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A Life of Knowledge

Words cannot fully express how baffled I am that the semester is over. In just two short days, I will be giving my final presentation before I am shipped off to student teach at Pequea Valley! Our last lab was probably my favorite one because it was about something I am very passionate about- FFA.

    FFA.org has amazing "Life Knowledge" lessons for teachers for middle, high, and advanced high school that highlights units in FFA and SAE. I had so much fun searching through the different lessons and units to find one that I wanted chose to teach the cohort for the final lab. After going through the units available, I went with the "ME" unit which included lessons that are meant to build leadership and character. 

    The lesson I chose was "Understanding Values, Beliefs, Character, and Integrity " I thought this was an important lesson to share because it exemplifies what it means to be a great leader. This lesson was 50 minutes long, so I needed to shorten it to fit our 20 minute time frame to teach the lab. It included an Interest Approach (which I was able to use without adapting much), the body of the lesson, and a closing activity. For the most part, I did not really have to adapt much to this lesson to shorten it or make it work in a virtual setting. 

    One thing that I really struggled with and flustered me, was that I was having technical issues with my laptop. For some reason, I was not able to share the PowerPoint that I created, which would have made the lesson go much better. While I was upset that I couldn't share my PowerPoint, I realize that in the age of Zoom and online learning there will be possibilities for things to go wrong. I thought that my lesson went well despite the technical issues, and I loved hearing everyone else in my cohort as well. I thought each person had a great lesson that would work in person and on Zoom.

    I am not sure if I will utilize the Life Knowledge lessons while I am student teaching, but I love knowing that if I ever have a day where I am not sure what to teach or need a lesson for a substitute teacher, that I have these great lessons to fall back on. 

    As final presentations approach, I have reflected on my time at Penn State in the Agricultural & Extension Education Major and am so thankful and grateful for the people I have met and the things I have learned along the way! 

To my fellow cohort member- good luck and congratulations! I will cherish every class, crying sessions, last minute stresses, and most importantly, the laughs and friendships. 



Comments

  1. Megan RoyerDecember 13, 2020 at 10:32 AM

    Micheala! You did a fantastic job! I loved your lesson you did a fantastic job and I believe it is a lesson you could use later in your teaching career. I know you were having some technical difficulties but overall you did a good job rolling with the punches! I am so glad I got to be apart of this crazy journey with you! You've got this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nicole GuiseDecember 14, 2020 at 6:08 AM

    Michaela, your ability to remain positive in a sticky situation is something I greatly admire about you. Even though, I'm sure that in the moment it was frustrating for you, I think your lesson really benefitted from us just being able to have a conversation versus do the normal look at a PowerPoint, answer some questions, and be done. I'm keeping my fingers, arms, legs, you name it crossed for you and the whole cohort that we can have in-person instruction for as long as possible. Let me be the first to welcome you my corner of the world - south central PA, I know that you will have an amazing experience at Pequea Valley.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alyssa LandisDecember 18, 2020 at 1:02 AM

    Michaela,
    I also can't believe that our semester has come to an end! It's been a crazy semester, and I don't think I could have made it through without you! I'm really looking forward to seeing where your student teaching journey takes you!

    ReplyDelete

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