Week 10

Monday

8th Grade - First period is always my rougher period. There is a lot more students, they are a lot more talkative and I never feel prepared. I really need to work on this. A lot, it is not fair to them that my first period kind of stinks, but my second period is good. That is what happened today, my second period was better. I tend to be a lot better second period because I know what worked and what didn't work with first period. I really need to work with getting my first period better. I am going to create a seating chart to try to break up my boys in the back and see if that will get them to listen a little bit better. I tend to teach to the front of the class because the students up there are engaged and want to learn, where as my outlying students are not as interested and engaged in the lesson.

Leadership- Today I had the students complete a little bit of little professor. I had each table working on a different topic, we had soil ph, nutrients, nutrient deficiencies, and how plants take up N, P and K. The groups worked together and created presentations to teach their class about their topic. I believe this worked okay, I am having some issues with groups working to the best of their abilities.

Ag Mechanics - Today we worked on getting our engines cleaned to be able to put them back together. I had talked to one of my students and Dr. Ewing about how to get this one stinking piece off of an engine. They both suggested that maybe there was a little piece of the back of it that could be loosened with an allen wrench. THERE WAS NO SUCH THING! And the grinder was not really working, so then they had to use to torch to get it off. The one student that I was talking to last week said he would be in my class today to work in his other class and help me if I needed it for that engine. I wanted to let the group work on their own engine, but they didn't know how to use the torch, and the student that promised me that he knew how to use the torch....did know how to use it, but he wasn't the best at it so I had the student that came to help them, work with the other students to get the piece off. It is amazing how much the other students respect this one student. I mean I know he is a senior, but he is really just a relaxed guy that everyone likes. I was happy to have a helper with that project. Mr. Stollar and I kept ourselves busy helping other groups and aiding them as they cleaned their engines.

Tuesday

Today I went on a field trip to Penn Tech. We toured the forestry, horticulture and diesel mechanics departments. These students are so impressive, they were not on their phones at all, listened to the presents, shushed other students if they started talking. They are a very mature group in that aspect and know then to act grown up. They did not ask a lot of questions, but I think that they were also just soaking it all in. A student in my ag mechanics class was especially interested in the diesel mechanics. The tour guide said that the major fills up really quickly and after he said that he came over and asked me very seriously and politely if I could help him apply so he could get on the list. I said that I would and I also told him to talk to the tour guide teacher, which he did, and got a business card. He asked him how much tuition was and his eyes kind of got big with the answer, but I know there will be a lot of scholarship opportunities for him. There was also a Penn Tech student that kept talking to me that I asked a couple questions about regarding scholarships and other campus life and I called the student over and he was very attentive to who I was talking to and I encouraged him to ask questions as well.  I am really happy for this student and hope that he will actually go to Penn Tech after he graduates. I think it will help him acquire a bright future.

On the bus ride home some of the students sat closer to me to talk. We exchanged fishing and hunting stories and they told me some nice areas to go hiking in the Dover area. I asked Mr. Stollar if I needed to schedule a oil change or if you are just supposed to show up at the shop, which then started a discussion with my students and they all want to change my oil, but I don't know if I trust them thatttt much. They were also yelling at me for not knowing how to do it myself and how dare I. They also asked me a lot of technical questions...that I did not have answers to. Probably should not have asked about engine related things in front of my engines class. Oops.

Wednesday

8^th grade – they are taking the PSSAs right now so I did not have to go over there and I got two full periods of prep. I was super excited for all that free time alone….little did I know I was so popular. A girl that has an independent study with Mr. Stollar came in to get a computer and her and I got started talking about horses and her future plans and being a college student and if she should create a horse judging team for states. She then decided she wanted to work in my room since everyone was being productive in the shop as well. Then another girl came in to talk to Mrs. B then stuck around, we talked about her SAE project and she helped me prep since she can sign onto a school laptop and print to the ag room. They are both great girls and I am glad that they can seek me out and talk to me. The one especially needs a good female role model.

Leadership- Phew. Today, I actually yelled. Like really yelled. I kept kind of yelling when students were not listening to their peers when they were giving answers. I then really yelled when a student jumped across another one to grab cookies.  I guess the ag business students told Mrs. B that I did a good job and that it was about time I yelled at them. I then yelled later on when two students were messing with each other’s projects and started to shove each other across the classroom. They decided they were going to stop and that they did not want morning detention to learn how to sit correctly in a chair. But besides all that hog wash, I think I actually did a good job with reviewing today. I decided to cut an activity in half and finish it tomorrow because I didn't think there would be enough time to do it justice, so I had the student’s complete three questions for a ticket out then we reviewed the objectives and their ticket out as a class. I tried really hard to not get angry with the student but with the situation, I think they found that out, because I didn't get hostile to the rest of the class. But, of course they also had to be extra bad this week when I have already been battling a head cold. Some of the students told me my face got really red and I said well it is kind of hard to yell when you can’t breathe as it is.

AG Mechanics – Today we kept cleaning out engines as well as start to reassembly them. I helped a student look up what he needed to do in order to apply to Penn Tech, and I talked with each of the groups to see how they are doing. Tecumshe look really weird on the inside, like random parts and I’m like dude, I don’t know what that is. Yesterday the students saw me send a snapchat so now some of them call me mrs.snapchat and they keep trying to stalk me on social media outputs. However, they will never find me. Muahahaha. Mrs. B suggested having the student’s snapchat each other engine parts then they have to identify the part within the 10 seconds of seeing it. The ag mechanics class is really goofy. I really get along well with the students now, I just sometimes feel like I am not in control because I don’t know everything. But that is what this experience is for, to learn along with the students. And, I am at least impacting them with small social skills because I have had conversations with all of them and know about their lives and their stories.

Thursday

8th Grade - PSSA testing so I stayed at the high school and worked on assignments. Mrs. B stayed behind today as well rather than traveling.

Leadership- As part of the bellwork it was to ask them what they learned yesterday. A lot of my gentleman had smart answers such as to not jump across the room or shove each other. This made me laugh, and I told them I meant content wise. I got two really great answers. One from one of my interesting gentleman and one from a girl. They essentially said they realized how many people were dying from a lack of food and how they have never realized it before. That is the answer I was looking for. I want my students to think about more than just themselves and how to feel bad and have empathy for other people.

Ag Mechanics - I have finally reached the sweet spot with them! I brought the extra candy with me to their class. Today we went over why torque is important on engines. Our frequent visitor to class had the correct answer, so he got a snickers. Then everyone wanted to talk and we had a really good discussion. We went out into the shop and kept working on cleaning our engines. The students fixed the cleaning station in the back, so there was a bit of a line of students to start to clean their engines. Other students were ordering new parts for their engines. A group asked me to help them use the puller to get the crankcase off. I have never used one of these and for all the other groups either they already knew how to use it or Mr. Stollar worked with them. It was with a super friendly group so I was like ehhh we can learn by trial and error. We were working on it for a while, mostly laughing that we had no clue what was going on, then two other gentlemen were sent over and they were like we got this. Except when they said this, it wasn't mean, it wasn't with them rolling their eyes. They just got to work and demonstrated how to do it. It is amazing how much rapport works with students. Class is so much easier now that we all work well together. The students want to tell me about their lives. They also were trying to guess my age which was quite funny as well. I like this class a lot now.

One student in ag mechanics was walking back from lunch and I waved at him while I was waiting for my leadership class to come back and he ran up to me and gave me a goofy hug, and I gave him a one arm pat. I am glad that he was in a good mood since he was at his grandmothers funeral yesterday. He is a gooofy kid. I am so happy that my ag mechanics class is going so much better now.

Friday

8th grade- Stayed at the high school and did work. Students visited, maybe convinced them to bring me coffee Monday because they love me and miss me in horticulture class.

Leadership - Its Friday. It is always so weird how much students personalities change on Fridays. Some were doing a really good job at paying attention...that typically don't, while others that are usually really good, were off the wall hyper. Today I went over the rubric of what they will be graded on for the Developing 21st Century Ag Advocates unit. Aka my community based unit. Students will be posting on twitter and instagram about #dlead4hunger and will be sharing facts and what we are doing in our class to fight hunger. They will also be completing blog posts and working on a group project that includes either print or digital media to get students to bring canned food into our classroom. My interesting child is assigned to take the minutes for class every day. He does just a good job with derailing me when I am trying to teach. I really need to get meaner with him. His questions are not relevant and he is distracting.

Ag Mechanics - Well while Mr. Stollar is out at the Bahamas....my students were checking out the substitute. I am glad she kind of hung out in the office rather than in the shop. That would have been too many distracted boys. But we did our regular intro, groups worked on their projects. I told them today would be the last day for cleaning and everyone must be ready to reassemble on Monday. I gave individual demonstrations on how to measure the piston ring gap and talked about why it is important. Mrs. B and I came up with a way to review before the students leave for the day. I decided it was not worth herding the students back into the classroom and trying to get them to shut up in order to review....so instead, I have flash cards of parts and tools that I quiz the students on. Today was the first day trying that and  lot of them got really into it, which was exciting.

5th Period - A girl from horticulture class came to meet with me to discuss her creating an SAE project. She currently comes on weekends and stays after school sometimes to take care of the plants in the greenhouse. This girl does a lot of cool things and I think she would be a great asset to FFA which she is not currently apart of. I think I have her pretty hooked, but I really hope she sticks with it.