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| My bulletin board in the Ag room. |
I wasn't quite sure how to start this blog. There are so many things that I could write about. So many memories, stress, growth, and experiences that I could write about. There is an overwhelming feeling of pride in myself for having completed student teaching after having pushed it back for 1 year. Looking back to a year and a half ago, I think I lost a lot of faith in myself after not going on to student teach when I was supposed to. I think I doubted myself and my ability after what I saw as an insurmountable failure. I might equate the feeling to looking at a looming mountain that I had created and wondering how and if I was ever really going to climb it fully. Now, having reached the peak of that insurmountable, looming, cliff I feel relief, pride, sadness, happiness, joy, and surprise.
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| Teaching and leading Milk Quality CDE practice! |
During the internship, I learned so much about myself as a person, so much about what it means to be a teacher of agriculture, and so much about work ethic, perseverance, joy, and rest. I learned that agriculture in super fun to teach and that there are usually always plenty of opportunities to do hands on activities in the class. I learned that being an Ag teacher or a teacher in general becomes a mindset. As student teaching progressed, thoughts of my classes, students, and lessons were pervasive and consumed my thoughts. It was infuriating at first because I felt that I could not escape all of the work that I had to do, but it became habit and a joy as the internship went on. I learned and reaffirmed that my students and people will always be more important than the content I am teaching. If I can affect even one student for good on any day in the classroom, then my work is not for naught. As a teacher and future international extension agent, I never want to put the problem, situation, or content that I am teaching over my understanding of and care for the people I am teaching. I learned that I need to grow in confidence, that classroom management is just as important as teaching itself, and that clear directions aren't as easy give and say as I thought.
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| My corsage at the Manor FFA banquet. |
I spent countless late nights planning and making materials for the next day or next few days. I lost too many hours of sleep, lost too much rest and ease from stress and lack of any free time, but despite how much I lost, I have gained so much more! Just as a hiker grows stronger after summiting the mountain, I have grown stronger through this internship. I grew in joy, perseverance, confidence, kindness, understanding, and perspective. I got to impact students for good for 15 weeks. I taught them about math, careers, SAE, FFA, agriculture, literature, plants, soil, insects, welding, and engines. But I also taught them respect, kindness, grace, confidence, perseverance, to push past what they think their limits are, and be better people.
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| Me and my Intro to AFNR class on my last day. |
On the last day of my student teaching, my Intro to AFNR class held a party for me as a surprise! They had cookies and teas, but the most meaningful thing they did as a class was that each student wrote a note to me in the form of a printed email. They had me sit in the front of the class while they read them off. Many of them talked about my passion for agriculture and my positivity in the class every day, but so many more talked about my kindness, being slow to get annoyed, and respect for them even when they were undeserving of it of knew it. No matter what grade I get from Penn State, I know that I have made even a small difference in each of my students lives and that has made this experience wholly worthwhile.
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Me practicing my welding for starting to
teach welding in Intro to Ag Mech. |
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My desk at Penn Manor cleared and cleaned out
on my last day.
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All of the Ag teachers at the Manor FFA
Banquet. |
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