Experiencing the Week as a Student: Student Teaching ATHENS Style

"Wait... we still have school this week!"With school only Monday-Wednesday, this week was a short but VERY Busy one! The students were certainly not pleased to have school before the break, but don't worry, I made sure to remind them that we are so lucky to have an extended break! With only one snow day under our belt, we got two extra days off for Easter! WOOT WOOT!

This three day week (well four for teachers) was a doozy though! Between some visits, CDEs, and pesticide exams, I actually experienced much of this week as a student myself, and really learned a lot. I was also very purposeful this week of learning about students' assignments in other classes. This recognition of the work and stress of having many assignments due at once helped me to understand my students better. There were also many plans that didn't really work out (visits with professors and online meetings being rescheduled) so this was a helpful reminder to recognize that plans are good, but they change, and that is alright. All in all, it was a great week!

Monday: Crazy day! Prepared for the public speaking even on Tuesday, finalized sub plans, had several students make up exams, and got to work more in the shop. We also had Mr. Madden from PSU Pesticide Education come help us to learn more about the pesticide certification process. It was different sitting back and being the student for a change as Mr. Madden gave us hints and helped us study for the exam!

Crossing over to the other side of the desk #StudentStatus

I also felt the stress of preparing for the exam which we took on Thursday! Nervous!!!

I then finalized the substitute plans for Tuesday and Mr. Steinfelt and I went to the Athens FFA Alumni Meeting Monday night. While there were only about five other people, it was a very enjoyable night, and I am very encouraged by the passion and enthusiasm that the Alumni has!

 Tuesday was the Bradford County CDE day! We took 23 students to Canton Area HS to compete in Jr. and Sr. Prepared Public Speaking, Creed, Extemporaneous, and Tractor Driving. The night before I was a WRECK! I was reciting the creed in my mind, revisiting the students speech manuscripts etc. I was really thinking about the students and how nervous they must have felt! I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I has worked with all 23 of these students. From reading their manuscript several times to practicing during tutorial and after school. etc. I was able to help with the Tractor Driving Competition with Mr. Steinfelt and Mr. Shanbacher from Troy. It was an awesome experience.



Hess's Farm Equipment generously let us use their new equipment! The boys were very excited!

I learned a lot about the competition by judging and keeping the score.

We had two students from Athens compete!

Athens FFA did very well at the event! We had students place first in every public speaking division except Junior Prepared! In fact, we had the top three in Creed, and so we have six students total moving on to the regional competition. Mr. Steinfelt was extremely excited about this, and we treated the students to a delicious treat on the way back. The most important thing, we told them, was not to get first but to do the best they possibly could! Anyone who leaves this competition having given it their 100% effort is a winner! I am SO incredibly proud of our students!

I Scream You Scream We all Scream for Ice Cream!

Was very excited to treat our students after a day of hard work!

Wednesday was a busy day of finalizing items (the end of the marking period) and review items that the students had accomplished with the substitute. I was upset to find that while we had a very pleasant and encouraging day at the competition, two of my class periods gave the substitute a very hard time. Needless to say, our substitute will be receiving apology notes the next time we see her!
We also got 1,800 plants for the Greenhouse! That's a lot of plants! They arrived at noon (after Horticulture of course!!) but with the long weekend ahead we had All Hands on Deck!!!

The Ag Mechanics Class was surprised to be working in the Greenhouse!

All hands on deck to help! Students came to help during study hall! We have dedicated students!

We got flowers and peppers!

Wednesday night, I was able to study a bit for the Pesticide Certification exam, and I visited some students' SAE project!

Thursday it was finally time for the exam! Mr. Steinfelt, three students and I went to the Extension Office to take our respective Pesticide Applicators License! This was another instance where I was able to connect with the students, being nervous and anxiously awaiting the exam!

This week was certainly unique. Experiences as a student helped me to be more conscious of my students and their work load at the end of the marking period. I also was able to celebrate successes with my students for attending and participating at the Public Speaking Events!

I am learning so much everyday! This experience is helping me to see the total Ag Program, as well as the many hats that ag teachers wear. From getting certified to acting as a mentor and Ag Advisor, ag teachers have a lot of different roles! I am feeling so blessed to be in a program that wholeheartedly sees all of these responsibilities, and ultimately always puts the students first.

Thanks for reading!
Sb

SAE Visit... 3 in 1! Now We're Talking!

On Wednesday 3/23 I has the privilege of going to the Walters' farm to visit H, W and Y!

H had been asking me for two weeks to come visit and help with chores, so I was very excited to find a time that worked for both of us! Mr. Steinfelt and I had already been to their farm to pick up the boys for Dairy judging last weekend, so luckiliy I knew where the farm was. Located just feet from the New York Line, you can see the "Thanks for Visiting Pennsylvania" sign from their barn! #NorthernTier is right! As I prepared for the visit, I discussed their SAEs briefly with Mr. Steinfelt and looked a little bit at their AET records. I also thought of questions I wanted to ask!



This is A, a friend of the Walters' who often comes to help out! They LOVE Linebacks!

So... contestant number 1 is H! H is a junior at Athens and she works on her family's farm. Her responsibilities include setting up the milking parlor, milking their 32 cows, cleaning up the milker system, feeding the cows, and cleaning the stalls. H is taking SAE/FFA Leadership and is very involved in chapter activities. She updates her AET weekly, and said that she likes seeing the financial records. Her goals in the future are to have a more active role in other parts of their operation, and to one day take over the farm!

Recommendations I gave to H were to include the growth in her SAE. Explain on AET how her responsibilities have changed over time and that she has grown a lot through her project. I also recommended that she add variety to her journal entries by adding info on the ducks and other little special projects that she has.



H's goal is to one day take over the farm!

H is explaining to S their milkers. S also comes from a Dairy and loves to visit.

 W and Y, who are twins in 9th grade are also very active in the Ag Program!



Y and W are standing by the chickens.

W is in charge of feeding the cows and heifers hay, and he helps to feed the calves. W is also hoping to start his own Greenhouse and recently bought some supplies from Tractor Supply! He is currently taking Horticulture and Introduction to Agriculture. W's goals are to make a profit on his vegetables, and to help his family save money by growing cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, and possibly pumpkins. I encouraged W to take many pictures and to keep track of the Greenhouse project as it starts "taking root!" He is excited for the prospects, and I told him to make sure he enters everything so that he can closely monitor his finances!

CALVES are the best! Awesome to see the new genetics of the herd. L is another student from Athens, she works at the Walters' farm and enjoys learning about dairy.

His brother, Y is in charge of feeding the calves and also has chickens that he takes care of. He has 13 hens and is looking forward to expanding in the future. He currently sells eggs to family and hopes to sell more in the future. Y is taking Introduction to Agriculture this year and is looking forward to taking more ag classes in the future. His goals are to make more money and expand his flock. Y also wants to grow pumpkins to sell in the fall. I told Y to keep up the good work and to make sure that he maintains his AET records every week!




Here are Y's chickens, he is very excited to expand in the future.

H recently got interested in ducks, so they have some ducks and A, one of their friends is also keeping her ducks at the Walters' farm.



Little Ducks! They are still in their cute and fuzzy stage!

Both W and Y are on the Dairy Judging Team and recently competed in the Creed Speaking. H wrote a senior prepared speech on standard operating procedures on diary farms and presented the speech to her class. I am so proud of these hard working siblings.

So that was great! I was able to visit three SAEs in one night, and then I was able to help out with chores and talk to several of my students in a different context. It was an enjoyable experience for all!

Best
Sarabeth 

Gotta Love that LIGHT BULB Moment... Student Teaching ATHENS Style

WOW, what a week!

This week was incredible, as we geared up for our public speaking even (which is this upcoming Tuesday) life just came at me really fast!

Monday: Awesome day in the shop with my Ag Mech 1 Classes, working on plumbing and electrical wiring. Mr. Clark and Mr. Mosher (the Principal and Vice Principal also came and watched some of my students give their speeches during 8th period, so that certainly added to the intensity of the class! We also had a visit from an extension agent from Penn State after school to help Mr. Steinfelt and I make the Greenhouse up to code for an upcoming USDA inspection. We found out that since the school sells flowers out of the Greenhouse, we need a permit, and are therefore able to be USDA inspected... Intense Right!

Getting our Greenhouse up to par for USDA inspection includes posters on pesticide safety. This goes right along with our curriculum in the Horticulture Class.

We also completed some routine maintenance for the Hydroponics System... PLUMBING PRACTICE for me!

Tuesday we continued working diligently in classes to catch up. Next week marks the end of the marking period, and I unfortunately am running way behind where Mr. Steinfelt would normally be at this time... whoops! I was also really excited to be able to work with some students on their speeches after school. That evening Mr. Steinfelt and I also took two students to the Bradford County FFA Meeting. As officers on the county team, these two students are extremely dedicated the organization, and we worked on planning the County FFA Banquet.

Bradford County is beautiful!

Bradford County FFA Officers meeting!

Wednesday I was able to try a new technology, Kahoot in my Horticulture class, and it was great! We also have most of the students in our Ag Mech 2 class completely done with OSHA training! Thus we were able to work on some lawn mower maintenance!


This mower actually belongs to  two students who have their own lawn care business! Incredible right!?

Thursday and Friday we continued working hard to get projects and items done before the end of the Marking Period AND Easter Break! From working in the Greenhouse to practicing speeches, it was a busy week. We also have big plans for the weekend by helping to park cars at a local Maple Sugar day! More details to follow in the next blog!



Have to remove those suckers on the Tomato Plants!

And finally, for my HIGHLIGHTS of the week! I am absolutely loving my Ag Mech I class! It was so exciting to see that LIGHTBULB MOMENT literally and physically. Seeing students out in the shop, learning by doing is extremely rewarding. Not only were students able to see the labor of their work through a working light bulb, but I saw many students looking at their electrical wiring diagrams and notes with a new perspective! "This makes so much sense" was said a lot this week!

 

I live for this. For the Light bulb moment when students get it.

TAH DAHHHH It works, it all makes sense now!

 We have a busy, albeit short, week ahead! Looking forward to having even more light bulb moments!

That's all for now!
Best

Sarabeth

Conferences and Field Trips GALORE... Student Teaching ATHENS Style

Wow, hard to believe that yet another week is done and over!

Sunday through Tuesday consisted of the State Legislative Leadership Conference. This busy, hectic, rewarding, fun, and community service filled event was incredible! It was so interesting experiencing this conference from the "other side" as an FFA Advisor! You can read more about this experiences here --> #SLLC2016

Here are some highlights from the trip in pictures


We completed community service by helping with some "Spring Cleaning" at the New Kingstown Fire Company!



We visited the Capital and were able to meet and greet with some of our legislators!

We rounded off the trip with a visit to the Royer Farm in Lancaster!

 

Then it was back to the real world on Wednesday back in the classroom! I was excited to integrate some fresh TMR from my family's farm into the animal feed/nutrition unit I am teaching in Introduction to Agriculture. We were also able to go out into the Shop for both Electrical Wiring and Plumbing! WOHOOO! I also realized how much work it is to come back to the classroom after having a sub for two days! Luckily, I only had a few notes from the sub, and they were mostly minor things!

Students starting their Plumbing Square Project!

Wednesday was our Strawberry delivery, so I was excited to see this process since I have been able to help with the fundraiser since day one. The delivery was about an hour late, but it all worked out because the students were then able to help us unload the strawberries... and let me tell you, strawberries for DAYS!

Strawberry Delivery!

After a close inspection, we determined they looked DELICIOUS!

Hard to work and concentrate with all these fresh strawberries in the shop!

Then Thursday was actually ANOTHER field trip for me! I was very lucky to be able to go to the Cargill Plant in Wyalusing, PA. This plant harvests beef cattle and culled dairy cows. I went on the trip with Dr. Banic, who teaches Biology, Animal Science, Veterinary Science, and Anatomy and Physiology. It was different working with another teacher, and being in charge of some students that I don't even have in class. However, I enjoyed the trip and learned a lot during our tour. I am happy to say that none of the students passed out or got sick, and I would call that a success at a meat processing facility. We were unable to take any pictures at the facility, but I was very impressed with the tour, and also how our students conducted themselves throughout the entire day!

Beef... It's what's for dinner!

 Then Friday consisted of just trying to catch up from such a long, dynamic, and irregular week. I was also able to experience my first fire drill with the students!

BIG TAKEAWAYS:
- Leaving the classroom for trips is tough... I need to leave very clear instructions for the STUDENTS and SUB! Mr. Steinfelt had an awesome suggestion to write out everything that was due to me on Wednesday on the board. That way, on Weds when we got back, if students did not have their work completed it was very simple. The sub gave you instructions, your handout has the due date on it, AND it was written right on the board when items were due. Sweet and Simple!

- Strawberries are delicious

- Strawberries are delicate, need to make sure everyone picks them up the night they arrive

- Don't take students to Wendy's after visiting a Cargill Plant (for the record, this was NOT my idea!)

Thanks for reading, it was a GREAT week!
Best

- Sb

#SLLC2016

The State Legislative Leadership Conference (otherwise known as SLLC) is an eye-opening experience for students! FFA members from all over the state come to Harrisburg to learn more about the legislative process. From using parliamentary procedure, to learning how a bill is made and passed, to reading real bills in the House of Senate of Pennsylvania, this three day conference is not for the lighthearted! Students are working the whole three days to learn, meet new people, serve the community, and also have fun.

We were able to bring 6 very sweet, hard working Athens students to the conference!

SLLC was personally my favorite conference as a High School student so I was very excited to attend as an advisor. It was very interesting to grade proficiencies with other agriculture educators across the state! I now have a better understanding of the rigor and high expectations for state proficiency awards for SAE's. In teacher workshops I was also able to engage in an Edu Camp with other teachers from across the Commonwealth. It was really nice to be able to get advice and talk about current issues in education with many other teachers and FFA Advisors.

We were able to as a group decide which issues or questions to discuss about!

The students were also able to engage in community service at SLLC on Monday afternoon. We were excited to be at the New Kingstown Fire Company to help with some Spring Cleaning! We were also able to "oooo and ahhhh" at the fire-trucks and other equipment the company had. It was very good to see the students working together to help the community, and I was proud of their hard work and efforts.

We were able to learn more about the Fire Company while also serving them!

SO MANY WINDOWS... rinse, scrub, wash off, and REPEAT

As a firefighter himself, Mr. Steinfelt was in his element!

It was rewarding to be able to get outside and give back!

Our conference T-Shirts matched the Fire Trucks!

Tuesday morning included a breakfast with our legislators, and the chance to tour the capital building. Many of the students from Athens had never visited the Capital before, so it was rewarding to see their faces and reactions as we walked through the gorgeous building.

It was an early morning, but we were excited for the chance to meet and greet with our legislators!

The Capital Building is beautiful, and we were lucky to have such nice weather!

Finally, we rounded off the trip with the 20 minute drive to my own family's farm. I was so excited for my father and older sister to be able to meet Mr. Steinfelt, my cooperating teacher, as well as six of my students. It was nice to be able to share a little bit of my life and home with these students and my cooperating teacher, who mean so much to me!

Papa Royer was so excited to share the farm with our students!

What a wonderful trip, I will certainly cherish the memories!

#SLLC2016 was a hit!

Thanks for reading
- Sarabeth

She's Got THE LOOK: Student Teaching ATHENS Style

We wrapped up National FFA Week last weekend with a group of students at Tractor Supply Company! With a group students on hand willing to talk to customers and help wherever possible, and a display of the Athens FFA, we had a great time at TSC raising money for the Grants for Growing Program. We were all excited to arrive at school on Monday to see that the Athens FFA made it onto the "Hall of Fame" near the Library! #Winning!

 

 

This week was interesting. I was challenged in different ways. From high energy boys who really just wanted to be in the Shop instead of learning Electrical Wiring Diagrams to students who simply refused to listen, this week I think that I grew from classroom management. After one class today I heard one of the students say "Did you see Ms. Royer's face, she was REALLY mad at him!" I had to try really hard not to laugh... THE LOOK totally worked. I silently thanked my mother for teaching me... THE LOOK.

 

This week also stretched me in my knowledge of Ag Mechanics. From drawing and explaining a Single Pole Switch (with only ONE colored marker!) to teaching a lesson on soldering, I am probably just as excited as my students to get into the shop to start their projects. Anxious, but mostly excited to start the Plumbing Square and electrical circuits.

 

It's time to SOLDER!... "Yes let's work with fire" the students say!

Drawing an electrical diagram with one color... not so easy!
HOW DOES IT LOOK DR. EWING?



This past week also marked our halfway point for student teaching, and I cannot believe how fast everything is going! Mr. Steinfelt and I were focusing so much on FFA Week Celebrations and the Grants for Growing Application, that I hadn't realized how busy March would really be. From FFA Speeches, to Pesticide Applicators Exams and deadlines, we are in for a doozy.

My FFA/SAE Leadership class is working hard on their FFA Speeches. Apparently they
were really torn about only putting one teachers' name on the cover page for their speeches.

Next week will be even more crazy, and my poor Ag Mech I classes STILL won't get into the Shop until Wednesday because SLLC (the State Legislative Leadership Conference) is this Sunday-Tuesday... sorry kiddos! Then Thursday we are going to visit Cargil with the Animal Science class taught by Dr. Banic. Sub-plans for days!

Sub plans are very time consuming... so is cleaning the desk for said sub plans!

All in all, it was a good, solid week. I had some really good "life-chats" with Mr. Steinfelt about Ag Mechanics and Lesson Planning. I also had a surprise "walk through" visit and observation by our Vice Principal, Mr. Mosher. Finally, I had good practice with my classroom management skills.

Don't get me wrong, this is really hard, but some days these kids just remind me why I wanted to do this.

Me: "What's up how are you doing today?"
Student: "Super tired, not having a good day."
Me: "I'm so sorry, did something specific happen to make you upset."
Student: "It's alright, I'm in Ag Class now"

Me... Heart melting. This is why we do this.

Hope y'all had a good week!
-Sb