Skip to main content

House Hunters: Student Teaching Center Edition



Hi Everyone!
   I thought I would take the time to update you on my Ag Ed journey through all of the craziness that has happened over the past couple of weeks. This semester as many of you know started out for me joining class via Zoom. As the semester has gone on it seems as though unfortunately many of my peers are also attending college via Zoom just like I have been! Before this huge transition I was lucky enough to visit two schools in person, I am thankful for the opportunity they both gave me! It was amazing to see all of the opportunities both programs offered to their students. From greenhouses, to shops, and student projects there were endless avenues for students to find what sparks their interests and explore.
   Along with the amazing facilities, both schools offered my favorite part which was having the opportunity to get to know the students. Sharing their interests with me, their post high school plans as well as giving me a tour of their school were all things they did not have to do but I was flattered that they felt comfortable enough to not only welcome me into their program but to see a little into their lives. This sneak peek really allowed me to see the dynamic of the program and how close of a relationship each student had with the program educators.
One of comment that really stuck out to me during a visit was when a teacher shared "I try to give each student a clean slate when they come into my classroom, I don't know who's good and bad in other classrooms so I give them all the opportunity to be a "good" kid until they prove otherwise. What I have found is because I don't have any expectation of my students as being "good or bad" other teachers are shocked when a student that can sometimes be a problem in other courses is good for me." The teachers also offered guidance in making this decision as they know how confusing and challenging it is looking at student teaching centers. Most importantly, they all reminded me to go with what I believe is the best fit for myself.
   Not only were the teachers willing to share amazing advice during my visit I was lucky enough to have a program arrange a Zoom session so that I could meet with the teachers and ask questions "in person"or as in person as possible. She also shared with me details that go beyond what I would be involved in if I were to be placed at her school such as tools about gaining confidence in front of a classroom, knowing what kind of classroom environment I might have, how to navigate that process, and being able to identify what I would need from a student teaching relationship.
    Throughout this entire process I felt it was a lot like being on the show House Hunters, looking at all of the amazing programs and the foundations they build for their students to grow. The lessons I could learn in the program are similar to what children learn when growing up in a house. This process of finding is a center has been nothing but exciting and humbling, I cannot wait to find my perfect home for this next chapter of my Teach Ag journey!

- Megan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Athens is Humble and Kind

  As I began my student teaching internship, I was welcomed with open arms by my cooperating teachers, the other educators, administrators, and of course my students! My first full week included observing, In-Service days, a State Officer Visit, FFA Lock In, and a meeting with the middle school Ag Teacher. It has been an incredibly busy week as I have slowly gotten the swing of things. I worked to master the schedule for the day and finding my way around the building. My students have been so kind and helpful, showing me around, explaining to me the bell schedule a couple times now, as well as sharing with me what they are most excited about learning in the upcoming months. A highlight of my week was when 3 students asked Mrs. Alderfer when she was done teaching Intro to Agriculture because they wanted Miss. Royer to teach! :)  As I enter the weekend I am focusing on finding an organizational system that will work best for me as I begin teaching my first two classes next week, Hor
15 comments
Read more

My First Day of School... Lab Edition!

  This week I had my first day of school, though it wasn't with my students at Athens Area High School, I did have the opportunity to share it with my cohort members. The excitement of a new year with new adventures awaiting still filled the room, the difference you ask? Well this year all eight of us girls were the teachers this time, making our first day experience a little different.  Every student remembers the excitement of reuniting with your friends after a long summer away, seeing who you have lunch or study hall with, and finally seeing your favorite teacher you have missed all summer. For teachers, your first day of school sets the tone for the rest of the school year. Not only are you sharing what content students will be learning throughout the year, but what expectations you have for them while in your classroom. For my student's I used the framework "The 3 R's in Miss. Royer's Room", this idea came from my elementary school principal Mrs. Zmyslo.
4 comments
Read more

Problems in Our Barnyard!

  This week my lab challenged my cohort members to properly diagnose our barnyard! We had a duroc named Daisy, a Holstein named Holly and were lucky enough to have Stitch visiting our barnyard for this activity! Using Koch's Postulates, they worked in groups to determine if the illness each animal possessed was an infectious disease or not. This activity was a part of our problem based lab and we each had 20 minutes to teach an activity that challenged our students to solve a problem. Thankfully for me, I had some pretty great students who were quick to find their diagnosis.        This week I think I did a better job of moving throughout the classroom as well as keeping track of time. Last lab, I didn't pay as close attention to how quickly time went by but this week I felt as though I managed time throughout the portions of the activity much better. I also feel that I did a better job of assessing when students were ready to move on and when they might need more time to com
4 comments
Read more