FINAL Reflections of Teaching At McGuffey High School

I never thought it would be here, and it got here a lot faster then I thought it would.. my last day of my student teaching internship.  I came into teaching feeling a lack of confidence in myself and now I am leaving with more self-confidence, great relationships and all of the memories that I have made at McGuffey.  I feel like the word bittersweet is over used, and doesn't explain my emotions about how I finished this experience, but it is truly bittersweet. I am beyond excited to move onto my next journey, and I am so incredibly proud of myself for moving 6 hours away from home for 14 weeks. On the other hand, I will miss my students and I know that they will miss me. I will forever hold on to our talks in the greenhouse, helping student who have had a bad day, and always photo-bombing their snapchats. They are the ones who have made it worth while to me.



This student teaching internship has taught me a few new things, and here are some of them:

• Students will always come first in my classroom. I want them to feel comfortable and safe. They all need to feel welcomed and loved, even in a school and educational setting. 
• Ag Teachers do more than just teach... We check on show animals, water the greenhouse on days off, make sure our kid's are okay, wipe back the tears and bring on the smiles, and most importantly help those students find their place in life and help them grow. 
• School politics are never-ending. It is so important to have a good relationship with your administrators, and make sure that everyone is on the same page. Always keep in mind the number one thing, our students. 
• Technology is changing. Always. As a teacher, it is our job to learn and know the ways that technology is changing, so we can integrated it into our classrooms. 
• Last but not least, student's won't care about what you know, where you've been or your personal experiences, until they know how much you care. Always put those kiddo's first. 

Well, I can't begin to thank everyone who has helped me reach this point enough. I feel so privileged and blessed to work alongside some fantastic students and two awesome cooperating teachers. It has been quite the educational journey, McGuffey.  

Until my next teaching adventure happens, next stop exploring to find your purpose in agriculture. 

Evelyn A. Zaleski

Week Fourteen & I'm Done Teaching Teens!

Well, week 14 is my last week student teaching. We only had class on Monday through Wednesday and the rest of the week and he following week is Spring Break for the kids.  It was weird coming into school this week, knowing I won't ever enter the doors here again as a student teacher. I feel like I blinked and these past 14 weeks have flown by. Every minute counts for teaching, so I was sure to use the best instructional time for these last 3 days.

Some of my opportunities for improvement this week included clarity in instruction. I don't want to be harsh, but I suck at directions. I have definitely improved over the course of the semester, but this is quite a struggle for me. For my one intro to agriculture class, I taught the same class 3 different times. It was like the first period was a complete disaster, second period was okay and better, and by period 3 I had it down! So there was daily, weekly and monthly improvements for me. Another thing for me to improve upon is informal assessments. I feel like I have gotten somewhat better at this, but needless to say I can still improve.

Some gems to end this week include have my "Do Now" as engaged class time. My students and I really value the time in the classroom, which is beneficial to all of us. I know that they do want to learn and have fun while doing it. Other gems include my classroom management has gotten a lot better.

As I end this week, it just doesn't feel real. I guess this is just one chapter, and its definitely a good chapter in my book!

Interview With Mr. Ealy - LAC

Mr. Ealy is a chairman of the Local Advisory Committee for the McGuffey FFA Chapter. Due to the fact that I will not be able to attend their meeting because it is in the end of May, I interviewed Mr. Ealy on April 9th.

Interview questions:

Me: How long have you been a chairman of the LAC?
Mr. Ealy: Since it first began.

Me: How did you get involved with the LAC?
Mr. Ealy: Back in the day, I was a member of the McGuffey FFA chapter, and as I have grown up in the community and now even have my own two children that have gone through and have been in the program. I also knew Renee very well when she got her job, and when she asked me to be on her local advisory committee, I jumped right on board.

Me: Why do you help out with the LAC?
Mr. Ealy: I choose to help out with the LAC because the agricultural program at McGuffey has really helped me and my children grow into the people we are today. They have a great program that helps all the students in their own way become a person of society. I know I can help this program and help the future students that walk though this program.

Me: What are your general expectations of an agricultural teacher?
Mr. Ealy: My general expectations for an agricultural educator include teaching the students about the local and global agricultural regions. Another important thing is to include all aspects of agriculture, from forestry to plant science, animal science to ag mechanics. Students need to know all of the career opportunities that the agricultural industry can provide them. Another expectation is that the teacher will teach the students life knowledge from their communication to interview skills.

Me: What goals do you have to help better the LAC and the Agricultural Program?
Mr. Ealy: Well this past year we just got approved for a grant of making improvements to the entire system, so right now I would like to see an increase in the number of students taking agriculture. That way, we can start to help change and affect more lives an a younger age and for the betterment of our program and the students.

Student Learning Objective & Action Research Project

The McGuffey High School like any other Pennsylvania School is required to have their students take the Keystone Tests. Looking at previous years of results, students at McGuffey High School have low percentage points in their literature and vocabulary skills. To improve this, I have helped create an action plan.

The Problem:

The main problem is that students have difficulty expressing conceptual knowledge on assessment components that require written expression. So the main problem is that we are not building the learning capacities of students to express their content knowledge in varying formats consistently and according to defined strategies.

Instructional Strategies:

- Post, review and utilize Keystone Assessment Rubrics and other common rubrics in courses. 

- Increase the exposure of students to assessment items that require students to express their content knowledge by utilizing written expression. 

- The High School Faculty will engage in a consistent student conferencing process with students that transfers ownership of the learning process to students, they will also incorporate academic coaching strategies to increase the students understanding of their personal achievement needs with an emphasis on written expression.

McGuffey High School Writing Initiative Teacher Conferencing and Feedback Strategies:

One method for increasing student academic achievement in your course is providing students with quality feedback on their performance in ways that are positive and encouraging. All students come to school wanting to do well, but some struggle partly due to the inability to connect to the content, to the teacher, or to both at a personal level. If we invest in student conferencing, our school can tap into something that is powerful, personal, and at the heart of our profession as educators. It is as much a part of the solution as the writing itself because it unleashes two of this faculty’s greatest strengths, our ability to communicate and the care we have for every student. We know if students write more, their writing will steadily improve, but if we invest the time to do conferencing, I believe we can tap into something that is transformational. Effective student conferencing is not easy, but when done well it can provide a great opportunity for you to clarify your learning expectations, provided specific feedback, and remind them that we are “all in” for their success.

A few facts about student conferencing and feedback to maximize the time you spend conferencing based on How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students by Susan Brookhart (2008).

1-    The major benefit of student conferencing is that it provides the teacher an opportunity to give personal feedback to the student on their performance.

2-    Feedback is an important component of formative assessment.

3-    Good feedback impacts more than the cognitive understanding of the student on the activity, it also impacts their motivation to improve.

4-   Feedback is more than a review of the grade on the activity; it requires a discussion on specific ways in which a student can improve their performance on the next learning opportunity.

5-   Feedback builds first on the positives of the student performance and then transitions into specific strategies students can use to improve their performance.

6-    Good feedback is clear and specific.

7-    Good feedback builds the capacity of students to become self-regulated learners.

8-    Providing good student feedback is a skill that requires practice.

9-    It is essential that students can describe your expected outcome for the activity to you, if they can’t this is a good place to begin the discussion.

1- Feedback should be self-referenced, meaning that you are comparing the student’s performance against their own past performance instead of the class as a whole.

1- Comment on one or two points and suggest small steps for improvement. Use simple vocabulary and check for understanding of content-related terms.

Community Based Unit of Instruction - Saving the Bees!

My Service Learning and Community Based Unit of Instruction was based on the beehives that the McGuffey High School and Agricultural program got in a grant.  I wanted to help build the program and incorporate the bees into my classroom, so I decided to make a unit based on the bees.  For the short term time, I wanted my students to learn more about what environment the bees need. I had them complete research on the types of pollinator gardens that we could build just for the bees. I wanted to make sure that we met the needs of the bees for the entire year, and not just a month or two out of the summer. To help fun this project and make it work, I applied for two different grants. One was with Walmart in our local area and the other was completed though Tanger Outlets. If we get more grant money, we would be using it to spend on resources for planting and maintaining our area.

            Due to the fact that I had gotten out of school a week early due to the Spring Break, I would have originally used that time to work on our pollinator garden. In my place, I contacted the Washington County Beekeepers Association. Currently in the month of May, we will be having representatives from the Beekeepers Association to come to the school and teach students about pollinator gardens. Students will be eating their lunch outside do we can have more time working with the bees and outside. The first two instructional days will take an hour and half of their time. Through the end of May, the beekeepers association will also be having volunteers coming out and helping us plant and place the flowers we have ordered. This will be helpful for some who has such a high knowledge about bees to help us increase their populations. The Washington County Beekeepers Association told me that they plan on giving me 10 to 12 instructional and work hours of their time to the bees and my students.

            I am highly disappointed that I will not be able to attend and help my students grow with this project, but I feel confident that they will be receiving the best knowledge and care by the professionals with the Washington County Bee Keepers Association.

School Administrator Interview

March 2nd was the date that I had an administrator interview with Mr. Magnotta, the Assistant Principle and then Dr. Jacob, the Assistant Superintendent of McGuffey School District. I walked in and sat down in Mr. Magnotta's office with him and Dr. Jacob. I introduced myself, and we had some small talk. They both asked me a few questions and I answered them with confidence. After about 10 minutes, we stopped and just laughed. This was the most awkward thing for all of us. We had a good discussion that was even better afterwords. I could ask them real questions about teaching, and my portfolio. They were honest. At that point in time, I wasn't sure I wanted to teach, and to be honest I probably change my mind 12 times a day. I think it was good and important discussion to talk about when an administrator asks for, and how to seek out bad administration.

I am very confident in my interview abilities. I can bring great things to a company or school, and in my mind, it is my final decision if I want to help and choose the company I work for. The most difficult thing about interviewing for a job is figuring out the culture of a workplace. I have easily learned that most workplaces are not what I want in a career. I want honesty, openness and encouragement. One day, I will find the right job for me, and I will not be wasting my time in the wrong field or business because my time is priceless.

Week Thirteen & I'm a Teaching Machine!

Wow. What a week!!

This week was absolutely crazy!! On Monday, we had the NOCTI test for our seniors. As a student, I thought the NOCTI was a well organized test, but little did I know that on the teaching side, holy crap. It was a hot mess. Teachers don't get a substitute for the day of the NOCTI, so they are responsible for also teaching class while helping monitor and get students prepared for this test.

Tuesday was a much calmer and better day. I had the pleasure of Dr. Foster's attendance for his final review of my teaching for the spring semester. I thought my day went well, and personally, I feel even more confident as a teacher. I can feel and see my growth over the semester, which was really nice because I don't know if I could ever say that about any other semester at Penn State. After my day with Dr. Foster, I went home and we had our conference call. To be honest, I know there is good information being shared there, but I have learned why my parents hate conference calls. -They are just definitely not my thing. I don't feel that it can accomplish as much, as if we were face to face, and I just feel really uncomfortable talking. I rather type to get my opinion out so that I do not feel that I am interrupting someone.

Wednesday, we had Senator Bartolotta come out to McGuffey High School. This was very exciting because I felt that we could introduce our students to another from of agriculture that is neglected... politics!  Students can make a difference in agriculture by being involved and running in politics. Another active thing that happened on Wednesday night was the New and Beginning teacher workshop. I don't want to discuss too much of this, as I just did a blog post on it! I did enjoy my time, and I thought it was extremely helpful.

So, back to this week. Some gems for this week was my confidence. I have struggled with gaining confidence in myself my entire life, but this week I felt that I was coming out on top. I have felt that I was nailing my objectives and keeping my students creative and busy.

Some opportunities for improvement include reading my students better. This week, I have had some good conversations with them. I do want them to know that I care, even if I might only see them for just 15 weeks. Other things include small classroom management strategies. Giving gestures or small signals to get my class to listen to me. I feel though if I just started that now, it wouldn't make a difference with only 3 teaching days left.


Overall, it is becoming quite bittersweet. My students surprise me everyday, and they are the ones who have really kept me going.

Here's to my last week!

Looking ahead:
Construction: Electrical Wiring/Ohms Law
Intro to Ag: Root/Leaves - Plant Science
Animal Science: Meat Science!

Visiting Mr. Rider @ Tyrone

On Friday March 10, I traveled Tyrone, Pennsylvania to visit Matthew Rider and Tiffany Hoy. I was greeted at the front door by Mrs. Hoy and she walked me through her program. I had been there before, so I had seen the shop that she had, but this time her hydroponics system was new! It was cool to see the different plants growing in the water, and how it was very welcoming to the room.

I walked in to see Mr. Rider teaching his class. He started with a small class with about 8 girls and 2 boys. It was laid back, as they were completing his projects. It was cool to see how his chalk board was set up, as he had his daily objectives and his do now on the board. It was easy to see and find what was to be done that day. Matt went through his normal day, and I asked students questions and they answered and explained to me what they were doing.

One animal science class had rats and they were measuring the rats' weight and tail length to see if there was any difference in nutritional value of the food they were giving it. Each student had their research completed and they were finishing the graphs and images on their poster. Another class that I observed was an introduction class where they were completing wood working projects for making a stool. These students were at all different levels and it was great to see Mr. Rider interact with the other students at those different levels.

Overall, there were some major and minor differences in both of our programs. Their program had a smaller space but I liked their desk and classroom set up much better.  Overall, both programs are highly successful, and it was fun to go and visit another class for the day!

New & Beginning Teacher Workshop

Professional Development. What is professional development? Defined; Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as formal coursework, conferences and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. Over my time spent with Dr. Foster and Penn State, I have learned that professional development can be this intensive and collaborative learning session, while also expanding my knowledge in particular subjects and opening the door to many new faces.

This time, at the New and Beginning Teacher Workshop, I was the youngest of the 6 people there. It was truly fascinating to see so many people with the same passion of agriculture to sit around the room. My only concern with this meeting, is that there was a low attendance rate, and so much good information was being said and discussed that those people who were not there, missed out on it. I would highly recommend getting out there to a new and beginning teacher workshop. Although there are a lot of single teacher programs, we can't continue to fight for and teach ag by ourselves, so there is a purpose for us to be there, and fight for agricultural education across the commonwealth.

PAAE Meeting - Western Region

On March 23, Renee Cambruzzi, John Leasure, Jodie Hoover and I, traveled to our Western PAAE meeting. After being exposed to the Northern Region and State PAAE meeting this past year, I somewhat had an idea of what to expect. At the same time, being from the other side of the state, I have really experienced somewhat of a culture shock. The western side of the state has really had open arms to welcome me in, and I felt the same way when we got to Hoss's that night. We sat down and ordered our meals, and chatted about the days' events and the high and low teaching moments. After dinner we started our meeting. At the meeting, we discussed where the state PAAE meeting would be held, what dues need to be paid and bills in legislation.

Overall, these meetings have had a large impact on my views of agricultural educators. It is amazing what work they do inside and outside of school. As a high school student and an active FFA member, I never knew what work teachers had other than teaching and grading homework.

PAAE is a great resource and I am excited as an agricultural teacher to be a part of it!

LEAKS on Week 12!

Well, week 12 ended a little shorter than our other weeks. We had a half day on Thursday and no school on Friday, due to a main water line break! School didn't have water, so we couldn't have the students. This week, although it was cut short, I had another great week!

I started out teaching a construction class this week, and it has been awesome!! I have a class full of 13 upper class boys, and this has been my best class so far. I have really set up my expectations that you come into my room, answer the do now, and then we work and after we clean up and before class is over, we complete our exit ticket. I really enjoy this class because I can make it very hands on every day, and these boys really respect me and look up to my knowledge.

Another great thing that happened this week was that my classroom management has greatly improved in my introduction classes. I feel that they have gotten used to me more, and how our classroom runs. My weeks where I am there every day the students are great, while if I need a sub one day, or we have a field trip, getting the group back on board can be somewhat difficult.

One opportunity for improvement that I have, includes reading my students better. Some students I have trouble reading if they understand the content. I have struggled with this since day one, and I can say that it is getting better, just very slowly. More importantly, I struggle with reading students if they are having a good or bad day. I feel that this is important because if students are not feeling the best mentally or physically, they cannot perform the best in my classroom, and I want to strive to keep them in a comfortable learning environment.

Looking into next week!
Intro to ag: Roots of plants!
Animal Science: Presentations and Meat science
Introduction to construction: Electrical unit