Spring Break 2022: Montana, I Miss You

     Mckenzie and I survived our immersion in Montana! Truthfully, we had a hard time coming back. Not just because of the time change, daylight savings time, and the sleep deprivation, but because Montana might just be my favorite place I have visited so far. 

What did we do?

   Mckenzie, myself, and the rest of the GOALs crew spent the last several months preparing for our spring break immersion. We revised lessons and lesson plans to fit our students' needs, drafted budgets and itineraries for the week, and spent hours making sure that this immersion would be as perfect as it could be. Once we arrived to Montana, we were able to do some typical touristy things like visiting Glacier National Park, exploring downtown Kalispell, driving through the Rocky Mountains, and of course, going to Murdochs. We definitely had a lot of fun the weekend that we arrived, but I would argue that we had even more fun once Monday rolled around. Mckenzie and I were at the H.E. Robinson Ag Education Center on Monday through Friday from 8:00AM-3:00PM for regular class, and we stayed for several different CDE practices until almost 7:00PM every day. Granted, Wednesdays are early dismissal days, so we only spent 6-7 hours at school that day. But by the end of the week, we were exhausted! 

Views from the Ag Center. Cows and mountains- nothing better. 

         We were able to observe several ag teachers until we taught "our" classes during 6th and 7th periods. Mckenzie and I enjoyed spending time in the greenhouse and in the shop; Mckenzie loves plants and I find amusement in high school freshmen with blowtorches. It was so much fun to see students so engaged in their classes; they loved being at the Ag Center. 

          Mckenzie and I had curriculum that was different than what they had been learning: we taught about global agriculture. We started out the week by discussing global citizenship and why global agriculture is important. Then we focused on Montana's important commodities and where they end up across the world. We ended the week with a mini research/presentation project about a country of their choice. The project focused on their country's agricultural customs, commodities, and issues. I think that the students had a lot of fun; I know that I definitely did. 

Some of the awesome Montana posters that students in our classes created!

               
What Did I Learn? 

Global Agriculture/Food Security
        While teaching, I was able to learn a lot about global agriculture- and most of it came from my students! Some of the things that they taught me was that some wealthy countries that produce a lot of commodities have problems with food accessibility. Other students taught me that some countries have such poor soil that it is hard for them to produce crops as well as livestock. One of the countries that was selected by a group of students produced a variety of different crops, but their trade policies make it difficult for them to export and import certain goods. Our students were able to complete so much in the short amount of time that they had and Mckenzie and I are super proud of them and their hard work. Mckenzie and I were also able to meet a few different agricultural producers in the Flathead Valley, which helped us to develop a better understanding of the agriculture in our students' lives. Those producers helped us to understand why they grow or produce certain products. These experiences helped us to expand our horizons on different agricultural topics. 


The country projects done by our students. They did a phenomenal job!

Students

            I was also able to learn a lot about students during my Montana immersion. One of the biggest things that I learned is that I need to strategically pick groups for sophomores. I had used a deck of cards to put students into randomized groups, but somehow I still had a group of rowdy boys. They were able to complete their presentation and did a great job, but I will likely try to find a way to be more selective next time. I also learned that they really liked to work together and bounce ideas off each other for their projects. Even though one group was rowdy, they were still able to work well together and complete their work. I also learned throughout the week that it is important to throw some fun activities into the mix of lessons to keep kids entertained and awake. Mckenzie and I created a fun presentation that included some images that contrasted what PA and Montana called certain things. Some of the slides included pictures of buggies, lightning bugs, and dippy eggs. The students loved it, and that activity helped us to connect with our students on a more personal level. It was fun for everyone!

Mckenzie, myself, and the students from my class!

Myself, Mckenzie, and the students from her class!


Myself as an Educator 

             This was my first time ever teaching in a formal setting. I have taught a few lessons to high school aged students at Deep Valley Christian Service Camp throughout the last few years, but this was so much different. There were also differences between the classes that Mckenzie and I taught which required different classroom management techniques. It was very helpful to have Mr. Heupel and Mrs. Knust (another ag teacher from the ag center) as they were both a lot of help when we did not know what how to handle certain situations. One thing that I learned about myself is that I have need to improve my time management skills and follow my lesson plans a little closer. Sometimes I ended a little early, and sometimes I was crunched for time. I think that will more practice I will be much better with time and experience. 

One of the local agricultural producers we were able to visit. The Kalispell Kreamery does not homogenize their milk; this means that the cream rises to the top and needs to be shaken before you drink it! Not homogenizing the milk seems to make digestion easier for those who are lactose intolerant. 

Just For Fun...

        As someone who has never been to Montana before, it was super neat to see how different it was compare to Pennsylvania. I learned what a huckleberry was last week and that people don't commercially grow them. Some of the students told me that they have a favorite huckleberry patch somewhere up in the mountains that they go to pick wild huckleberries. We even taught the Montana teens what dippy eggs were. They, in turn, told us that we were totally wrong, but they don't know that is good- they've never had a Pennsylvania dippy egg. 

          Mckenzie and I also had the amazing opportunity to spend our first full day in Montana at Glacier National Park. Though some of the roads and trails were closed due to the mountain's heavy snowfall, it was absolutely beautiful. We were in love with the mountains and spent an awful long time staring at them when we first touched ground on Friday afternoon.

So much snow! No complaints from me! :)

            One of our favorite things to do was to stop at the "coffee sheds" before school. Tiny coffee shops (that seriously looked like sheds) are everywhere in Kalispell, so Mckenzie and I tried several of them! A lot of the coffee sheds used natural ingredients for their tea/refresher type drinks, including local huckleberries in a huckleberry lemonade- which was my favorite coffee shed drink from the whole week. 

Seriously the BEST coffee shed drink!

A Whole-lotta Thanks

            There were a lot of moving parts to this trip that ended up in the success of our immersion. Mckenzie and I are very, very thankful for the teacher from Kalispell that helped us through our immersion and invited us to his school. Mr. Heupel has been noting but amazing during our trip. His family was also very inviting and we appreciated their company and hospitality during our week in Montana. Mrs. Knust was also beyone helpful as she allowed me to teach her class of sophomores. She was so much fun to learn from and talk with. I am also very appreciative of USDA NIFA with their monetary support throughout the entire GOALs program. This program has been extremely beneficial to me and my professional development and I have no doubts that it will continue to benefit future participants. 

I am also very thankful to those who have been rooting me on from the sidelines. I wouldn't be where I am without any of you. 

Thank you for your endless support,

Krista Mathias

Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park



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