It's getting HOT IN HERE

Happy National FFA Week

 

Week 7 Overview

This week was an exciting yet busy week. With national FFA week responsibilities and picking up a full course load, I definitely started feeling the pressure navigating this week. Even so, I found myself having a lot of fun both inside and out of the classroom.

National FFA Week

Looking EXTRA drippy for Dairy Day

This was my first ever Nation FFA Week! Monday we had no school, Tuesday was Dairy day, Wednesday was Workwear Wednesday, Thursday was Tractor day, and Friday was Flannel Friday. While we didn't get the student participation in these spirit themes, it was fun to dress up to show how excited the Ag department was for National FFA week. We had the Dairy princess (Rachel) doing trivia during lunch on dairy day and handing out prizes. The students seemed to enjoy this, especially nontraditional Ag students. I also had give a few trivia questions in my fourth block class, which obviously added to the chaos but was fun regardless. Monday we also were able to have dinner and a workshop with a national officer. No teachers were in the workshops with students but I found the officer's speech insightful and heard good things from students. They were super excited and acted as if they'd just met an A list celebrity.  Wednesday I suited up in my favorite barn clothes for workwear Wednesday. Truthfully, I felt like a total bum but I had a bunch of students who seemed excited I participated so it was definitely worth it. Thursday I wore green to support John Deere. The FFA students also served ice cream to teachers at lunch. I particularly loved this idea. While yes, I'll never turn down ice cream, I loved this event because truthfully it was a great chance for the Ag department to "pay it back" to the teachers. Students missing class for FFA events can definitely be a frustrating thing for teachers so doing something as simple as serving them ice cream goes a long way. Friday, I was unexpectedly absent from school (which I will talk about later) and unfortunately missed the day I was most excited for, Flannel Friday. The FFA chapter also cooked and served breakfast for all members which was a BUMMER to miss. 

Ag Processing

This week I picked up my Ag Processing class. Truthfully, I have found myself pretty flustered when it comes to this class. My two major issues are planning and accommodation. While I feel confident I can work to overcome these challenges, I still find myself nervous tackling them. Overall, this group is super easy going and engaged in the classroom. With only 14 students, 3 teacher aids, Mrs.Anderson and myself the class takes on a very laid back/casual vibe. Everyone works well together and I have already been able to develop relationships with students through side conversations as they work.

Planning

While it's no surprise, I have to be more prepared for this than my other classes. This class is largely lab based so I HAVE to be on topic of my lesson planning so I can easily acquire materials. Mrs. Anderson usually picks up materials for me so, I have to have a better understanding of the materials I need rather than asking her to visit Giant 5x a week. I might be able to get away with last minute planning occasionally in other classes but I am quickly realizing that simply won't fly in this class.

Accommodation

The most exciting yet terrifying aspect of this class for me is the varying levels in this class. I have one student who I am constantly thinking of ways to challenge on the other hand I have a handful of life skills students (hence all the classroom help) that I also need to challenge. What I am finding in this class is that I'm not making accommodations to my lessons but rather having the lesson itself be the accommodation. In other words, I am doing my best to plan lessons that met students where they are and challenge them from there. Given that this class is lab based, that's been much easier than I imagine it would be in other classes. Additionally, the aids are EXTREMLY helpful in assisting students. Basically, I try to explain everything to the aids and they adapt things for individual students

Intro to Ag

Intro to Ag is and always will be my baby. I have found myself really loving the content, my students, and the overall environment. This class has helped me grow so much as an individual and a teacher; making me feel extremely grateful for this group. As I wrap up week 7, I feel pretty close with these students and unapologetically would take a bullet for each of them. While I have a few students who struggle to focus (phones and talking), they are always compliant when I encourage them to focus. This week we were working on public speaking which is a topic many of them are uncomfortable with. While not every speech was perfect, I truly felt like they all gave me what they could. Public speaking was a leap of faith and trust for many of these students and I felt they did a really nice job pushing themselves and encouraging each other.

Ag Ecology

This class continues to challenge me but I do feel like I am making progress when it comes to working with these students. I think the biggest thing that has helped me with this class is being as variable as possible. Keeping students on their toes helps to mitigate some of the behavior struggles because they're always wondering what's going to happen next, not literally wondering the classroom. Further, I have discovered that compromise is important in this class. I try to meet students halfway rather than forcing them to behave certain ways. Over time, I plan to push them a bit more to eventually get them where I'd like.

Major Lesson

I think my major lesson this week was that its okay to ask for help (also that I'm incredibly lucky to have Mrs. Anderson). I'm starting to enter the point in student teaching where I don't have all my lesson plans completely ready to go which is overwhelming. Wednesday in particular, I had an especially rough day. Mrs. Anderson was extremely helpful in getting me through the day. Her encouragement and help allowed me to take the evening to refocus myself and come back Thursday swinging. Thursday, I felt like a completely different teacher and was much more confident in my teaching. Overall, it can be had to ask for help but ultimately help is what got me through the day and encouraged me to look forward to the next.