2019 Student Teacher Check-In with Rachel Bloom (@RachelABloom31)

Rachel's Natural Resource students with their finished 'Eco-bottle' projects.

We love hearing from our Student Teachers! Aside from frequently checking in with them, and seeing all the amazing things they do with their students in their classrooms and through FFA, we would like to help share their experience student teaching, how they're overcoming the challenges they meet along the way, and how they're preparing themselves for a future teaching Agriculture!

You can join their journeys with them! Over the next few weeks we'll be checking in with our 2019 Student Teachers and sharing their insights into their student teaching experience. Our first Student Teacher Check-In is with Ms. Rachel Bloom, spending her spring semester alongside Ms. Raylene Russell at Juniata Valley HS. We asked Rachel about her favorite parts of student teaching, challenges, and unique opportunities she was able to have along the way so far.

Rachel says that her favorite part of student teaching so far is the students. She loves that she's able to see their different personalities and build her relationship with them. "The students are also a good source of entertainment, you never know what's going to happen next, every day is different thanks to them."
 

'Eco-bottles' made by Rachel and her students.

By far, Rachel's favorite class is 5th period Natural Resources. She explains that she loves everything about the environment, and she wants to share that with her students. "I hope that by the end of my time here they at least have an appreciation and respect for the environment and the natural world around them." Rachel was able to work with her Natural Resources class on a unique project, creating "Eco-bottles" out of used plastic soda bottles. She said that her students loved making them, and, "...students that come in here [the classroom], not even just the Natural Resources kids, would find interest in them and talk about them."

Challenges during your student teaching experience are always expected, and almost always unavoidable. We get a great opportunity to learn from our current student teachers and hear how they're managing their challenges and growing as professionals. Rachel says that her biggest challenge is doing what she needs to do with limited time. "...I would love to be able to prep for each class before it starts, however I only have 3 minutes to do so." She goes on to share that she has handled this by preparing for classes as much as she can, and actually utilizing her students that arrive in the classroom first to help set the classroom up and get ready. This is a great way to involve your students in the classroom while also building your relationship with them.

Rachel has a few pieces of advice, namely that every student has bad days. "Go into every day with a positive attitude, but don't expect every student to always be giving you 110%; it's okay for them to have an off day." She also shares that she's learned to always have a plan, but that it might not always go how you thought it would. She says that it's important to be ready for change.

She thought it was interesting how her perspective has changed from student to teacher. When she was in high school, "...I always thought to myself "don't they remember what it was like being in high school?"" Now that she's a student teacher, she realizes that she does remember what it was like, but she has her own expectations and responsibilities as a teacher that need to be met. What does this mean? I think Rachel puts this into words well when she says, "...sometimes your students are going to scoff, but they'll thank you for it in the end."


We wish Ms. Rachel Bloom the best of luck as she continues her student teaching at Juniata Valley High School, and we thank her for sharing her experience and words of wisdom with us!

Hunter Kauffman

Team Leader, @TeachAgPSU Communications

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

College of Agricultural Sciences