The Adminsitrator Interview

I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the Bellwood Antis High School Super Intendant  to gain important interview tips and feedback.

The Questions

I was asked a series of questions ranging from information about myself, to my experience, to talking about a lesson or assignment that I am most proud to teach. The question portion of the interview lasted about 30 mins. After the "interview" was finished, the Super Intendant gave me the list of questions he asked from as well as advice for some questions that were not listed.

Preparations

I feel that I was able to answer the questions adequately, I would like to practice answering tougher questions such as talking about OAB's and more. The Super Intendant felt that I answered his questions very well and that I should keep up the good work!

Questions That I Asked

I asked the Super Intendant what qualities immediately stand out to him in a potential candidate. The qualities he looks for are:

• Cover letter and resume up-to-date, clear and concise, free of any errors
• Candidate should be able to relax during the interview
• The candidate should be on time and prepared for the interview
• The candidate should show individuality when answering questions, this will make you memorable 

 Impressions 

I was very impressed with the environment as well as the questions I was asked. It felt like a real, formal interview which will help me with future interviews! 

Student Teaching: Week 15

It's hard to believe that my final semester has come to an end.

When One Door Closes, Another Opens

This semester has been filled with many ups and downs, highs and lows, and many learning experiences. Through it all, I am thankful to have such amazing mentors Mr. Webreck and Mrs. Corl that have helped me during both stages of my internship. I will forever cherish the relationships and support I have received throughout my journey.

My Future Plans

While I grew up in 4-H and have always held Extension in a special place of my heart, I have decided to pursue a career in the classroom. I really enjoyed my internship with Extension and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to intern with them however, after being in the classroom, I have discovered that my passion truly lies with working with students and encouraging them to grow. I still hope to be involved with Extension in some capacity but for now my heart is set on the classroom!

Final Thoughts

Through this entire journey, I have learned so much about the profession as well as myself. I have been able to participate in once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I will always treasure. Once again, I can't thank my mentors and my support team enough for their help and encouragement! Here's to the next chapter!

PAAE Meeting: South Central Region

The Meeting

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to attend the PAAE South Central Region meeting. This meeting was filled with food, networking, and discussing important topics to the organization. It was great to see fellow cohort members as well as other Ag teachers in the State!

There was a wide variety of topics covered from upcoming events to committee reports to hearing what Penn State has to offer current Ag teachers in the way of support. One of the more pressing issues was learning about the organization's difficulty with their lobbyist services that sparked great discussion amongst the Ag teachers in attendance. They were able to devise a plan and hopefully resolve their issue!

Future Participation

Even though I am unsure if I will remain in Pennsylvania, attending the PAAE meeting has shown me the importance of participated with professional organizations. I look forward to joining the professional organization that is offered in the state I end up teaching in!

Student Teaching: Week 14

Science of Ag Challenge

This week, I had the opportunity to help the Blair County Science of Ag Team with their presentation at the Regional level. It is truly amazing to see hard working teens put their minds together to perform research that will better their livestock. The Blair County Team chose to conduct research on whether goldfish can keep algae and bacteria levels down in livestock feeding troughs. Their experiment was a success and they hope to continue their research for next year. They did an excellent job of presenting their project at the Regional level and I can't wait to see them compete at the State level in June!

Other Things Accomplished 

Over-all it was a slow week for Extension. In addition to helping with the Science of Ag Team, I assisted with preparations for the Blair County Livestock Show, assisted with planning for the embryology programs that will be conducted at local elementary schools, and assisted with some Huntingdon County Fair preparations.

Final Thoughts

It is hard to believe that my time with Extension is coming to an end. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to see what Extension has to offer and I look forward to making the most of my final week!

Student Teaching: Week 13

This week, I started my journey with Extension to finish out the rest of my student teaching experience.

New Surroundings 

This week was very busy for Extension. On Monday I had orientation where I discussed the cool events and projects I will assist with while interning at Extension. On Tuesday, I was asked to assist with FFA officer interviews at the Standing Stone FFA chapter on behalf of the Extension Office. Being apart of the interview process was a really great opportunity to see how another chapter selects and prepares for a new officer team. Finally, for Wednesday and Thursday I had the opportunity to attend the annual Extension Conference at the Seven Springs resort where I got to see the amazing changes for Extension as well as meet other educators from all over the state.

Team Building for Success

This past Saturday, I was able to complete my first project with Extension. I created an activity guide to help 4-H camp counselors learn easy and effective activities to facilitate with campers. I taught a work-shop on the activity guide I created along with facilitating some of the activities with incoming 4-H camp counselors at the training that was held on Saturday. Over-all my work-shop was very well-received and has added tools to the counselors' toolkits!

Final Thoughts

There is so much more to Extension than I thought there was. Even though I spent over eleven years in 4-H, I have learned so much even in the short week that I have been in Extension!

Student Teaching: Week 12

This week was bittersweet as it was my last week teaching in the classroom.

Final Week Teaching

This week by far was the toughest week I experienced student teaching. This was not due to any classroom problems but, due to the fact I would have to say goodbye to my students and to my mentor. Throughout my entire student teaching experience, I had ups and downs, highs and lows, really good days and some not so good days but I wouldn't trade my placement, my mentor, or my students for the world. I learned so much from my time student teaching that it is hard to encompass my entire experience into words. Through it all I had a huge support system and I feel that I am now prepared to enter my own classroom. 

My Last Day

My final day teaching was filled with goodbyes from my students and faculty members. Other teachers in the school gave me final pieces of advice and wished me luck as I look for my first teaching position. The senior class surprised me with a going away party complete with a cake and a hand-made present from the FFA chapter. I cannot express how much this meant to me as their kindness and thoughtfulness showed that I had positively impacted so many students' lives in the short time I had been there. As I packed up the rest of my stuff at the end of the day, I look at the sign that the students made me and realize, "It'll be alright".

Student Teacher Visit

Penns Manor High School

I was fortunate to observe Ms. Victoria Herr at her student teaching location, Penns Manor High School!

The Visit

I arrived in the morning on Friday March 8th. Ms. Herr had a busy morning planned with animal science, small gas engines, electrical wiring, and floriculture! It was fascinating to see the differences and similarities between our programs. For instance my program has a greenhouse and extensive shop area and so does Penns Manor. The difference though is that Penns Manor has two large greenhouses that they use to grow plants for a huge fundraiser that they hold every year where my program focuses heavily on shop skills and uses tractor restoration projects as part of their fundraisers! In addition to seeing the classes listed above, Ms. Herr gave me a tour of their facilities were I got to see their impressive greenhouses first-hand!

Getting In On The Fun

I had a great time during my visit at Penns Manor! I was able to talk about the topic areas that Ms. Herr and I have in common such as electrical wiring and share ideas on what works and what doesn't. I was also given the opportunity to make my own floral arrangement during her floriculture class!

Final Thoughts

I was very impressed by the Penns Manor Ag program! My visit showed me that there are many ways to teach the same content and that not every Ag program is the same! Thank you Ms. Herr and Mr. Hughes for allowing me to visit your program!

SAE: Visit 2

Entrepreneurship SAE

I had the opportunity to conduct my second  SAE visit with the Secretary of the Bellwood FFA Chapter. His Entrepreneurship SAE is raising deer and trapping. His family has been raising deer for over 15 years. He currently has one buck shown in the photo above and one doe that is currently bred. It was amazing to see the bond he has with his deer along with his dedication and passion for this project!

Conducting the Visit

I arrived at his home at 5:00 to witness his feeding routine with the deer. During this time, he gave me a tour of the property while giving me the background on how he got started with his SAE project. I had the opportunity to look over his records before my visit to see that they were all up-to-date in AET. Mr. Webreck grades his SAE's on accurate and up-to-date records and conducts visits in an informal manor. There were no suggestions given for improvement.

Final Thoughts

Over-all I was very impressed by the visit and by the student having extensive confidence and experience with his SAE. I look forward to more exciting SAE visits when I have my own program!

Student Teaching: Week 10

Student teaching Week 10, crushed it!

Getting Down to The Wire

It's crazy to think that after week 11 I will only have five teaching days left before I complete the rest of my internship at the Blair County Extension Office. Since my student teaching journey is coming to close, I have been pushing the envelope with creative teaching ideas! This week, I created a "wildlife escape room" activity for my Ag Science 1 class as a fun and interactive way for them to review content. It required a lot of prep time and ingenuity but, was well worth it when I saw how engaged my students were! This activity was a huge hit and I look forward to adapting it to different content areas in the future!

A Week in The Life of an Ag Teacher

Week 10 sure was a busy week! Between working on tractor restoration projects, making my second SAE visit, and prepping for SLLC, it made me realize just how fortunate I am to be apart of a profession that has a lot of variety!

Questions

• How do you plan/ organize for FFA conferences?
• What kind of plans do you leave for your substitute?
• What activities have you used for reviewing content?

Student Teaching: Week 9

I know its a little too early for spring, but with the beautiful warm weather today it has made me excited for more spring weather!

Taking Care of Business

I was really exciting for week 9 because I introduced a new Ag Business project for my Ag Science 2 class. It is a pretty extensive assignment where teams of two were formed and tasked with starting their own business. The assignment also includes creating a logo, print add, market survey, TV commercial, and a final sales pitch similar to Shark Tank where they have to put their skills to the test in front of  "potential" investors! I am super excited to see the final projects from this class and to see all the hard work my student's have put into the assignment!

Getting Stuff Done

In addition to having a successful week in the classroom, I was able to meet with the superintendent of Bellwood for a mock interview to gain more experience and skills for job interviews in the future. I learned so much great advice from my interview which has left me feeling prepared for the job hunt. I also had the opportunity to visit Ms. Herr at Penns Manor on Friday where I got tour their program and even make my own floral arrangement! Overall I had a very successful and busy week during week 9 of student teaching!

Questions

• Do you have any cool assignments that you really enjoy giving to students?
• How do you keep track of bellwork/ tickets out? Do you have students keep them in a folder or do you take them and grade them?

Student Teaching: Week 8

My first full week of school without any weather delays since a few weeks ago and I had to end up taking a sick day!

The Sickness

I was so excited for the week when last Monday rolled around! I had a ton of activities planned from bird species, to metal working, to IPM management, to Ag business, and electrical wiring! With a packed week, there was no time for being sick. Unfortunately , being sick left me unable to go into school on Tuesday. My fever hit so fast along with my other symptoms that it was impossible to concentrate let alone begin to think how I would handle an entire day of students in my condition. I was very fortunate to have Mr. Webreck available to take over for me while I was out!

A Good Week After All

Despite being under the weather for the rest of the week, I was still able to get everything accomplished that I needed to! I was able to introduce some new concepts in metal working and electrical wiring while finishing up current concepts in bird species, Ag business, and IPM management! Hopefully next week I will be back to normal and able to operate at full speed!

Questions

• How do you handle sick day lesson plans?
• What do you leave for your sub if this happens?
• Do you have to have all materials printed and ready for them?
• How do you handle shop classes when you are out?

Student Teaching: Week 7

Week seven has been another rollercoaster ride! With a two and a half day week during National FFA week, we were still very busy!

In Overdrive

With so many cancellations, delays, and early dismissals it has been hard to stay on track with my unit plans and lesson plans! Adaptability has been a necessity during my student teaching experience to combat these conflicts. Since I am in week seven, the urgency has struck on making sure that my other assignments apart from student teaching are being completed. It is time to kick it into overdrive to get everything done!

National FFA week

Even though we had some set-backs this week with our activities, we were still able to get a lot accomplished! We had teacher appreciation breakfast on Tuesday, FFA trivia and meeting on Thursday, and Chapter breakfast and Middle School recruitment on Friday! The chapter officers and members did a great job of planning and executing all the activities! 

Questions 

• How do you instill the importance of being a leader in younger members?
• How do you combat immaturity?
• When dealing with weather set-backs, do you cram in as much information as you can or do you select which information is most important even if it means leaving out content you had planned for?

Science Teacher Observation

I had the opportunity to observe the AP Physics teacher at Bellwood-Antis High School! Mrs. Flarend was a fun and experienced teacher to observe!

Observation

The day I visited, Mrs. Flarend was going over an in-class assignment that her students had been working on the day prior with a substitute teacher while she was out. The objectives of the lesson were defining energy, analyzing how energy works. The entire class was very engaged in the lesson especially when Mrs. Flarend asked discussion questions with the class. The most effective methods for achieving the objectives were using questions to get the students to think about their every day lives and what kind of energy they experience. She also used their previous assignment to make connections to the current discussion of energy. I believe that the teacher was facilitating learning because she focused the students on topic and encouraged them to think in their own way about the solutions to her questions during the lesson.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed my time observing Mrs. Flarend's class! I feel that she did an exceptional job with clarity, enthusiasm, and with-it-ness. I hope to implement her way of asking deep-level thinking questions into my own lessons!

ACES: 2019

I had the opportunity to attend my first ACES conference with seven members from the Bellwood-Antis FFA Chapter! I assisted in the selection process of choosing seven freshmen to attend with Mr. Webreck and I. While the conference is only a day and a half, I learned some valuable tips as a future teacher.

1. Do not assume students know how to pay their own bill and tip at a restaurant 
2. Encourage students to have fun, but remind them that they are ambassadors for the chapter
3. It is okay to get in on the fun, especially during "embarrass the teacher" because your students will forever remember how relatable you were
4. Communication is key, especially with all of your students and parents
5. Be prepared to fix unexpected problems
6. Finally, enjoy the food because it was delicious!

Studnet Teaching: Week 6

This week, I started teaching a full load of classes. Even though the week was cut short due to a cancellation, a two hour delay, and an in-service day, teaching seven classes a day has been an adjustment! 

Good but, Crazy Week

Due to the snow and ice, my week was only two and a half days of teaching. Even though it was my first week taking over all the class periods, I had so much fun getting to meet new students and to start teaching new topic areas! Sure it was a stressful week, but by planning ahead I was able to stay on top of things and was able to plan a fun floral arrangement project on Valentine's Day with the senior class!

Looking Ahead

I can't believe that week six has come and gone already! My student teaching internship is truly flying by! There have been many ups and downs so far and no doubt there will be more before my student teaching is over. Despite the ups and downs, I have truly developed a passion for wanting to see students succeed and to see them get excited about agriculture! I can't wait to see what the remaining weeks bring!

Advice Wanted

• How did you juggle looking for jobs while maintaining your responsibilities as a student teacher?
• What is the most effective method you have found for organization?
• Do you have any tips for creating fun interest approaches?

SAE : Visit 1

Placement SAE

I had the opportunity to conduct an SAE visit with the President of the Bellwood FFA Chapter. Her placement SAE is at a Percheron Farm where she works 4-5 times a week. She has been working at the Percheron Farm for two years.

Conducting the Visit

Arrived at the farm at 6:00pm for when the shift started for the evening. I was introduced to the owner of the farm and was able to ask him some questions about how the placement was working out. The student then took me on a tour of the facility while detailing her responsibilities and tasks that she completes for every shift. Over-all I was very impressed by the visit and by the student having extensive confidence and experience with her SAE.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this SAE visit not only because of the atmosphere and the student but also because I love horses and have been an equine owner for many years. I look forward to more exciting SAE visits!

Student Teaching: Week 4

Finding My Stride

This week was another rollercoaster with early dismissals, cancelations, and a bad shop incident. Despite all of these events, I really feel that I have started to find my stride. I was able to teach the classes I currently have for than just one day this week which allowed me to make clear connections between the content topics while also doing fun, interactive activities! My proudest moment from this week was getting to see my Ag Mechanics 1 students put their skills to the test by setting up and shutting down the oxyfuel equipment properly!

Adapting at the Last Minute 

On Friday, we experienced a scary accident in the shop area. Brake fumes from the tractor restoration project caught a trash can on fire and caused minor burns on Mr. Webreck. Fortunately, no students were harmed and the trash can was the only piece of equipment in the shop that got ruined. Due to the incident, Mr. Webreck had to go to med express which left me to handle fifth and sixth period by myself. Fortunately Mr. Webreck is okay with sustaining only minor burns.

Advice Needed!

• I have a large class of 27 freshmen for Ag Science 1. Every time I try to do something that is different from a PowerPoint and a guided note sheet they lose control of themselves. I want to continue to add variety to my class but it feels like it takes forever to even setup the activity to where everyone is on the same page and following directions in order for the activity to have learning value. How would you handle this situation?

Student Teaching: Week Three

This week was wild from start to finish. With having MLK Day off, to having my first 2-hour delay, to having a visit from the State FFA Officers, to my first school cancellation, this week was one wild ride!

Learning to Adapt

As I mentioned above, my week did not go as planned. Due to the 2-hour delay and the school cancellation, I was only able to teach for one day this week. Right now I have only taken over two classes and due to other scheduled things and surprise plans by the weather, I have only been able to teach for three days since the start of my internship. This has caused me to adapt and overcome the many challenges I have faced so far.

How Do You Know if Things are Working?

Since I have not had many days teaching in front of my two classes, I am struggling to figure out if things are actually going well, or if the students are still warming up to me. Classroom management isn't an issue but I wonder if students are actually enjoying the content I am teaching? Everyone stays on task and participates in class but I can't help but feel that things just aren't jiving as well as they could be. My cooperating teacher has been supportive of how things are going and we are able to talk about certain things that have flopped but also things that have gone really well but I can't seem to shake this feeling that things should be better between me, my lessons, and the students.

Advice Wanted!

I would greatly appreciate words of wisdom to help answer the questions below!

• Should I continue my plans and see if this week gets better?
• What should I change to help overcome this issue?
• Am I just over thinking things?
• Is this a common feeling when student teaching?
• Should I be this worried about what my students think of me?

Student Teachng: Week 2

This week was quite busy with many exciting things happening. I chose to title this blog post with "more questions than answers" because I feel that this week has brought about questions that I am searching to find the answers to.

First Exciting Thing 

I started teaching my first class, Ag Science 1 which mainly consists of freshmen. On my first day teaching, I chose to do a bunch of ice-breaker activities to let the students warm up to me before going straight into content. The students seemed to really enjoy the activities I had planned and over-all I feel that starting fun activities was the way to start off before going straight for content.The next exciting thing that occurred this week was getting to go over welding safety with Ag Mechanics 1 & 3. I only had a few minutes to teach this as both sections are still finishing their current projects before we fully kick off into welding!

Second Exciting Thing

The second new thing I got to experience was attending my first in-service day. I participated the entire day in the professional development that the school selected to focus on. It was fascinating to hear the views on education from all the other teachers employed at the school. One of the biggest topics discussed was teacher centered vs. student centered learning. This sparked many deep conversations amongst the teachers and myself. Even though I enjoyed my first in-service day, I couldn't help but feel that I was left with more questions than answers.

Burning Thoughts

This week I have been evaluating myself based on my lessons and my performance in front of the classroom. I am constantly over analyzing things and I feel that that was definitely the case for this past week. Below I have shared some of my most burning questions that have been playing in my mind throughout the week. As I continue my student teaching journey, I hope to find the answers to these questions.

•  With so many different techniques, theories, and activities out there, how do you know what to implement and what to leave out? 
• Should you try as many different things as you can? 
• Can there be such a thing as too much variety within a lesson? 
• How do you make sure that things are cohesive for the students?  
• The most important question that I find myself struggling with is, how do you find your teaching identity?
• Should you change your teaching style based on the new education fad out there?

Mid-Winter Convention

For the first time, I was given the opportunity to attend the Pennsylvania Farm Show and Mid-Winter Convention! I attended with my Cooperating school, Bellwood-Antis High School with Mr. Webreck and 30 eager students. I got to experience the Farm Show first by trying potato donuts and the famous Farm Show Milkshake! It was fascinating to see the many exhibits and to watch the animals being shown at such a large scale.

While at Mid-Winter Convention, I was able to witness six Bellwood FFA members receive their Keystone Degrees. It was truly a rewarding experience to see so many students receive recognition for their hard work. I hope to be able to witness my own students experience Mid-Winter Convention and receive recognition for their efforts.

Bellwood FFA also had three students receive their jackets. It was indescribable to see so many students be officially inducted with the coveted blue corduroy jackets!

Attending Farm Show and Mid-Winter Convention is an experience I will never forget. I was fortunate enough to see the experience through a teacher's eyes and learned a very valuable lesson. Set up expectations for students before you leave the school, make sure you give them something to hold them accountable for their learning such as a fun and short assignment to complete while at the event, and most importantly, make sure you have the correct contact information for all students before embarking, just in case someone gets lost!

Student Teaching: Week One

My first week at Bellwood-Antis flew by very quickly. I started my week off by attending my first ever Farm Show and Mid-Winter Convention. I was given the opportunity to witness six Bellwood FFA members receive their Keystone Degrees and three members receive their jackets!

My first day at the school was spent meeting faculty members and getting acquainted with my space within the classroom and the shop. During my observations, I was able to get a sense of the students and get to see dome really cool projects that they are working on!

My high-light for the week was learning about the tractor restoration project that is underway by two seniors. I was able to ask questions and inquire about the project such as how the project started, what work had to be done to the tractor, and what the final plans are for it once it is finished.

Over-all my week was packed with getting to know faculty and students. I was able to learn a lot about the school and the agriculture program just in the few days that I have been there. I am looking forward to continue to learn and grow as a person and an educator in the next coming weeks!