A Wild Ride Comes to An End

        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 comfortable with them, they got more comfortable with me. The most rewarding part of this experience was seeing them all come out of their shells and be themselves in class. I loved watching them interact with someone they might not usually work with in other classes. We joked around together (a lot...), we worked through new things, and created a class that we all looked forward to every day. They were never afraid to try new things, and I will always be thankful for that. 

Creating rabbit enrichment areas all the way back in week six!

Creating Connections

        As the semester progressed, I taught more classes: Introduction to Ag Mechanics, Biological Studies in Agricultural Sciences, Small Animal Science, and even dabbled in middle school ENR. I really loved meeting more and more students and watching those walls break down as they got this brand new teacher that they didn't know. We were able to laugh together, try new things, and even get frustrated when things didn't go the way we planned (which actually happened way more than I would have hoped haha). But again, I never heard a single complaint from any of the students in my classes.

They even pulled off a surprise party today! Also, Vet Science says that socks and sandals are"in" ;)

        This semester, I think I've been called "Loser" and "horse girl" more times than I ever have in my life! I have also been "boom roasted" more than I would like to admit, but I've definitely said more "boom roasts" than all of my students combined. For some reason, they really liked to joke about my salary... Or lack of my salary haha! 

        Even though we've had what seems like an endless amount of fun, they have taught me more than they realize. These kids taught me that it's ok to mess up- it happens to everyone all the time and that we can laugh at our mistakes. They encouraged me to always try my best, even when I feel like I couldn't make it through the day. Seeing their smiling faces could always turn a not-so-good day into a good day.

Pequea Valley's Passion

      The most surprising thing about Pequea Valley was that almost none of the ag students are "traditional ag kids". I know that when we hear "FFA" most our minds picture a similar student: born on a farm, shows livestock, and lives and breathes farming. But that's not the case at Pequea Valley. Most of our "ag kids" don't come from farming families. They live in an agriculturally rich area, but many do not have production ag backgrounds. This means that PV sees a lot of different students from all different backgrounds with different interests. I think this is so cool! Seeing the passion for agriculture from students who did not grow up in the industry is incredibly inspiring to me. 

The "Butter Boys" sharing their passion of people and agriculture with fourth graders!

        As someone who grew up involved in the industry, but was not involved in agricultural education, I love seeing their different views about agriculture and what it means to them. Though we became involved in agriculture in different ways, it is so fun and encouraging to share the passion of agriculture with them.

The Best Support System

        This semester, I was able to work with incredible students. But I was also able to learn from two incredible Ag teachers. Doug Masser and Jasmine VanSant were the best cooperating teachers I could have asked for. Being new to school-based agricultural education, I needed a strong and patient mentor to guide me through the internship- and Doug and Jasmine were exactly what I needed. After a good lesson, or even a not so good lesson, they always knew exactly what I needed to hear. 

Seriously... the best cooperating teachers I could've asked for.

           I learned that Pequea Valley would be my cooperating center pretty late in the game (about 3-4 months later than the rest of my cohort). That being said, Jasmine and I had to scramble a little quicker to get our ducks in a row before the student teaching internship began. Amongst teaching her normal classes, she also had to help me- who is new to this whole shindig- navigate through things at Penn State. 

    

            I really can't say enough good things about Jasmine. From allowing me to tag along to anywhere she went, to staying late after school to help me work through content, assignments, and navigate life as a student teacher, she never complained and was always willing to help me in any way I needed. When I begin my career, I will be happy if I can be half the educator, mentor, and friend that Jasmine has been to me. 

Life of an Ag Teacher: cutting copper pipe in the Ace Hardware parking lot so that it fits in your car!

What Happens Next?

        After many, many tears, I am packing my things and ready to return to PSU to complete the last week of my internship. This summer, I am back to milking cows [but getting allergy tested, too, for all that are worried;) ] and gaining horticulture experience by working at a local greenhouse! I will also be spending one last semester tying up loose ends, and then graduating this December. It has been a wild, wild ride and I have enjoyed every minute of it. 

A little piece of my heart will always belong in Lancaster County. 

If you made it this far, thanks for checking in! I hope that you've enjoyed following my Teach Ag journey. I have really appreciated all of your support and I cannot wait for what is in store.

With love,

Krista Mathias

(otherwise known as Krispy, Krispy Krista, or your favorite student teacher💗)