Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Aukamp's Analysis! Loving Lampeter-Strasburg


Student teaching at Lampeter-Strasburg has opened my eyes to the world of FFA. I was not part of a strong FFA program and in fact did not even hear of an SAE until I came to PSU. I went into student teaching like a sponge in a sink of water, I just could not wait to soak up the knowledge.




My experiences with FFA have ranged from monthly meetings, community events, conferences, CDEs on the regional level, record book contests on the regional and state level, proficiency award judging, and school based contests.  Every year the FFA chapter makes breakfast for local farmers. We arrived at school early at 5:30 am to prepare breakfast. Now, most high school students would never voluntarily wake up at that hour of the morning! But, this FFA chapter has some extraordinary kids and they were all bright and chipper and rearing to make breakfast. We served breakfast to 60 people from 7-9am in the high school cafeteria. It was great to see the local community workers come and support the FFA, many of whom attended L-S and were in FFA. After breakfast, we invited the locals back to the Vet Science room to peruse through old scrapbooks from years gone by. It was a wonderful morning!


Another memory I have of FFA is more recent. Just last week Mr. Smith and Mr. Herman (a student teacher from the University of Delaware) headed up our school’s Ag Mechanics Contest. It was open to grades 9-11 and students did not have to be FFA members to compete. Ten boys showed up last Thursday, April 11, from 6:30-9 pm where they participated in individual and team events. I was impressed to see the students work together to construct a “jig” in a brief amount of time, given their skill level. Some of the participants are just learning about agriculture mechanics and have only taken one class. It was neat to see how interested they were in the material that they would come for the experience and not for the winning aspect of the event.


I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to student teach at L-S. I have enjoyed teaching in the classroom and being involved in the numerous FFA activities over the past few months. I hope I will be able to have as active an FFA as they have at L-S, someday in my program. 





To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of student across the glob by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter @TeachAgPSU, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.




Submitted by:
Jamie Aukamp
@jla322
2013 Student Teacher
Lampeter-Strasburg High School

Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Great Northern Lebanon Experience by Alyshia West


I was blessed to be welcomed to such a wonderful agriculture education family.  Starting at National convention my students were such an open and bubbly group of students.  We found fun educational material together at the career show then had a little “scare” time at the haunted asylum.   Through these experiences I built relationships with my students that were critical for my student teaching experience.

During my time at Northern Lebanon I struggled but I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for the excellent support of Ms. Oberst and Mrs.Balsbaugh.  Ms.Oberst has 30 years of experience under her belt and Mrs.Balsbaugh is still new in the education field and coming from Penn State her herself, she understood what I was going through.

I gained a lot of experience in the area of animal science and forestry.  But one of the greatest things I learned is that planning is critical and being able to ask for help is necessary.  I also learned that being able to think on your feet and being prepared for the unexpected is needed on a daily basis as an agriculture educator.  e TH

The greatest example from my student teaching experience is from the day of banquet.  The day finally arrived for banquet, we had planned who needed to be where and when to the T.  However, our sow decided to have her piglets, and apparently so did our guinea pig.  This cramped our plans, but we quickly redirected and figured out how to pull together and have a successful banquet.

The Northern Lebanon students always were chipper and bubbly.  They were always willing to try the crazy ideas I cooked up and always had helpful feedback.  These students were such exceptional leaders of this school.  It was very touching to see how close they all were to each other.  If someone was having a bad day, everyone went out of their way to help their peer out, just like a large family.  I am grateful for such an excellent set of students, and that they welcomed me as part of the family from day one.


To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of student across the glob by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter @TeachAgPSU, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.


Submitted by:
Alyshia West
@a_west362
2013 Student Teacher
Northern Lebanon High School

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Brubaker's Big Picture Review - Annville-Cleona Awesomeness


When beginning my first week of student teaching, I was expecting to ease into all of my classes having a feeling for each of the students after a week of observation. To my surprise, I was extremely wrong! My cooperating teacher told me “you’ll only understand the life of an Ag. Teacher if you experience it the real way.” The first day of the marking period, a week after my arrival, I began teaching all of my classes. At first I was confused as to why I would be given such a work load,
but I would not change it for the world!

The best memory from my student teaching experience was dissecting the stomach of a cow during my Introduction to Agriculture class. To engage my students from the beginning of the experience, I explained the idea of using a real cow stomach for the dissection  to observe the different components. The responses I got from there students were unreal. “Why would we want to know the parts of a stomach?” or “That sounds disgusting, count me out”. As the days got closer to the dissection, students in other classes were asking if they could come to our dissection day because they were hearing it could be pretty awesome! It was amazing to see how the impact of a few students who were extremely interested could change the minds of the rest of the students in the classes, as well as those not enrolled in agriculture courses. The best part of the dissection was knowing that my students had such an interest in the lab, they all diligently worked on their lab packets and could identify the parts and explain their functions. This moment allowed me to know; the students learned something new and were excited and interested in the content!

Another great memory with my students was participating in their FFA events and providing them support every step of the way. Two events the students at Annville-Cleona High School participated in were Public Speaking and ACES conference. The students who were involved in the Public Speaking contest made me believe it is 100% possible to train a group of dedicated students to succeed and accomplish their goals. It was the best opportunity to watch my students develop into great public speakers starting from a stuttering, eye clutched to the paper, nervous individual. The students were dedicated and spent multiple hours reciting and practicing their speeches. ACES was also a memorable moment because the students were capable of representing their school while including me in their learning experience. It was awesome watching the students network with other chapters and include me in their experience!

My experience has been more than I had ever imagined and flew by! It is awesome to see how the components of Agriculture Education can merge together and change the lives of students. I believe that Agriculture Education has the ability to change a student’s life and mold them into a confident, goal setting and accomplishing individual.

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of student across the glob by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter @TeachAgPSU, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.


Submitted by:

Kristy Brubaker
@kristylane
2013 Student Teacher
Annville-Cleona High School

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Pray's Ponderings on Cedar Crest Fun


Wow! I can’t believe my student teaching experience is almost over! All I can say is: “Where did the time go?!”

Student teaching has been one of the best experiences in my life. I didn't think that from January to April I would be able to make a real connection with my students and boy was I wrong. I got to know my students pretty quickly and now I’m sad that I have to leave them in just 2 short days. I got to know their likes and dislikes and how they learn best in the classroom. The latter was something that I definitely didn't think I could accomplish in such a short period of time.

The most memorable moment I have from student teaching occurred during the regional public speaking contest. I had one student whom had made it that far and she was super excited and nervous about giving her junior prepared speech. I had given her all the tips I could think of and coached her the best I could. I gave her a pep talk before she went in to give her speech to try to calm her nerves. After what felt like an eternity, they finally came out with the results. She walked up to me and said with the biggest smile I have ever seen and said “Ms Pray! I did it! I got first place and I’m going to states!” Then she proceeded to give me a giant hug. This made all of the hard work put into preparing her well worth it.

Throughout my student teaching experience, I refined my teaching skills and learned so much from my cooperating teacher. I completed my student teaching experience at Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pa. My cooperating teacher was Mr. Harold Berkheiser. He is a veteran teacher and after 35 years of teaching he is going to start enjoying his retirement at the end of this school year. He taught me so much about how to be a better teacher, how to be a great FFA advisor and how to guide students through the SAE process. He even got me to feel comfortable teaching students in the Ag Shop, which is something that I never thought I would be able to do.

Although I am sad to be leaving, I am excited to move on and have a classroom and students of my own. I will definitely use all of the information that I have learned during my student teaching experience. I also plan to keep in touch with many of my students to see how they progress through high school and college. And even though he is retiring I plan on keeping in touch with my cooperating teacher for more advice as I traverse through my first year as a teacher.

Student teaching is a great and exciting time. Even though at first it seems a little terrifying, it is nice to have a student teaching cohort, good professors, family, friends, your cooperating teacher and university supervisor to lean on. All of these people will help you to succeed as a student teacher. I went in with the idea that I could handle this experience and through the help of all these people I became not only a better teacher and also a new and improved me. 

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of student across the glob by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter @TeachAgPSU, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.


Submitted by:
Heather Pray
@hpray18
2013 Student Teacher
Cedar Crest High School
PSU AEE M.S. Candidate
2012-13 National Teach Ag Ambassador



Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Technology Revolution in the Classroom! What Innovative Technology Will You Use In The Classroom?

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ipad-to-likely-start-at-a-minimum-of-329-in-the-u-s/
When I was in elementary school the most technology my teachers were using was the overhead projector.  Now students go to schools where every single student has their own iPad that they are actually allowed to use during class.  Schools like the Chambersburg Career Magnet School in Chambersburg, PA are finding innovative ways to engage their students using iPads and creative iPad apps to teach their lessons.  It begs the question, what will teachers be using to teach in five years?

With the iPad students can take notes, create presentations, do calculations, among many other things.  In this day and age there seems to be an app for everything including how you teach the lesson or visualize your topic for the day.  An example of one of these apps is the Blackboard Presenter which allows students to use a "blackboard" on their iPad that projects whatever the student writes on the board through the projector.

Think of how an iPad could be used in the agricultural classroom.  You might have your students map out a concept web of the various aspects of beneficial farming practices.  Or you might have them download and label the digestive tract of a cow.  Along with these ideas you could begin to take your students on virtual tours of the many exciting opportunities in agriculture.

So here is my challenge to you this week:  Think about what you would like your future/current classroom to look like.  Then take it a step further and brainstorm how you as a teacher can incorporate technology like the iPad to effectively engage your students.  Have an awesome idea of how to use the iPad or other technology in the classroom??  Be sure to post your idea on our Facebook page to share your awesome idea!

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.eduFollow us on Twitter @TeachAgPSUor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.




By:  Matthew Dodson

Student Blogger
AEE Major at Penn State Mont Alto
Penn State Teach Ag Avenger





Milton Hershey Moments by Darla Romberger


On my first day of student-teaching at Milton Hershey, I got the best advice for student-teaching from the High School Principal, Mr. Weber.  He looked at me straight in the eye and said, “This experience will fly by—make sure you make an impression each day so you can look back and see what your students have achieved.”  This statement was indeed true throughout my experience and I’m glad I heard these words of wisdom at such a great time during this internship.  With that thought in mind, I will reflect on some of the most ‘impactful’ moments during my time student-teaching at Milton Hershey. 

The most memorable moment during my student-teaching experience was teaching FFA History and the Creed.  To gain the interest and respect of my Freshmen classes, I created an “FFA Jacket Challenge” that would award an FFA Jacket to the first student that stood up in class and recited the entire FFA Creed perfectly.  This announcement spread like wildlife between the rest of the agriculture students and a network of support emerged for the Freshman students vying for their very own FFA Jacket.  Each day, upperclassmen would come to class and ask, “Did anyone recite the Creed today?”  It was amazing to see how one simple challenge created electricity and hype between all the agriculture classes.  After weeks of practicing, 2 brave students accepted my challenge and earned their very own FFA Jacket.  Word spread quickly that 2 students were successful and the same electricity and buzz were evident again in my classes.  During my final week of student-teaching, I presented each student with their freshly-pressed FFA Jackets and saw their eyes light up as they put on their jacket for the first time.  I look forward to seeing the journey that these two young FFA members will embark on over the next 3 years.

Another impactful moment was participating in the 2013 State Legislative Leadership Conference (SLLC) Community Service Project with the FFA members on the trip.  As we first approached our community service site, I was worried that my students were not going to be 100% engaged in the service project.  However, when groups were assigned given tasks, it was my students that took the lead and jumped right into the tasks and quickly befriended FFA members from other chapters.  Words cannot describe how proud I was of my students as they accepted a challenge, developed a plan of action, and worked together to achieve it.  When I asked students at the end of the conference what their favorite portion of the conference was, they quickly responded with the community service project because they got to help someone else in need.  This response made my heart smile because I knew that these students, through Agriculture Education, would leave the classroom as productive, caring, and hard-working members of the agricultural industry.  This experience truly exemplified the “Living to Serve” segment of the FFA motto and gave members a chance to become involved in a project larger than them.

Finally, I watched as students took pride in their Agriculture Education program and spoke to over 200 8th grade students during the annual 8th-Grade CTE Tour.  Students had been preparing for this event for weeks and when the time came, their hard work and persistence had paid off as they created an engaging environment for students and chaperones alike.  The students received many compliments for their work during the tour and did a phenomenal job of representing Agriculture Education.  It was amazing to see how the students had banded together to take pride in their Agriculture program and promote it to other prospective students.  I have never seen a group of young people speak with such confidence and determination to recruit next year’s Freshman class.  It was an awesome feeling to know that I helped the students achieve such success.

In conclusion, I never realized the difference that one person could make in such a short period of time.  I have seen students come to life and find their ‘niche’ in Agriculture Education.  After watching the above accomplishments, I firmly believe that Agriculture Education has the potential to make a positive difference in the lives of each student enrolled in an Agriculture class.  Whether a student finds a new interest in agriculture or gains confidence in Public Speaking, Ag Education provides numerous avenues to make a difference in a young person’s life.  Through my student-teaching experience, I’ve learned that a little effort on the part of the instructor can go a long way to help a student and give them an incentive to achieve.  

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.eduFollow us on Twitter @TeachAgPSUor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.

 Darla Romberger
@DJR_131
Student Blogger
2013 Student Teacher
Milton Hershey High School
PSU AEE M.S Candidate

Thursday, April 4, 2013

FFA Members Take on Harrisburg With Some First Class Service!


My name is Janae Herr, I am a member of the Penn State Class of 2016 and am attending the Berks
Campus while I passionately pursue a degree in Agricultural and Extension Education. I proud to be serving as a 2013 Penn State Teach Ag! Avenger.

In the beginning of March I had the sincere privilege to join over 400 Pennsylvania FFA members in Harrisburg for the State Legislative Leadership Conference. This event provides FFA members a hands-on experience of a day in the life of a Pennsylvania Legislator, all while teaching the value of civic responsibility and the value of a vote. The three day event started with breakout sessions for the FFA members. The experienced lessons on etiquette and professionalism, they took a crash course in Parliamentary Procedure as well as the process of how a bill is made. All of this in preparation for the active debating and amending of current and pending pieces of legislation. The members were divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate and assigned to the majority and minority groups of each. Members spent the extent of the first day amending, discussing, voting and some more amending. But most importantly, learning by doing.
Pennsylvania FFA members with Secretary
of Agriculture, George Greig.

The members took a break from the bills to clock in an amazing 1200 hours of community service! Pennsylvania FFA members traveled across the Harrisburg area to 22 different service locations. I had the privilege to serve alongside some super FFA members at the Central PA Food Bank. I was so proud of the members’ willingness to jump in and do whatever was asked of them. The team I joined assembled over 800 boxes of food for elderly individuals in Pennsylvania! FFA members truly are Living to Serve!

The conference concluded with an early morning breakfast with Pennsylvania legislators. Conference attendees were honored to be joined by not only the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. George Greig but also the Governor of Pennsylvania, Mr. Tom Corbett! I so enjoyed these few days of interacting with these superb members! The future of Agriculture is certainly bright!

Members volunteering at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.eduFollow us on Twitter @TeachAgPSUor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.


Janae Herr
Student Blogger
Penn State Teach Ag! Avenger
2016 Student Teacher Candidate