Week 14: Testing, Testing, & More Testing

I've felt like this next to last week has brought a subtle but anxious feeling, almost like the calm before a storm. This is not meant in a negative way, but I think that's how some of my students and I felt knowing that soon the classroom would be one person less.

This week was the beginning of every student's and teacher's least favorite season of the year - standardized test season. With the 8th graders taking their PSSA tests and the preparation for the upcoming Keystones going into hyperdrive, many of the teachers, including Mrs. D, were proctoring exams so I got the chance to take over the Ag. Sciences II-IV classes a few times, of course just confusing the students again about when I was actually leaving.

By this point my Vet Science students were quickly finishing up the Anatomy & Physiology unit, giving us just enough time to complete the whole unit before I leave next week. This week we learned about the muscular system and I was excited to hear that for some of my older students in the class our class was lining up nicely with their Anatomy class, reinforcing some of the material. To learn and review some of the muscles of the dog my class played "Pin the Muscle on the Doggy," which I think my students really enjoyed.

In my Ag. Science I class my students are wrapping up their tool-box constructions and they are all looking great, with some a little more unique looking than others. A few hiccups the past few weeks with equipment not functioning properly, including the jigsaw and planer, delayed some of the students' progress but they all pushed through it, finding new ways to (safely!) complete tasks without (much) complaining.

I can't believe I only have one more week here...

Week 13: Back from Easter - Now Only 3... & PAAE Time

Having arrived back refreshed from a great four-day weekend at home for the holiday, it felt strange to come back and only be teaching three classes and I wasn't the only one who thought so. Now that student teaching was quickly coming to a close I had handed back the reins on most of the classes to Mrs. D but I was keeping the Ag Science I class, the Vet Science class, and our 8th graders up until the end. It felt strange but nice to be able to sit back and observe how Mrs. D taught again and see how she has adapted since some of the changes I enacted in the classroom. It also gave me the chance to talk more with other teachers in the building and learn from their experiences in education, regardless of the subject they taught.

This week was also the Eastern Region's PAAE spring meeting, so Wednesday night Mrs. D and I headed off to Lancaster to meet up with the other teachers in the region and talk about how we could continue to improve our profession. That night was spent focusing on topics such as the new NOCTI standards that are in progress to (hopefully) better align the NOCTI exams with the standard content taught with PA ag. education. We also discussed several upcoming or in the works ideas for professional development, including the XLR8 programs for experienced teachers, continuing efforts to strengthen advocacy for agricultural education, and professional development focused on technology use in the classroom and the importance of having an "AET Guru" to improve our state and local chapters' system of SAE's. While student members don't have the power to vote on any issues, it was still great to get to experience teachers taking control of their own professional development and working towards improving ag. education across that state as a whole.

Now to wrap up the week I am heading to Round #2 of Banquet Season - heading north to join Mrs. D for the Line Mountain FFA Banquet and I'm excited for another chance to pick up some new things about banquet planning and checking out another ag. program.

Week 12: Spring Break Arrives & Dr. Foster Visits

This week both flew by and dragged on at the same time...

This was the week right before spring break. Every day both the students and teachers could feel the spring fever sinking in as the weather finally became warmer and winter finally left us (fingers crossed). In Vet Science class we had finally moved onto my last unit, Anatomy & Physiology, and so this week we were finishing up learning about directional terminology with marshmallow bunny dissections (no gummi bears) and learning about skeletal anatomy and bone composition using edible bone models.

In my Ag. Sciences II-IV classes the students conducted debate presentations on issues within the poultry industry including housing structures and its impact on welfare, and urban backyard chickens. After our debate presentations, the students worked in groups to complete a Poultry Evaluation CDE Training Kit project, where the CDE was divided into five major components with each group of students in charge of a different component. The students were to find training resources for that section of the CDE as if they were practicing for it, but they also had to identify what skills were tested/utilized in that part of the contest and how that portion of the contest connected to the poultry industry. There were some difficulties with technology throughout the project and I wish that based on the schedule I could have given the students more time to complete the project, however based on the situations we had, some of the students did a really nice job on it and hopefully their resources can help the next time a team wants to compete in that CDE.

This week was also my second observational visit from Dr. Foster and his insight into my classroom and teaching ability was greatly needed. After a day full of encouraging "life-talks," discussions about employment prospects, and helpful tips to thrive during the last few weeks of student teaching, it was time to enjoy a much needed spring break.