FFA Makes a Difference (STB#7)

            

The Chapter Officers planned an FFA Truck Show this week During National FFA Week!

This week was National FFA week and I couldn't have been more proud of my students' accomplishments. The officers did a tremendous job pulling in their resources and planning a great week of events. However, it is Friday and I am definitely feeling the tiredness of a long week.

Although tired I am reflecting back and realizing how important of a week this was our FFA chapter. During my first week of observations, I was thinking that this chapter was not going to make it the rest of the year. I heard kids complaining that the chapter never does anything. I saw them walk out and watched as officers even dropped out. Within a matter of a few weeks, I helped establish new officers, put together a week worth of activities for National FFA week, and recruited students. Yes, it has been tiring but this week has shown me just how much that hard work pays off.

Thursday the FFA officers planned a truck show and brunch for teachers and students. They washed and shined their prized vehicles up and put them on display for the entire school. They then invited teachers to come vote for their favorite truck and enjoy a yummy brunch in the morning. I wasn't sure how many teachers would actually show up but I was surprised when one of the students came running to me saying, "Ms. Graybill, Ms. Graybill we need more cups and bacon!" We had such a great turn out that we started running out of materials. I emailed the morning announcement committee to see if they could announce the winners of the truck show which gave the event some recognition. It was a truly a great day that encouraged the entire school population to get involved.

Today was another big day that I am very proud of. The officers planned a social for my Intro to Agriculture class consisting of 21 freshmen. We started off the period by conducting a mock FFA meeting. They got to say their pledge for the first time as freshmen and see what a meeting is really like. They were then assigned to a chapter officer, where they got to know their chapter officers. We played minute to win it games that involved teaming up with their chapter officers and cheering each other on. The last round of minute to win it involved only the chapter officers. In pairs one officer sat on a chair while his/ her partner stood behind them with a bowl of ice cream. With their eyes shut they had to feed their partner as much ice cream as they could in one minute. At the end of the round the chapter officers invited them all to join in on their fun in an ice cream social. The rest of the period was spent eating ice cream sundaes and getting the chance to meet the officers.

All sounds like fun and games right? But the true gems from the week were not playing really fun games or eating ice cream. What I saw happening was so much more. I saw officers taking on leadership roles. They were proud to be a good role model for the freshmen class. They handed out ice cream to them all and intermingled with them.... (here comes the best part) .... without being told! It sounds silly but I feel like I am constantly telling students that their behavior is unacceptable or that they need to think about how their actions are not school appropriate. It was extremely rewarding for me to walk into the classroom and see my officers already scooping out bowls of ice cream, handing them out to the freshmen, and encouraging to come get seconds. During our Minute to Win It games I saw officers encouraging freshmen and congratulating them on their wins. Although it was an event planned for the freshman, I realize now just how much it helped bond the officer team and how they grew as leaders themselves.

On the flip side, I saw the spark in my freshmans' eyes. Since the beginning of the quarter they have been hearing me talk about FFA, learning the creed and discovering all the opportunities in FFA. Today, however, I feel that a more in depth connection was made. They got to experience an official meeting, they got say the FFA pledge and they got to see one of their own recite the creed. Previously they had looked at the creed and said that there is no way they could memorize the whole thing; however, one freshman girl took the challenge and got to say it in front of her peers today and she rocked it! It was real life to these students and confirmed that FFA is a legitimate organization that cares about them individually. For me it wasn't about the games that we played or that activities we did but rather seeing the connections and memories made from just this one day.

It wasn't just the students that grew this week, Oh no, probably the person that had the most to grow was me! I don't know exactly why tears well up in my eyes when I think about how much bonding and growth occurred this week. There are just certain glimpses of kids having fun, taking on leadership roles and being positive role models that really make me proud because I know that they are growing as individuals in positive ways. Most of these kids need a positive role model or group of good friends to be associated with. This week I got to to see them be that positive role model for each other and bond relationships with both new and old friends. I also learned that I don't always need to run the show, rather students will gain so much more by taking the lead. I can't wait to reflect with the officer team next week and gather their input. As for me, I thought many positives resulted in both my students and I.

Projecting into next week I can't help but to think, "how can I keep this magic alive?" What can I do keep this sense of unity and support for each other that seemed to shine through this week. Will next week go back to being frustrated with negative attitudes in the classroom and disruptive behavior? The answer is most likely yes. One week is not going to magically change every single one of your students into perfect angels. However, I do believe that this week was a week of progress in a positive direction. As a result I just might see some better behavior in my classes. We must stay focused making progress rather than getting strung up not walking into a perfect classroom. As a student teacher I realize that I only met these students a few weeks ago and in the next few weeks I may never see them again. I have a short amount of time here at my cooperating school, but while I am here I want to make progress. It's unrealistic to think that I will wake up one day and have prefect students every single period. But if I am making progress in my work, in my classroom and in the lives of my students then I will feel accomplished.

The Hard Work Comes First! (STB#6)

This past week was the week before National FFA week and that means lots of planning! We have been having a rough start getting students involved in FFA and having the motivation to participate in events outside of school. However, with National FFA week just around the bend it gives us the perfect opportunity to ignite that spark for FFA during school.

I have been working closely with the chapter officers to plan and prepare for a week of events. Although I have been working hard to organize meetings with them and spark interest in planning, it's the students that have brought creativity to the forefront. The most rewarding part is seeing them engaged and recognizing that they will be proud of what they have accomplished. The schedule for the upcoming week of events is as follows:

Monday -
Apparel: Pink Day (breast cancer awareness)
Activity: FFA and Ag Trivia Competition

Tuesday-
Apparel: Plaid/ Flannel day Day
Activity: Meet your state officers at Hoss's

Wednesday-
Apparel: Chevy vs. Ford Day
Activity: Handball Competition in the Gym: Chevy vs Ford

Thursday-
Apparel: Camo Day
Activity: Truck Show! (teachers and students judge FFA members vehicles)
                Brunch: Those who participate are welcome to join us in our FFA brunch
Friday-
Apparel: FFA Apparel Day
Activity: Freshman Friday! Ice cream social for the freshman

I am so very excited to see how this week turns out. I am hoping that this week makes FFA members more appreciative and proud to be part of their FFA chapter!

                                           Collecting our supplies for National FFA Week!

As far as teaching  this week I only had 1 and 1/2 days. It was not a full week but probably one of my most stressful weeks. I had applications to fill out and submit, a school tour to prepare for, letters to write and paperwork to complete. It was more than exciting because I am preparing for a potential job; however, it was a reality for me in realizing all the additional work that still needs to be managed while teaching. It's a lot of work but the results yielded make it worth it.

This week was a good learning experience for both me and my students. I think together we are learning that how much you put into something is how much you will get out of it. Yes, the hard and stressful work comes first but seeing the lives that are positively affected by your work influences you to continue doing what you're doing. Along the way we build our own professional and organizational skills. This week has been busy but I am excited to see that hard work pay off next week!

Teaching is... real, motivational, hard, tiring, fun, what we do! (STB#5)

This past week of student teaching was both empowering and exhausting. The other cooperating teacher in the Ag program was off for three days out of the week and had asked if I would like to teach her classes while she was gone. I figured this would be a great opportunity for me to experience a loaded day of classes as I taught her classes in addition to mine. I learned very quickly that a loaded day also equals an exhausting day. I returned home and realized how physically tired I was and that I still had papers to grade and materials to gather.

It was a very realistic scenario and a good glimpse into the everyday life of an Ag teacher. Why might this be empowering? Well because I made it through and survived! I realized that I can do it and that has inspired me to keep going. On top of this week's situation, the sub that I had at first complained about, actually became my advocate for the week. He was bragging about me to other teachers in the hallways and to students, and proud of what I was doing. I honestly don't know why, I was just doing my job, but the support definitely encouraged me throughout the week.

I also had a huge breaking point in my Animal Science class this week that has positively changed the dynamics of the classroom. I had graded their lab reports from a lab the week before and found that many of them didn't fill them out or meet the standards that I was expecting. This had greatly disappointed me because many of their grades and dropped significantly because of it. So Monday I came to class with a serious speech about setting higher standards. I told them I want each and every one of them to be successful not just in my class but in their lives and that I am going to push them to reach their true potential. I wasn't so sure my speech about life would make a difference; however, the rest of the week went great! The students were focused and they turned in completed work in complete sentences. I was shocked but I think that they took what I had to say to heart. One student told me after class one day, "I feel like you are ticked with us." I responded, "I'm not upset with you, I'm upset for you. You guys don't realize just how great you are and can be. Your decisions to not put the time or effort in my class effects your success in the future." I think that my message reached many of them and I hope that is carries with them to their other classes.

  

Just like students depended on one another to hold each other up, so do organisms in the soil rely on each other for composting purposes.

The Week of Realizations (STB#4)

This week was an interesting week of student teaching. I feel that I made progress with my students in moving them forward with the content and diving into the inquiry lessons that were engaging. I very much so enjoyed bringing in hands on materials that helped engage students in the lessons. Although I enjoyed teaching my lessons, my students put up a bit of a challenge.

I heard many complaints from my students about having to complete a lab. In lab they had to create the digestive system of a pig from the given materials in their groups. I was super excited for this lab and students were super interested in the materials that I brought to class; however, once I gave them materials and told them the task for the day, the complaining began. The complaints at first were hurtful because I took them as I am failing as a teacher. This week, however, I came to a realization. I am not a teacher to make my students happy. I am a teacher to help my students learn and achieve higher levels of educational success. It seems that as soon as any sort of work is assigned the complaining begins. So perhaps the complaining is a sign of students being pushed to think which should be encouraged because that is how our students achieve such success.

This is still the beginning of my student teaching experience and I am learning that my students are taking a bit longer to be conditioned into a new teaching style. My teaching style just so happens to push students to think through the activities that are asked of them. I'm not ready to lower that standard due to the complaining. I believe my classroom is not a study hall, nor is it a time socialize. It is a time to engage, learn and build cognitive thinking skills. That standard I must keep high and with engaging and enthusiastic materials I believe my students can achieve success.

This week was also a week of realization for me. I often times find myself reflecting on my day on my car ride home. One particular day I began crying on my way home. It wasn't because it was a rough day or because I didn't feel successful but rather my heart ached for my students. I started thinking about each of them and the situations that many of them go through. Some of them deal with extremely difficult situations and I see their lack of respect for their education. Some seem to have given up and don't care if they fail. Some don't take school seriously and others choose to engage in unwise activities. These things make me sad because I care about my students. I see them making bad choices rather then dedicating their time to things that will help them rise above their difficult situations and become successful. Their poor choices only encourage a pattern of low standards. My tears came because these students don't realize their potential to be successful. They don't realize just how great they can be. If they could just make this realization for themselves I think it would change their whole attitude about life and school. Their situations in life tell them that they can't but I hope as their teacher I can help them realize that they can.