference. One was sent home and the other was able to push through. I did not have any medicine or first aid kit with me to help. I learned to call the parent first for permission, and then give the students the medicine.

- Be a team player. We are preached the importance of being apart of professional organizations and the PA Ag Ed family. Being apart of this family means you have a role. During SLLC that role was to grade proficiencies. As a new teacher this was helpful in learning how they should be filled out and what is being looked for in the grading process. Also as a young teacher I hope I reread this post and remember, no matter how old I get, I will participate in everything that is offered. Many hands make little work.

Happy grams from my students

- Even when you are having fun and have a good group of students, you always need to be a few steps ahead. What time do they need to meet next? What do they need to wear? What do they need to bring?

- Getting a table for meals is similar to the Hunger Games... may the odds be in your favor.

- Conferences are not a time that you will catch up on sleep Be prepared to lose it. This is important to note because the SLLC conference ends on a Tuesday and there are still 3 days in the week to teach.

- Students struggle with packing... teach them how to pack.

Until next year SLLC!

Wise Words from Morrie {Weekly Blog}

During fourth period at Big Spring students and teachers participate in Silent Sustained Reading (SSR). This week the topic that was being discussed in my book was "How Love Goes On". The character Morrie says to his friend Mitch, " I believe in being fully present. Morrie defines that as being with the person you're with."

If you are not familiar with the book, it is called Tuesdays with Morrie written by Mitch Albom. The book describes the relationship between a professor, Morrie and student, Mitch and then flash forwards to when Mitch becomes an adult and Morrie is diagnosed with ASL. Mitch returns to visit Morrie after many years without contact, and Morrie and Mitch pick-up their friendship from where it left off. With Morrie dying though, Mitch wants to know everything Morrie thinks about certain topics. The ladder part of the book breaks down their conversations on these topics.

As I read these chapters on the various topics, I find myself learning from Morrie as well. This week the topic was about being fully present. Some of the quotes Morrie uses to describe being fully present  are:

• "I try to keep focused only on what is going on between us"
• "I am not thinking about something we said last week"
• "I am not thinking of what's coming up this Friday"
• "I am not thinking about doing another Koppel show"
• "What medications I'm taking"
• "I am talking to you, I am thinking about you."

This message was important to remind me to be in the moment of what I am doing with a student. Build a relationship with them, that when they are talking I am dialed in and focused on their question, comment, or concern. On the flip side I ask myself, how can I successfully do this with 24 students in a class?

I challenged myself to implement Morrie's teaching this week. This was not easy. My mind wonders easily with concern, thoughts, reminders, to-dos, and emotions. To be fully invested in a conversation, listening to a 6 minute speech I have heard over five times, or students sharing a funny story with me, is challenging.

After an evaluation this week, I realized that I did not know my students as well as I thought in one of my classes. The attention I gave each of them was on the surface because of how large the class was. After my evaluation and debrief I felt bad because I was not investing time into learning more about my students than what I knew through observation. I started making the change Friday and telling students who needed me that I will come to them when I was done with the student I was working with. My goal to to continue to carry this mentality into the rest of my weeks at Big Spring and into my own classroom.

Tractor Supply Company {SAE Visit}

This past Thursday, February 25th I visited one of my students at Tractor Supply Company (TSC) at the Shippensburg, PA location. It was a great time to visit a Tractor Supply due to it being National FFA week.

Courtney has worked their since October 2015. Courtney decided that she wanted a job to start saving for a car and college. Her prior Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) was with her cats and chickens. Courtney is nervous and excited to start her SAE because she has never had a placement SAE before. Prior to the visit I reviewed Courtney's past SAE books to see what her experiences, leadership roles, and earned degrees were.

Starting the visit I walked into the store and Courtney was placing price tags on candles at the front register. As she worked we discussed her goals for her SAE, career, and degrees/awards. She would like to apply for a State Star award in Placement and wants to achieve her Keystone Degree. Her apprehensions are not knowing about the Placement SAE book and what the requirements are and how to apply for the State Star award.

She walked me around the store and discussed the operations and responsibilities she has, showed me the management system on the computer, and we walked down the welding isle discussing some of the products, since she is in my welding class. Courtney works 2-3 nights per week from 4-8:30pm and one 8 hour shift on the weekends. From having Courtney as a student and listening to her as an employee of TSC, her diligent work ethic and willingness to complete any task helps her succeed at her job.

To conclude the visit Courtney and I setup two times to meet in the upcoming week where we will setup her placement SAE book. I assigned her to go in and complete her student profile and bring her check stubs into class and we will start her book. Courtney is in my Advanced Leadership class where I have an upcoming random AET record book check for all my students.  Courtney will be prepared to receive full credit for the first random check.

This SAE visit was my first placement and it was great to step into the student role and have Courtney be the teacher. I was able to observe her confidence in her project, her understanding of the systems and operations or the store, and interactions with customers. In looking forward to work with her in the upcoming week, this visit will allow me to understand and ask appropriate questions to ensure Courtney is on track to meet her goals.