Week 15: One Chapter Ends, Another One Begins

As I reflect back on this semester, and even year, I am in amazement by how fast and SMOOTH it has gone overall.

Last semester was not bad at all - even though I feared the travel would make it so. Though, by December I was definitely tired,  it was so worth it. And while I am tired again now, I also know that I am renewed.

In my life, this year has brought on:

Many Decisions - 

Do I go back to school? 

Do I stay on part-time at work?
Do we buy a house? 

Go to WVU and live at home? PSU and travel every week? 

Much Stress - 

How are we paying to remodel a house? - IN A MONTH

28 credits. I repeat - 28 college credits in one semester. I thought I was insane. 

How am I possibly supposed to get everything done - each week

Was this the right decision?

And Much More Happiness - 

Yes I went back to school at PSU. 

Yes we bought and remodeled a house a month before I left in August.

Yes I successfully completed 28 credits last fall - with a minimum amount of stress. 

Yes, everything gets done - one assignment at a time. And I was still in bed no later than midnight every night. 

Yes, I completed student teaching and (proving my worst fear wrong) LOVE IT. 

Absolutely, this was the right decision. 

I am HAPPY. 

I am not saying I wasn't happy before. I am a generally happy person, but this new career for me has proven again and again to feel right. I truly believe that God has placed me where I am and that he has carried me through the last year. I have had ups and downs for sure - but no sleepless nights. I taken the good with the bad. 

I was given an excellent University Supervisor (they are all fantastic), but Dr. Ewing was a great fit for me and has kept me grounded and is a helpful ear when I needed it. He is someone that has taken time to get to know me - and my crazy obsessive compulsiveness with things - and I know that I can call with any questions throughout my career. 

And I was placed with the amazing Jodie Hoover who is a saint that I will swear was sent to guide me this year. She does not take and "crap" and will just tell you how it is - which is what I like and needed. Someone who could tell me, "that sucked' and we could work through and make it better. Someone who understood that I wasn't going to teach just like them, but instead of changing my teaching methods, strives to make me better at how I teach. Someone who was not afraid to learn from me too. Someone who was not afraid to equally learn from me, the way I learned from them, when the opportunity arose. A mentor that treats me like an adult and who I have no doubts I can call in the future if I need anything at all - including figuring out how to make me a better teacher in the years to come. 

While I do not yet know what the future holds, I am sure that God has a plan and I know that it will be great, whatever it is! 

My First Action Research

Please take a look at my first action research infographic as part of my blog. I have learned a lot through this experience and how I can make research beneficial in the classroom. Based on my research, I have found that my students are split as to whether or not they do better with guided notes. I also think this data will probably change with different classes and understand that this is not representative of students as a whole.

Week 14: Wrapping things up with a CBU

This week went by so fast! - So has the semester, I can't believe we only have one week left!!

This week I wrapped up some classes - including Intro to Ag, Animal Science, and Vet Science. It is so hard to believe! I, however, was able to get to one unit in each animal science and vet science. I didn't start them this week because Mrs. Hoover wants to start something else with them than what I would be in the middle of, so it made sense for her to start next week.

Floral Design is right in the middle of their Community Based Unit (CBU). Last week, they had a guest speaker from the Washington County Master Gardeners come talk to them about raised garden beds. This week the class worked together to create an activity and presentation about raised garden beds for a 4th grade science class at the elementary school. It went really well! It was heartwarming to hear comments around the room such as, "Can we do this every year?!" and "Don't we need worms to aerate the soil Mr. Kramer?". Mr. Kramer is their teacher and the FC Floral Design class taught the students about raised garden beds and then the elementary students each made their own - we pre-made "raised garden beds" out of pop-sickle sticks and they were able to fill them and plant a marigold.

My students have also measured and laid out the plan for the raised garden beds on a map that is to scale and next week, we are going to place the beds and put them out where planned. They will mostly likely have to plant in them after I leave. This has been such a great activity to end on with that class.

Horticulture is knee deep in Integrated Pest Management - which we will still be working on next week. Pieces seem to be falling into place as planned!

This week, my students also went to the Area speaking competition. They placed first in Parliamentary Procedure and Extemporaneous. They also are moving on in Creed (2nd place) and Jr. Prepared (2nd and 3rd place). So proud of these students and I know they will do great as they move on to Regionals on the 25th!



Also, on Thursday I went to visit Halee at Derry Area High School! Such a great program and I was glad to see their facilities and learn more about their program. Please see some pictures in my blog about her visit!

On a great note, almost all of my Penn State Assignments are done! I am hoping to have them finished before the end of the week as well - so I can relax next weekend - Happy Birthday to me!

Visiting with Halee

Today I was able to spend the day as an observer in the Ag room at Derry Area High School. Halee is doing a great job teaching a wide variety of classes from Introductory classes to Ag Construction.

She incorporated all aspects of a PSU lesson plan into each of her classes. She made sure to catch the attention of the students at the beginning of the class, after getting them started with bellwork relevant to the day's activities.

Furthermore, she eloquently checked for understanding with each student as they completed the days activities. In her first class, Halee, discussed with the students how animals perceive things like noise, light, depth perception, and humans in general. Afterward, the students completed lab that had them think about the way they perceive things versus what they actually are.

The Ag Construction class is working on a community project that they have a lot of autonomy in. They are creating wool displays with a group for the fair. These projects were completely designed by the students and are looking great. The students worked well with each other under close supervision of Ms. Wasson and Mr. Campbell.


Halee also had time to show me around their facilities, some of the projects they are working on, and experiments they are doing.

On a side note- we had some time to talk about some of our assignments for Penn State and catch up there. Also, we were able to compare some of our students' work and bounce ideas off of each other!

Also, found a fellow cohort member on the wall! 

Western Region PAAE Meeting

A couple weeks ago I was able to attend the Western PAAE meeting in Indiana, PA. While a long drive, it was proven to be a productive time.

This is my not my first PAAE meeting and certainly not my first time attending a meeting such as this. It was interesting to see how programs, not only in our region, but across the state. Fort Cherry also brought a student to participate in SOCS.

Mr. Brammer discussed different things going on with the PA FFA bylaws and other hot topics going on in the State. Furthermore, members discussed the upcoming PAAE convention, as well as the convention planned for 2019 in the western region.


It was good to have meaningful conversations with teachers and my fellow student teachers as well.

                                                   

Week 13: Lucky number 13

Well, while I don’t consider 13 to be a lucky number, my grandma does - she was born on Friday the 13th. And I have to say this week, overall, has probably been one of the better weeks of the semester. #feelinggood

I am not going to lie when I say I was on the struggle bus a little on Monday. Nothing bad happened, but nothing really went as planned either. However, Tuesday I bounced back - not only were my classes good for the day (mostly - down pouring rain affected one activity), but I was able to have all my sub materials for Mrs. Hoover ready for Wednesday before 3. #winning!

While I don't have a picture #failing - on Tuesday, a PhD candidate from Cornell University came to talk to the students about her research on insulin resistance in sheep.

Wednesday, I made he trip to Washington County Public Schools, Maryland - check out that blog! #greatPD

While I was traveling, Mrs. Hoover and the students put together our composter! Pallets and zip ties!

Thursday continued to go well. I have felt comfortable in the classroom for awhile, but now it just feels natural and wonderful. Everything seems to go smoother and I am much better at thinking on the spot.  #naturalisbetter

Thursday, Master Gardeners came in and talked to us about raised garden beds and how to make them successful as part of our community based unit!

Then Friday sealed the deal with Dr. Ewing’s visit. Mrs. Hoover finished up my final evaluation and finished it with an A. I received really good feedback from Dr. Ewing and passed my PDE final evaluation. #withflyingcolors

I can’t believe I only have two weeks of this experience left. I want to enjoy it for longer - however, I am also excited to be in my own classroom! #future

Saturday, I was able to go to the Washington County Farm Bureau Meeting with 7 students. Mrs. Hoover was unable to make it. This experience was very real to me and if I did not know if was doing the right thing before, I do now. #madetherightdecision

I have to say this week, while number 13, was pretty lucky. #13canbelucky

Students at the Farm Bureau Dinner. The were polite and respectful for the evening and did a great job speaking to the community members. They also led the banquet in the pledge of allegiance. 

Professional Development

This week I was fortunate enough to go to the Washington County Public School system in Maryland. During this time I spent the day with Mr. Garland who was gracious enough to take me around the community and then to Clear Springs High School.

I used this opportunity to get to know the school better and as professional development. The school is small - graduating about 120 students each year, but they take pride in their programs, especially the agricultural academy. 

School Based Farm

At first, I thought this was pretty scary - that may be a lot of extra hours. However, they use this farm for the students SAE and Capstone projects and things aren’t kept their over the summer. It’s within walking distance from the school or students can drive over as well. I think this is a pretty neat opportunity for students to complete their projects.

Capstone Projects

I have never heard of this in a high school before. However, at Clear Springs, all of the programs completes are required to design, propose, and complete a project their senior year as an independent study. They present these project proposals to their alumni. I think this is pretty awesome experience for high school students! 

Variety 

Clear Springs offers a variety of classes for their students. Animal and vet science courses to Ag powers and horticulture and soil science courses. Students choose their pathway and take classes to help them complete it. 

Everyone I talked to during my visit was exceptionally nice and willing to help. They were open and honest and wanted to answer any question I had! This visit really helped me to understand the importance of visiting schools and learning more about different types of programs that you may want to implement in the future. 

SAE Visit: Placement

I am late to writing my blog, but a few weeks ago, I was able to visit a student who has a job at Agway.

During the school year, Josh works each day after school until closing at 5pm. He works some Saturdays, but works more in the summer.

Some of Josh's duties include, unloading trucks with new orders, cleaning shelves, sweeping aisle ways, stocking shelves, and loading customers cars. He is hoping to move up to a cashier or even a manager by his senior year.

The customers love the cats!

Josh works to keep everything tidy and stocked. 

Please also see the answers to the questions below:

1. Who did you visit?
1. This week Mrs. Hoover and I visited Josh.
2. Where did the visit occur?
1. Josh's SAE visit took place at Agway - his Placement SAE location. 
3. What preparations did you make prior to the visit?
1. Mrs. Hoover and I looked at Josh's AET book before our visit as well as talked about his projects and progress.
4. What was this student's SAE program?
1. He has a Placement SAE project. 
5. How would you evaluate or rate the program? On what criteria?
1. Josh's books are up-to-date and he is a hard worker. He is looking to grow and how to become a better employee and gain more responsibilities at work. 
6. What recommendations were made for improvement?
1. My only recommendation for Josh was to keep working hard and keep in mind that while he may not move up as fast as he would like, if he kept working hard his time would come. 
7. What record books were being used?
1. Josh keeps his record books in AET.
8. How does the cooperating teacher "grades" the SAE program?
1. Mrs. Hoover has an SAE "class" during homeroom. She grades them based on the quality and accuracy of their books.

Week 12: More Days Off

This is another week that brings not much to say. I have gotten more experience with preparing for when I am not going to be there which is good - I guess. 

I was fortunate enough to go to the Mechanics CDE event at McGuffey High School on Tuesday! It was very interesting to learn how hat contest works, the amount of preparation that goes in to it, and how much more is expected at the state level. 

I was back at school on Wednesday to finish things up and collect work from students who are panicking about their grades - they are due Monday for the 3rd nine weeks. 

On Thursday, students only had a half day and it was spent at a school wide volleyball tournament. After the students were dismissed, teachers were given time to get grades for the remainder of the day. Most of my grades were already in, however, I was able to get lesson plans ready for the next week, which was very helpful! 

Sorry this blog is pretty uneventful! Have a happy Easter! 

Students practiced Parliamentary Procedure this week in preparation for the upcoming week. 




The tomatoes and lettuce are taking off in our aquaponics system! It’s crazy to believe when I started they weren’t growing at all.

Vet science learned how to properly bandage leg and abdominal wounds! 

Week 11: The long, short week.

This week was SLLC - the State Legislative Leadership Conference. I have never been there before and it was a great experience to take the students too. We were also fortunate enough to not only tour the capital with our legislator, but to also have lunch with her and be introduced on the senate floor.

One of our students went to SLLC as a second year scholar and participated in reflections on Sunday night with the other second year scholars. We and our students also participated in community service at Mission City in Harrisburg - our students learned the value of things we have here and the simple things people need when disaster strikes.

We completed various jobs at our community service location including, cleaning up outside, packing buckets, and cleaning up inside.

McKenzie, MacKenzie, and Jac (we only take girls named "Kenzie" on trips)

We were closed on Wednesday of this week because of the snow storm (which we were stuck in coming back from Harrisburg). Thursday brought a day where students were able to finish work that was either not given to them by the sub, or more complex than I thought to finish in the allotted amount of time.

Thursday evening, I stayed at the school for the first time late. I was off Friday for our professional development, going to complete some requirements for a substitute teaching position tomorrow (Monday), and I am planning on attending the Ag Mechanics CDE on Tuesday at McGuffey. Therefore, I am missing 3 days in a row (ah!). I stayed to make sure I had everything in order for the week for Mrs. Hoover.

Overall this week has went really well - it was long because of the travel and snow day, but short because I was only in the classroom for 1 day, and almost all the classes worked all day.

I can't believe how much this experience is winding down. Less than a month to go. I am enjoying it so much - so much learning. I could not imagine teaching without this and I am so grateful to have Mrs. Hoover as a teacher, mentor, and friend.

Students at SLLC locked arms to "Thinking Out Loud" #peoplefallinloveinmysteriousways

Senator Camera Bartolotta not only set up a tour for the Fort Cherry and McGuffey students, but also ordered us lunch and introduced us on the Senate floor. 

Students reflected on the beauty of the Capitol building in Harrisburg. 

Week 10: Making my own path.

As week 10 comes to close, I feel pretty good about the week on a whole. My new method for bellwork seemed to be a success, which made me feel really good. We had a lot of really great discussions in the classes and students' seemed to get a lot out of them. Thoughtful questions were asked and answered and student became more aware of the industry around them.

Not to "toot my own horn", but most of my lessons were a success this week. Students seemed to be engaged in everything while answering questions with thought and ease. There was also more discussions in my classes.

During my last unit in Vet Science, I gave my students time to study their vocabulary and this did not go well. Therefore, on Monday when we started the new unit, I let them know that on Wednesday we would be playing a review game with the vocab to give them a couple of days to study. Unfortunately, the students were pulled from class on Wednesday, but we did this activity on Thursday instead. The students were split in to two teams and we played Taboo. One student was put in the hot seat while the others faced them. I would stand behind the students in the hot seat and show their teammates a vocabulary word or definition. Then the teams would have to get the person in the hot seat to guess that word without telling them. They really got into it and seemed to love the game.

Also, I learned the true meaning of flexibility. The cuttings for the greenhouse came early and I had not planned for that for the week. Mrs. Hoover and I decided it would be best to split the time. So I got students started in the classroom and then she took them out to the greenhouse to plant the cuttings on Monday. Tuesday we followed the same pattern. Wednesday, we didn't have class because the were pulled out, unexpectedly and Friday, a speaker came to talk about the students about a possible internship opportunity. The students loved it and received                                                                        some free milk!

 

Week 9: Changes on the Horizon

Last week sparked many conversations between Mrs. Hoover and I in the classroom - things I am doing well and things I want to change or get better at.

I finished my first vet science unit last week - and was not really particularly proud of it. While I was teaching it similarly to what Mrs. Hoover would, it did not seem to work for me and therefore not my students either. When we prepared for the test, only about 1/3 of the students were answering the review questions. This did not make me feel good about my teaching, even though Mrs. Hoover thought that I was fine. Therefore, the morning of the exam I decided to use a testing technique Dr. Foster used with us last semester. I allowed the students to take the test, but when most of them were done I stopped them and said "I believe I am a fair person and that there were some things I could have done better, so you have 1 minute to use your notes. Go." I have them about 1 minute and a half. This class is also pretty divided which makes activities hard. Next, I stopped them and said, "I also believe that we learn best when we share with each other. At this time stand up and we are going to pass our tests every 10 seconds - this is purely information collection, no talking or writing anything down." After giving them a few minutes to change or add answers, I stopped them one last time: "Lastly, I believe that when we share with each we grow exponentially. At this time you have 1 minute to ask your classmates a question." I hope this instilled in them that while I am working to push them to the next level that I am not out to make them fail. I do however expect results in return and them to meet my expectations.

I also feel as though the way I am doing bellwork is not benefiting them. While I am asking questions that have to do with that day or review from last, my students are doing it for compliance. They are not using that time to get themselves in the mindset of the day or the information we have learned. While it is a classroom management technique, I don't want it to be busy work that my students feel is a waste of time. For this reason, I talked to Mrs. Hoover about changing my bellwork and I am going to implement it this week. Each Monday, I will be presenting a current Agricultural article to classes - that doesn't necessarily relate to their class. We will read the article on Monday's as a class, but then the bellwork throughout the week will pertain to that article. These questions will be more problem solving and critical thinking related as we work to solve current issues in the Agricultural world. My hope is that these help make students more aware of issues that are going on in the world that we may not necessarily talk about in class, while also tying in meaningful conversations to each day that may have never happened.

To see pictures from this week, check out my twitter! @Wright_KarlieM

Week 8: Taking on more classes

Week 8 went really well and I felt like I am starting to get more comfortable, which I am not sure is good or bad! I started all new units in 5 of the 6 classes this week. Everything seemed to go pretty well, however, I think I need to plan a little differently in my Vet Science class and follow their workbook a little closer. 

I also starting using google calendar as a planning tool and it has really helped to keep me more organized. All of my links and bell work for the day are in one place which has really helped - as long as I get it on their quickly! 

This journey is bringing me through some whirlwinds - some days I question why I left my office, where I only had to work 35 hours a week and never brought work home; however, it never takes long for a student to do or say something that makes me remember EXACTLY why I did, and why I am happy I am on this journey at this time in my life.

At just over the halfway point, I am hoping to grow exponentially in the next several weeks and soak in as much as I can from the Fabulous Jodie Hoover, so that I am prepared as possible to take on a classroom of my own this fall.