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.