Expect the Unexpected When You Provide Your Expectations (WW#10)

"People are molded more by the depth of your convictions  or expectations  than by the height of your intelligences. Success involves converting people, not to your way of knowing, but to your way of feeling. People can refuse words, but they cannot refuse an attitude or an expectation. Give your students more than they expect, and you will get back more than you ever expected."

I love this expert from our reading, which focuses on expectations and how important they are in the classroom. After reading this I am constantly reminded of my cooperating center which I taught at yesterday. I feel that many of these students need higher and positive expectations for themselves. I feel that they need someone encouraging to say "you WILL succeed" and then follow up with that motivation to help them be successful. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't see that happening; however, it gave me a new found challenge to be that encouraging someone.

I believe these positive expectations can and should start on day one. Like the reading mentioned, that first day is crucial for all students. I challenge myself to think outside of the box when planning my first day of school. I know that almost every teacher reads over the syllabus and explains their grading system. First, why is the grading system a student's main concern on the first day? I understand that they want an A and they want to know how to get that good grade, but by making that a main priority on the first day I feel puts that letter grade above all else. What about the exciting experiments or activities that you have planned that will enable your students gain a skill? What if you did an experiment the first day to introduce what your class is all about? I think we should focus on the opportunities that students will be exposed to in our classroom in order to get them excited about a class rather than the letter grade they can earn. A student can earn an A in every class but they will not have the opportunity to raise an animal, experiment with the digestive system, or work in a greenhouse (just a few examples of an Ag classroom!) in any other classroom but yours. What makes your class unique for students that will get them excited for the rest of the semester?

Although I challenge myself to make the first day of school an exciting one, it is also crucial to establish your classroom expectations, rules and consequences. These might not always be the most fun for students; however, it's important that students understand their boundaries and know that you are serious about your rules. If these aspects of your classroom are not covered in detail, you run the risk of having students walking all over you and having to correct disruptive behavior frequently. As a beginning teacher, this worries me. I know that if I can install my expectations, rules and consequences into my classroom from the first day, there will be a better understanding between me and them and this will most definitely help my classroom management. 

I will admit that I am a bit nervous to jump into the classroom and be my eccentric self because this is not something the students are used to. I have exciting new strategies to try and I am not sure how well they will be received; however, I have learned more than anything that it is not about me, rather it is about my students. If I have to be goofy and eccentric to get them engaged in a lesson then I will because that also means that they are learning! Give your students more than they expect, and you will get back more than you ever expected. I think this is most definitely true, but we as teachers need to take that first step and give students more than they expect. Then we will reap greater rewards from our students.

It's Knowledge for Life!

Today I went to my cooperating school to teach my life knowledge lesson. The life knowledge lesson I chose focused on defining career success. The class consisted of 14 girls who had just started learning about Parli Pro. Although a life knowledge lesson that focused on leadership and career success, I thought there were many aspects of Parli Pro that I could incorporate into this lesson as well. For this reason I choose teach about what it means to be successful in a career.

I must say, I was a bit worried about the lesson today. It was a daunting day, as my cooperating teacher informed me that two students passed away over the weekend. This worried me because I tend to be a very outgoing person and teacher, and in situations such as this the last thing students want is a hyperactive and intense lesson. I did some last minute refining in hopes that I was not too over bearing for students. It seemed to go over quite well. The students were engaged and I received positive feedback from them.

I could tell that a few students seemed down, whether just being a Monday or upset about the death of a fellow peer, I couldn't tell but I didn't push them too hard. Although a very challenging situation for any school to go through, it was a good challenge for me as beginning teacher. There are times that your lesson needs to be changed at the last minute in order to adjust it to the needs of your students. I found that it's not an easy task. I rehearsed and went through the steps of my lesson multiple times to make sure that I didn't forget any important content prior to class. I was difficult for me to stray away from what I had planned out in detail; however, it was absolutely necessary to make this change considering the situation the school and students were facing.

Overall, this was a great experience for me as I was engaged in the classroom that I will be student teaching in all next semester. I got to meet more students that I will be teaching, and I saw some that went to National Convention who were excited to see me again. It was refreshing to be welcomed into this atmosphere and it made me more excited about student teaching!  

My Microteaching Experience

For three consecutive days this past week I had the opportunity to teach 15 8th graders at Tyrone High School. I was able to put into practice a variety of the teaching strategies and techniques that we have been learning about this past semester. It was quite the experience! It was not only difficult utilizing these new strategies that I just learned, but it was also a challenge testing them out with rowdy 8th graders.

The first day was the most easy going. The students were just warming up to me and they weren't quite sure how I would interact with them. One student was having a difficult morning and so before class I talked with him out in the shop to assure him that we were going to have a great day. After asking him if he was excited for class he said, "Well I am, but you see I'm not sure if you are cool or not yet." He was a fun and interesting character to say the least. He had a few behavioral issues but I was so glad to have him in class. He helped me to see how I would react as a teacher to difficult situations.

As days 2 and 3 progressed, my students very quickly warmed up to me, which means the chatter and questions of all sorts began. I don't consider chatter to be a bad thing unless it is disrupting me or other students. In fact I encourage it because it allows them to collaborate and they challenge each other. I saw this numerous times while microteaching and I loved seeing the wheels of their creative minds turning! There were times when I had to use my "teacher look." I was pretty proud of the "look" because it worked, and I felt that I had unleashed a hidden superpower that got all 15 8th graders to listen in a matter of 5 seconds flat. Perfect! The challenge was conditioning them to understand when it was appropriate to converse and share ideas and when they should be listening quietly to me. For 8th graders this was a challenge, but they did great! They all respected me as their teacher and I greatly appreciated their willingness to do all they activities I had planned for them, especially since I was a stranger coming into their classroom. They were truly a diverse bunch and I loved getting to know to work with each of them.

Overall, I found microteaching to be so motivational.After each day of teaching I felt so empowered to go back and teach. There is something about seeing all those light bulbs in your students' heads light up after a lesson. You know for a fact that they learned something. I call this an "aha" moment. I love these "aha" moments and they are what push me to become a better teacher. How can I encourage an "aha" moment for each of my students? This is probably a cliché statement made by all teachers but I truly love when students learn something new that will positively impact their lives. It's empowering and it reminds me of why I strive to be a teacher. My microteaching experience helped me to see this first hand, as I engaged myself in the classroom and put into practice the teacher role.          

People Watching at Its Finest

People watching is one of my favorite past times. I find it very intriguing watching other people interact with each other without them knowing of my watchful eye (in a non creepy way of course).  From these observations I have found that people are very unique. We all walk, talk, dress, laugh, yell and smile differently. Although we are all very different, I have come acknowledge that this is the beauty of our diverse culture. We should appreciate these differences as they add color to our world and challenge us to accept diversity.

While I was out at the National FFA conference in Louisville Kentucky just two weeks ago, I had the most opportune time to watch people of diverse groups intermingle in one location. Students from every single US state came for this convention. There was space and a challenge presented in the back of every program for students to get a signature from every state student representative. I found this to be a pretty awesome challenge. Throughout the week I saw students running up to one another asking for autographs. They interacted, got signatures, talked about their travels, and then continued on their merry way. These interactions were great and I was amazed to see such young motivated high school students take on this challenge and be vulnerable to engage in open conversation with complete strangers in respectful manners. Call me a little biased but I think that goes to show how FFA positively shapes and impacts these young future leaders. GO FFA!


I had the opportunity to go to National Convention with the school where I will be student teaching at in the spring and also the high school that I graduated from. I wasn't sure how these students from each school were going to interact and get along as there was a combination of 5 girls and 2 boys. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The most inspiring highlights from the trip came from the interactions of these students. The first day we stopped multiple times for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At one of these stops one of the girls from my cooperating center forgot her money in the car. Immediately, another student from the opposite school jumped in and said that he would pay for her dinner. I was so taken back by this student's generosity towards a complete stranger.

An interesting moment for me during this trip was on way home when we all reflected on our trip. I asked the students to share what their favorite thing from the week was. As they went around and shared their thoughts and feelings, I was surprised to hear that almost everyone's favorite part of the week was spending time with each other and getting to know students from the opposite school. I was expecting them to say that they loved the cave hiking, or our visit to Churchill downs, or even all the free things they got at the convention. Rather they valued their time with each other. I saw this positive bonding occurring throughout the week and I was thrilled to see a positive experience for all students as a result. 

With all these great observations, I also unfortunately noticed interactions that were not so positive. I heard comments such "well they are from New Jersey (or another state) so it doesn't surprise me." I also over heard an unfriendly conversation about people in West Virginia. While I was waiting in line to receive my American Degree, there were a few boys behind me that we talking very negatively about people in West Virginia and how they live "trashy" lives. This was disappointing to me to hear this conversation coming from two people receiving the highest degree one can get as an FFA member. I had expected individuals such as these to live up to a higher standard rather than degrade others. Although comments such as these were disappointing to hear, I can honestly report that I heard far more positive comments than I heard negative. It was those positive comments and behaviors that make me proud to be part of the FFA organization.

Overall, I had great experience at National Convention this year. It was such an interesting experience going as the role of an advisor rather than as a student. I felt that I really realized a greater purpose for myself. Rather than rushing around to grab as much free candy as I could for myself, I took my students to as many college booths as I could in order to get them information about college. I hoped that these students would make connections that would build their professional network. My purpose at convention was for them and exposing them to as many opportunities as possible, rather than for myself. This was natural desire for me to want my kids to be successful on this trip. I realized this when I returned home and it reinforced the reasons why I aspire to be an Ag teacher. I was very pleased with my experience this year and I got to connect with students that I will be teaching next semester. It got me really excited for student teaching. Who knows, I might be able to return to convention next year as an FFA advisor with my own students!  

Bringing Inquiry Based Instruction into the Classroom. TRY IT!

Photo By Daniel Foster :)

Today I had the opportunity to bring inquiry to the classroom and test it out! How did it go you may ask? Well to be quite honest, it didn't go as bad as I had expected. Planning was probably one of the hardest parts. I constantly asked myself: am I actually planning an inquiry lesson? And how much of the inquiry is student directed? This was a huge challenge for me and even after doing my lab, I find this method of teaching a bit difficult but completely worth it. Although challenging to prepare for, I realized through this process just how effective this strategy is for students in the classroom.

IBI encourages students to think at the higher levels Bloom's Taxonomy. I requires them to pull all their knowledge together and the information they don't know, they formulate questions. We often hear about teachers trying to avoid questions from students because it interrupts class time or it is disruptive; however, developing questions is the drive behind inquiry. This was a realization to me during my lab. Although I have been told this numerous times and have read different articles about inquiry, it was difficult for me to truly see it played out until I was the one articulating the lesson.

This realization came to me by playing the teacher role. While students were working in groups, what did I do? Well quite frankly, nothing as far as teaching goes! I observed my students and walked between the two groups but I wasn't teaching any content. I listened to the students and I heard them asking all sorts of questions. There were some frustrations, confusions, and others who just went with it. I wanted to just jump in and clarify all those confusions but I quickly realized the importance of inquiry based off their responses. They needed that bit of time for confusion in order to formulate questions about content they did not know yet. It was hard for me to stay quite, and not just because I am a talkative person, but because I wanted to give my students the answers right away. During this time I realized that it's not all about me talking and transferring the information. Rather student directed learning can be much more beneficial and challenges students' cognitive thinking skills.

I will admit that I am by no means a pro at conducting IBI in the classroom. However, everyone has to start somewhere and I am glad to have had this first experience in front of my cohort and advisor who could give me constructive feedback that will only help me improve next time. This was probably the toughest of the labs so far, but just getting up and testing it out has helped me to be more confident with IBI. I also truly believe that IBI is such a powerful learning tool for students, and if I truly believe this then I feel the need to develop the skills to carry out IBI in myself in order to develop the necessary skills in my students. Therefore, going forth from this I hope to put IBI into practice. IBI can be difficult for teachers but we will never improve ourselves if we don't keep practicing. So my message to other educators: keep trying it! Build and broaden your own teaching skills and expose your students to diverse learning environments that promote this higher order of thinking that will enable their own success.

What are you INQUIRING about? (WW#9)

Synonyms of inquire include inquisitive, interested, curious, questioning and analytical. These five synonyms describe perfectly the purpose of the new teaching strategy we are learning about this week: Inquiry Based Instruction. The article "The Science Teacher" by Bell, Smetana and Binns define inquiry based instruction as "involving students in a form of active learning that emphasizes questioning, data analysis, and critical thinking." I like this  short definition as it alludes to students learning in a hands on environment where learning is encouraged through the scientific method.

At first I thought inquiry based learning was really just the scientific method implemented into a lesson; however, I quickly realized that there is much preparation and thought that goes into this teaching strategy if it is to work effectively. These can cause setbacks for teachers in using inquiry based instruction. I have recognized a few challenges that may arise when planning a lesson utilizing this technique. First, it can be difficult to even recognize if you are utilizing inquiry based instruction. This method requires a research question that students can answer through data analysis. There are many classroom activities that are effective and engaging that appear inquiry based but they lack a research question and therefore they are not considered inquiry based. Second, the teacher needs to decide what level he or she will design the inquiry based activity to be at. This can also be difficult as there are diverse learners in every class and all learn at different speeds. Lower levels of inquiry based instruction should be used at the beginning of the year and progress to higher levels towards the end of the year. If a higher level activity is presented at the beginning of the year, students will not be equipped will the skills needed to be successful in the activity; however, a lower level used at the end of the year will not be challenging for students. It will not be effective in building cognitive skills. With that being said teachers must be aware of all of their learners and determine what levels are appropriate for each when planning for inquiry based instruction.

  Although a very effective strategy that promotes higher order of thinking, there are many teachers that don't utilize it because they feel unprepared to use it, they are confused by it or they feel it is too difficult to manage. This is frustrating to me that these are boundaries that are holding teachers back from implementing a classroom activity that could be beneficial to students. I realize that as a teacher I will face these same walls that might hold me back from trying something new in the classroom; however, I hope that I would push myself to try these methods and strategies. If we stay in our comfort zone as teachers we may never know the abilities we have to excel our students by utilizing new teaching techniques. I don't want the fear of failure to hold me back from providing an exceptional education to my students. Not every lesson will go perfectly and sometimes they will completely fail, but that is the beauty of learning and growing to become better!

My challenge for myself: TRY IT! (within reason of course) but you will never know the impact you can make if you never TRY IT.

Although math, reading and writing are all components involved in agricultural education, we must not forget the importance of science. Because agriculture is a science, inquiry based instruction can be very applicable to our agriculture classes. Don't believe me? Click on the link below and view many examples of activities that are inquiry based and can be used in the Ag classroom.

Link:http://www.agintheclassroom.org/teacherresources/Lesson%20Booklets/Ag=E5%20Inquiry%20Based%20Lessons.pdf