Mathias and Mahler Take on Montana

     In just one week from today, Mckenzie and I each will be teaching a week-long unit on Global Agriculture in Kalispell, Montana! We are a part of a launch program called GOALs (or Global Orientation for Agricultural Learning) that is partnered with the World Food Prize, USDA NIFA, the University of Idaho, and, of course, Penn State! Last semester we dove into global food insecurity and were able to attend the 2021 World Food Prize. But this semester we get to take what we have learned about global agriculture and apply it to the classroom!

Mckenzie and I beside the Nittany Lion Shrine!


What Am I Excited About?

Being A Part of a School-Based Agricultural Education Program

        My high school did not have an agricultural education program, so I missed out on a lot of cool opportunities that school-based ag ed has to offer. I am super excited to finally be able to participate in things like ag-based classes and after school CDE practices. I am looking forward to observing our host teacher, Mr. Heupel, in the classroom and being able to take the things I see Mr. Heupel do and apply them in my own classroom.

Teach My Very First Class

        I have been in a teacher-role before, but never in a classroom setting. I spent the last few years being a college staff member at Deep Valley Christian Service Camp in Slippery Rock, PA and have been able to teach a few lessons. That is where I found my passion for teaching (and also found out that high schoolers are really fun to teach). Teaching at Deep Valley was a much more informal setting than inside a school classroom, so I am looking forward to taking the fun things I have learned at Deep Valley into the classroom. 

Meet Other Agricultural Educators

        My lack of SBAE during high school has left me without a network of agricultural educators. H.E. Robertson Agricultural Education Center is very focused on ag ed and has a total of six ag teachers. I am really excited to meet more ag teachers from another state and create connections on our trip to Kalispell. I do not have many connections across the state of Pennsylvania, so I am very excited to expand my network to the state of Montana. 

The Agriculture Education Center Mckenzie and I will be teaching at during spring break!


What Am I Nervous About?

Managing My First Classroom Alone

        I'm not going to lie, I am pretty nervous about being in charge of a bunch of rowdy high schoolers on my own. I also haven't learned many classroom management skills yet in my ag ed journey. I do know that Mr. Heupel will help me out whenever I need it, but he is also going to encourage and push me to be the best teacher and leader that I can be. Mckenzie will also be very helpful as this is also her first time leading a classroom solo. We are both very excited to teach for the first time, but we are also nervous to manage our own classroom.


Traveling Without an "Adult"

    Yes, yes, 21 technically qualifies me as an adult, I know. I have never flown without the company of a parent/guardian or a different experienced flyer. Mckenzie and I are both novice flyers, so I am definitely nervous about traveling 2,000 miles from Pennsylvania to Montana. Flying by ourselves will definitely be a great experience for us, though, so that we can travel more and successfully in the future. This will grow our confidence as individuals and also help us keep a schedule and manage our time. 


One Question That I Have...

        The question that I have is: How do we know if the students are or are not impacted by us? I have no doubt that we will be impacted by the students, but I am curious to know how or if the students will be impacted by us and what we have taught them. 

Been planning this for what feels like forever; we are SO excited that it is finally happening!


    I am very excited, nervous, and thankful for the opportunity to teach a class in Montana and travel with my friend, Mckenzie, to represent the GOALs program and Penn State Ag Ed. I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences in a couple weeks. Wish me luck!

And thanks for reading:) 







        

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 3, 2022 at 9:32 AM

    Can't wait for you to arrive! This is going to be great :)
    -Kalee Knust

    ReplyDelete

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