Week Two of Student Teaching at Lampeter Strasburg

Week two of student teaching was eye opening.  Monday as well as Friday were in service days.  Mrs. Oberholtzer and I made the most of it making copies, evaluating supplies, and brushing up on lessons.  The hallways were dark and quiet and I’m not sure if other teachers were tucked in their rooms or scooted out early.  Either way I saw that on days like Monday and Friday it is very important to get the most out of it.  Come in with a plan, work, work, work and make preparations you otherwise could not until the end of the regular school day. 

Fast forward to Thursday night which I had been super excited for all week.  Thursday night was our county record book meeting at Lancaster Mennonite High School.  This was the first time I got to interact with the other ag. teachers within the county.  The evening began with a short presentation from the conservation district followed by a dish to pass supper. 

After finishing our meal we began grading record books.  I was a bit nervous at first grading student’s record books.  I didn’t want to cheat any student out of points they worked so very hard for.  Sometimes things are never how they seem and the grading sheet provided to me helped me work through student’s record books off of AET.  AET really seems like a great platform for students to record their records on.  The more interaction I have with it is making me feel comfortable enough to work with students one day on my own using it.  The evening was long, but it was very enjoyable to read through students’ record books.

The other part of the evening that really warmed my heart was the laughs and conversations I had with the other ag. teachers.  Lancaster County has a very diverse group of teachers ranging in numerous years of experience, personal backgrounds, gender, and curriculum taught.  It was powerful to see the thoughtfulness and care they put into their students.  Events talked about at this meeting would not be conducted for another two months, but it takes ideal preparation for such large events to go off without a hitch.  It was also great to hear kind words from so many people about the program that I am in and the cooperating teachers I am placed with.  I am truly excited for the next 13 weeks.  Monday I begin teaching Vet Science II and agricultural mechanics wish me luck!  Stay tuned to also hear about a career speaker panel I have set up to occur in just a few short weeks!