Marvelous Life of Michaela

This week was definitely strange, crazy, and different compared to any other week with my student teaching experience! We all know how the COVID-world works; you never know when you will be virtual, who will be quarantined, and how each day will play out. This week was certainly no different, as my ct was quarantined all week and we were focused on wrapping up the third marking period! There were subs, fire drills, animals, and many labs, and while it was hectic at times, the students learned so much and wrapped up the 3rd marking period!  Monday started with a lab in food science and hydroponics systems being designed and built in horticulture. In food science, students used direct specification to create small, fruity gelatin balls that burst in your mouth! This was round 2 of this lab since it didn't work the best the first time they performed the lab. We found out that grape juice doesn't work that great, but the lab was successful (and very delicious) the second time aroun...

Each week of student teaching, I feel like it is going to be too much and that I do not know content well enough to teach it. By the end of the week though, I have been feeling proud of what I have accomplished. Since I have been teaching a full load, I have added two classes I don't feel very confident in: horticulture and food science. Even though it has been a struggle with these classes, I realized how much I am learning while teaching. One of fellow cohort members, Elise, tweeted this week asking #psuaged21 what they were learning from their students and I realized that I am learning so much in every subject. My students are so smart and want to learn and explore subject areas which only challenges me to learn with them! For example, I was about to teach a lab on making candy from different sugars which challenged me to study carbohydrates and the stages of making sugar. From assigning these labs and other assignments, I am able to learn so much that I hope to take into my own...

When deciding which cohort member I wanted to visit virtually, I decided to go with someone that teaches at a school very far away from mine and a school that I thought ran things differently than Pequea Valley. Who might that be you ask? Why, Megan Royer! I was very excited to visit Miss Royer virtually and learn all about a school that is so close to New York, it might as well be a part of that state! Like always, the day I chose to observe or have someone observe me always turns into a crazy day! I visited Athens when they had a half day, so the entire day was a “Go, Go Go!” kind of day, but one I can relate to and appreciated seeing. On top of that, the school was playing the wrestler matches for a few of the school’s students that made it to States. I was also excited to visit Miss Royer because I knew she had lots of fun and exciting projects going on and wanted to compare and get ideas for future courses I might teach!   Miss Royer teaching many courses throughout the day, a...

Week 7 of student teaching was one of those weeks that felt like it was going slow each day, but now that it has past, it felt like it flew by. This is officially the end of my first week teaching a full course load. I know am teaching Vet Science, Intro to Ag Mech, Horticulture, and Food Science, with Food Science being the latest course I pick up. The week was full of trial and error, projects being almost completed, and a few half-days to plan for! The Into to Ag Mechanics students wrapped up their plumbing projects this week, which completed the unit! They each got to test their creations that took weeks to complete for each of them. Their plumbing squares included pex, cpvc, copper pipes, galvanized pipes, and polyethylene and then at the end they tested to see if their square would have any leaks in them. It was a successful testing day and no none had any leaks! This was such a fun project to work on and I can confidently say that this will be one of my favorite things that I di...