Krista, Cows, and Ag Ed

  On April 20th, I got to conduct my second SAE visit with my cooperating teacher, Mrs. VanSant!  What is SAE?          Let's refresh here- it's been a while since my first SAE visit.  SAE is an acronym for "Supervised Agricultural Experience", and it is exactly what it sounds like. We utilize the opportunity of Supervised Agricultural Experiences for learners to get experience in different agricultural fields  outside  of the classroom. SAE helps FFA members to obtain FFA degrees, proficiency awards, career exposure, and even school credit! My 2nd SAE Visit!          Now for the moment you have all been waiting for: hearing about my very first ever SAE visit! Ag teachers will conduct SAE visits to see (in person) all of the cool things that their members are up to. At these visits, the advisor and member will talk together to set SAE goals, acknowledge strengths, and navigate areas for improvement. Dur...

         This semester has been CRAZY to say the least... but my heart hurts knowing that I am leaving Pequea Valley.  A Walking Bundle of Nerves           I remember being so scared my very first day! I was only familiar with one of the students in my class- he came to National FFA Convention with us to compete in the Poultry Evaluation CDE. And for some of these students, this was their very first ag class! That was enough pressure on its own! But all of these new, little faces staring at me because  I was in charge. Me, in charge of all of them. I think that was the most nerve-wracking part for me. I'm not gonna lie, I definitely struggled through that first week. The nerves on top of feeling unqualified really got after me.  A handful of kits make all the nerves go away :)         I had such an awesome class to pick up in January that my nerves quickly dwindled the next few weeks. As I got more...

 Last fall, PSU Ag Ed 23 popped into the Northern Regional PAAE Meeting. This spring, we got to attend the regional meetings of our cooperating teachers! On Tuesday, Mr. Masser, Mrs. VanSant, and I traveled to Conrad Weiser High School for the Eastern Regional PAAE meeting. We also brought a senior from Pequea Valley to attend SOCS with the state officers!          I love attending these events because I get to network with new teachers- especially since I hail from the west side of the state. I have also never gotten to see all of the cool things that Conrad Weiser does within their ag program, so it was a win-win! I also got to see fellow cohort members Lauren and Grace. It was really good to see them as we gear up for the end of our student teaching internship.          Upon arrival at Conrad Weiser, Lauren, Grace, and I took a quick self-guided tour to check out the facilities. We were immediately impressed! There is a research ...

 At Pequea Valley, there are numerous other incredible science teachers- one of them being Mr. Masser's wife! She teaches biology at Pequea Valley, so we get to see her often (we also eat lunch together)!  Since I was tasked with visiting another science teacher, I thought Mrs. Masser would be perfect to visit. I also really liked this prompt because I originally wanted to be a biology teacher, so I wanted to see what I was missing out on. I ended up visiting Mrs. Masser during her forensics class. I came on a really fun day, too; they were practicing mapping out crime scenes! I thought this was super cool- we never had anything like this when I was in high school. The learners looked very engaged in their activity that they were completing, which helped to get them up and moving around the room with a group. I liked watching them work together to map out crime scenes that were placed around the room. It was neat to see how their sketches differed.  Learners completed an ...

          On the last Monday of my student teaching internship, I participated in a mock interview with Pequea Valley's principals, Mr. Trovato and Mrs. Koberstein. I have really enjoyed getting to know and learn from both of them this past semester. I am very thankful that they took the time to meet with me and coach me through the interviewing process.          What Did They Ask Me?           Mr. Trovato and Mrs. Koberstein asked me a variety of questions. They first started out as most interviews do: tell us about yourself. I feel like I typically struggle with this question; I do not want to share too much, but I also want to make sure that I share enough. They also asked me why I wanted to be an educator. I really enjoyed that question because I got to share a little bit about my background and the influential teachers that I have had in my life. Another question that I enjoyed was being asked...