The In's and Out's of Week One

Hi everyone, over the next 15 weeks or so I will be highlighting my student teaching experience at Penn Manor High School each week and reflecting on the bigger picture of what I have learned or gained, so sit back and enjoy the journey with me!

Student Teacher Space

Well I survived my first week of student teaching and I'm going to let you in on a little secret...


It was awesome!!!!! Sure I just observed and helped out where I could but it was great!

Lets look back at how my week went...

Monday was a snow day, so I traveled to the farm show to see the FFA Mid-winter Convention, then Tuesday began my first day of observations. It is a pretty hectic time here at Penn Manor as this week concludes the marking period and Keystone Exams. This means we have had different bell schedules as well as a schedule within a schedule, can you say confusing. I spent the rest of the week observing and taking everything in, and there sure is a lot to take in.

Faculty meetings, people to meet, people to know, trying to keep kids names straight, FFA team practices, classes, and more.

So what have I really learned this week, there is a lot to to do and the structure and size of your Ag program will have a large impact on how things are handled. With Penn Manor being a 4 teacher department there is always a lot going on. This week alone there were several meetings, a panel discussion, 2 team practices, 2 peep jobs ( these are organized by our farm service committee, students go out to local farms and provide services, such as helping to bring in a new load of peeps), final exams, reviews, study hall duties, classes, and so much more.

Having gone through an Ag program with 1 teacher in high school, it is hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that so many events can take place and be well planned and executed.

Some other observations for the week include the craziness of agricultural classrooms. There are constantly students coming and going and dates and meetings being planned. I think it will take me a little while to get used to this excitement.

Overall it has been an enlightening week of observations and taking it all in and I am ready to pick up my first class next week, Introduction to Agricultural Mechanics... check back then to see how the adventure is going.