With this week holding SLLC and having staff development on Friday as a compensation day, my teaching was limited to Wednesday and Thursday. However, I was able to learn more on the days that I was absent from the classroom. When I returned, I was excited to look at the project that I had my students complete while I was absent. I created a "PhotoComic" for my horticulture students to complete. It was a comic strip on photosynthesis that depicted each step of photosynthesis. My students were struggling to understand the steps and process of photosynthesis. As a result, I allowed them to use any resources necessary to complete task. When I got back from SLLC, I was excited to see how the project went in the class. I got some VERY good results from them when I returned. They were happy with the assignment as it cleared up questions they had on photosynthesis.
For the two days that we had in class, the students worked in the greenhouse planting seeds to sell later in the semester. They were excited to plant and get their hands dirty after being in the classroom for the last two days.
My Introduction to AFNR class was a struggle for me this last week as we started into soils. Yes, I know that soils should be my strongest point, however, it is very hard do labs with 23 freshman who are hard to keep interested in the material. Furthermore, the school does not have the needed lab equipment. My solution to this is to show them the different pieces using video of the topic.
My welding class is in high gear to get everything completed in the next 3 weeks. Welding grades are coming in left and right. Class projects are being finalized and materials are being purchased. It is exciting to see them bring everything together that was taught thus far. Furthermore, the welding grades that I are being turned in are very good, the students are running strong beads and are doing a great job!
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Seeing the Leaders at SLLC
As a former FFA member who did not attend every conference available, I now know that I truly missed out on great experiences that the FFA has to offer. This past weekend I attended the State Legislative Leadership Conference (SLLC) in Hershey with my FFA chapter. I was blown away with the content of the conference. SLLC enabled students to not only learn about the legislative process, but they dove into the process by taking on roles within the legislature and fight for the issues they felt strongly about. As a result, students were not just learning about the process, they were utilizing it. On top of playing the part of being at state legislature, students were able to meet and greet their state representative and state senator. For my chapter, this was awesome because we were able to ask questions that will affect agriculture in the local community. I was impressed with the many and deeply thought out questions that were brought up by the students for the legislative members. Not only was I impressed but I could feel that the representatives were enjoying the highly thought out questions the students were posing.
| SAE Proficiency Judging |
On our way to SLLC, we stopped at Red Robin after talking with students about where they would like to go. The meal went smoothly and we continued on our way. However, I was unsure what Tuesday would hold with the students undecided where they would like to eat. During SLLC I was concerned with Tuesday and had a plan to eat before heading to the Army Heritage Museum. However, I changed my plan Tuesday morning when the students seemed to not be hungry after the visit to the Capitol Building. As a result, I decided to go to the Army Heritage Museum and eat after. Here is where I went wrong. I though the students were hungry after asking them if they would like to eat. What really happened is that the students were tired from the night before which hid their hunger from them. This made them grumpy and miserable to work with. Both of my cooperating teachers spoke with me while we were at the Museum to coach me on reading the signs that I had missed. Another issue that I ran into is that I did not know where would be a good place to eat in the area. I am very unfamiliar with Carlisle and what it has to offer. This limited me on what I could give as options to my students who were hungry. As a result, my teachers stepped in and recommended a place to eat.
One of the things I learned through this adventure is that you have to be prepared for anything and everything. I “knew” where the Army Heritage Museum was after passing it multiple times, however, I was asked to give my cooperating teacher directions when we left the Capitol and I did not have a map to go by. I was able to get them close, but not dead on…..as a result….failed. I believe that the trip went well all together, but I need to improve on having everything ready at a moment’s notice.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Half way?
This past week was a great learning experience for my AP Horticulture class. They started a project in January in the greenhouse where they grew a series of plants and tested their own hypothesis. Some of the experiments consisted of watering a plant with salt water, compared to watering it with Gatorade. Others planted their seeds at different depths to see which plants emerged and which plants could not survive. However, this week, after all of their hard work they were finally able to get answers on what happened to their plants. After looking, digging and going on an adventure with their samples, some were given clear explanations on what happened to their plant. Others became frustrated because their plant did not grow when others did and saw the experiment as a failure. I quickly tried to show them that all experiments can be a success as long as you learn something from it. Upon this, the student researched reasons why his/her seed might not have grown.
Others were shown that the hypothesis is not always supported with their experiment. However, they were fascinated how the plant adapted to see its survival through. This coming week (March 13th) is when they will have completed their written report. I am excited to see how they viewed their experiment and what they took from it.
My Introduction to AFNR class was as always challenging to manage. Some of the students in the class work very hard to get better and come ask me questions. However, I am not able to give them the instruction they need because others in the class are always trying to get away with things in the class (such as picking on each other). As a result, I am struggling to aid the students who have the questions and want to know more because I have to keep an eye on the others who are just trying to complete the assignment.
To aid in this, I moved some of the assigned seats which helped some do better in the classroom, however, it did not seem to be the "big fix" (I am still looking for that one).
It is amazing how far students can go when they work on a project and then take it to others for feedback. Just seeing that the students are pushing themselves to become better at a task/skill is great to see. The results, are even better and can last a lifetime. For my speech unit, students created their speech and had to turn in multiple drafts for grading and revisions. Some students turned in as many as 5 drafts to be revised and changed to have the best speech.
I do not know what it is with high school boys and their fascination with welding pieces of metal together to make "art" but I know that I have been watching them like a hawk after finding some "art" in the scrap metal bin. Its okay to weld pieces together, but it can get out of hand quickly when it becomes difficult to cut the metal that has been welded together. As a result, I have been a drone and just watching over every little thing that has been happening in my shop. They have gotten better but we are still learning. PS. Putting a due date on the board really gets them motivated to accomplish the skill.
All in all it was a great week and this next week with my first field trip will get even better!
Others were shown that the hypothesis is not always supported with their experiment. However, they were fascinated how the plant adapted to see its survival through. This coming week (March 13th) is when they will have completed their written report. I am excited to see how they viewed their experiment and what they took from it.
My Introduction to AFNR class was as always challenging to manage. Some of the students in the class work very hard to get better and come ask me questions. However, I am not able to give them the instruction they need because others in the class are always trying to get away with things in the class (such as picking on each other). As a result, I am struggling to aid the students who have the questions and want to know more because I have to keep an eye on the others who are just trying to complete the assignment.
To aid in this, I moved some of the assigned seats which helped some do better in the classroom, however, it did not seem to be the "big fix" (I am still looking for that one).
It is amazing how far students can go when they work on a project and then take it to others for feedback. Just seeing that the students are pushing themselves to become better at a task/skill is great to see. The results, are even better and can last a lifetime. For my speech unit, students created their speech and had to turn in multiple drafts for grading and revisions. Some students turned in as many as 5 drafts to be revised and changed to have the best speech.
I do not know what it is with high school boys and their fascination with welding pieces of metal together to make "art" but I know that I have been watching them like a hawk after finding some "art" in the scrap metal bin. Its okay to weld pieces together, but it can get out of hand quickly when it becomes difficult to cut the metal that has been welded together. As a result, I have been a drone and just watching over every little thing that has been happening in my shop. They have gotten better but we are still learning. PS. Putting a due date on the board really gets them motivated to accomplish the skill.
All in all it was a great week and this next week with my first field trip will get even better!
Friday, February 28, 2014
The First Full Week
This week was a very active week in the classroom. Students began speaking to the class in preparation for the CDE public speaking contest in FFA Leadership. It has become more obvious to me as a teacher on how illiterate students are today. I do not believe that the students are the ones at fault, but I do believe they are the victims in this. From my time as a middle school student, my writing skills have developed (I am not saying that I am a good writer, because I am far from it) greatly. However, even as a senior in college, I do not feel as skilled as others.
This class project has made me ponder how the education system has prepared students on writing and communicating with others. Is technology affecting students in a negative way? Have children shied away from reading as child to playing video games or finding entertainment elsewhere? Or are the students that I am teaching at the beginning stages of writing and speaking? Knowing that I can make a difference in how students speak, and write puts a pulse in my veins. That I can have a positive impact in how they can influence others.
This week I was able to see students greatly improve in their writing and speaking abilities and help coach them to continue building.
This is the type of positive impact is what bring joy to my life, knowing that I can make a difference.
This class project has made me ponder how the education system has prepared students on writing and communicating with others. Is technology affecting students in a negative way? Have children shied away from reading as child to playing video games or finding entertainment elsewhere? Or are the students that I am teaching at the beginning stages of writing and speaking? Knowing that I can make a difference in how students speak, and write puts a pulse in my veins. That I can have a positive impact in how they can influence others.
This week I was able to see students greatly improve in their writing and speaking abilities and help coach them to continue building.
This is the type of positive impact is what bring joy to my life, knowing that I can make a difference.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
When the Light Bulb Turns On
This week was a great week for making improvements. With the National FFA week and all of the activities that follow, I am very proud with how the students came together to see it all through. At the beginning of the week, students were scrambling around putting all of the ideas they had together and executed a very good teacher dinner.
With school being cancelled the day before the Teacher Dinner, I was very worried that the items students promised to bring would not appear for the dinner. Some of the items did come in, however, other items were not present. Fortunately, some students were able to have parents bring them in throughout the day and others had friend pick them up. This was a great learning experience for me as an educator to have a plan B, plan C, and even a plan D. However, when it all came together and students were given thanks from the other teachers, they were very happy of their work and dedication to see it through.
The classroom this week was also a very inspiring for me as an educator. I have some students that an outside person may not think would do very well, however, they were my best students at the task. I was curious as to what their parents may say so I called one family and had the other family in my parent teacher conferences. They were both very happy with how their students were doing in the class and said that their child was always excited for my class. This was a great thing to hear from them and it was even more inspiring to keep me motivated.
With school being cancelled the day before the Teacher Dinner, I was very worried that the items students promised to bring would not appear for the dinner. Some of the items did come in, however, other items were not present. Fortunately, some students were able to have parents bring them in throughout the day and others had friend pick them up. This was a great learning experience for me as an educator to have a plan B, plan C, and even a plan D. However, when it all came together and students were given thanks from the other teachers, they were very happy of their work and dedication to see it through.
The classroom this week was also a very inspiring for me as an educator. I have some students that an outside person may not think would do very well, however, they were my best students at the task. I was curious as to what their parents may say so I called one family and had the other family in my parent teacher conferences. They were both very happy with how their students were doing in the class and said that their child was always excited for my class. This was a great thing to hear from them and it was even more inspiring to keep me motivated.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
The True Experience
The past week couldn't get any closer than an AG teachers normal week. This last weekend I participated in my first ACES conference which was truly an eye-opening experience. However, once we arrived, I noticed my students were not nearly as enthusiastic as I was for the experience. I knew that I had to get them excited and yet build rapport with them since they have only seen the stern Mr. McMillen. It was time that I showed them that FFA is fun and could be fun with Mr. McMillen.
Once we were at the dance, I noticed that all but 2 of my students sat around a table and would refuse to leave it for the dance floor. They seemed too shy to just get up and have fun. My duty, to see that they had fun (CHALLENGE ACCEPTED). I began dancing past their table without acknowledging them to see how they reacted. I got some laughs and continued to prod at their stubbornness. By the end of the night, the table was empty and all of the students were having a great time. From that point on, the students in the classroom were not nervous to talk with me about issues they were having. This experience opened the door for the students to connect with me. Teaching became a little more easier because they seemed more relaxed and confident in sharing their findings with me. As a result, this week was a very productive week, they knew that I could be their for them and that I could help them instead of just teaching them.
My classroom management plan has taken an interesting turn. At the beginning of student teaching, I wanted to be the "Classroom Enforcer", however, I quickly realized that it will only work for some of my classes. One class in particular is unscathed by standard punishments such as detention or in-school suspension. In reality, if I were to give the detention, the students will skip the detention and receive and in-school suspension. With this route, not only does the student get placed in the in-school suspension, but they miss out on a learning episode. This route does not do anyone any favors or benefits. Re-thinking my approach I began to just let them talk more than my other classes and connect with the students more rather than be seen as the "Classroom Enforcer". After a week of this tactic, I noticed that the students respect me more as a teacher and will be dead quiet when I need them to be, but also, their quality of work has gotten better. I have students that you would think did not learn a thing by watching them in class, but when they get an assessment, they blow down the doors on it and rock it out.
Very little circumstances such as this are black and white in the classroom, sometimes you have to improvise and change the things you were taught to do in order to see student success. Besides, we are teachers because we want to see students achieve and grow. The road will most definitely go in different directions, but the destination remains constant. TOTAL STUDENT SUCCESS
Once we were at the dance, I noticed that all but 2 of my students sat around a table and would refuse to leave it for the dance floor. They seemed too shy to just get up and have fun. My duty, to see that they had fun (CHALLENGE ACCEPTED). I began dancing past their table without acknowledging them to see how they reacted. I got some laughs and continued to prod at their stubbornness. By the end of the night, the table was empty and all of the students were having a great time. From that point on, the students in the classroom were not nervous to talk with me about issues they were having. This experience opened the door for the students to connect with me. Teaching became a little more easier because they seemed more relaxed and confident in sharing their findings with me. As a result, this week was a very productive week, they knew that I could be their for them and that I could help them instead of just teaching them.
My classroom management plan has taken an interesting turn. At the beginning of student teaching, I wanted to be the "Classroom Enforcer", however, I quickly realized that it will only work for some of my classes. One class in particular is unscathed by standard punishments such as detention or in-school suspension. In reality, if I were to give the detention, the students will skip the detention and receive and in-school suspension. With this route, not only does the student get placed in the in-school suspension, but they miss out on a learning episode. This route does not do anyone any favors or benefits. Re-thinking my approach I began to just let them talk more than my other classes and connect with the students more rather than be seen as the "Classroom Enforcer". After a week of this tactic, I noticed that the students respect me more as a teacher and will be dead quiet when I need them to be, but also, their quality of work has gotten better. I have students that you would think did not learn a thing by watching them in class, but when they get an assessment, they blow down the doors on it and rock it out.
Very little circumstances such as this are black and white in the classroom, sometimes you have to improvise and change the things you were taught to do in order to see student success. Besides, we are teachers because we want to see students achieve and grow. The road will most definitely go in different directions, but the destination remains constant. TOTAL STUDENT SUCCESS
Friday, February 7, 2014
The Full Load
Considering this was my first week of having a full load, it went very well, but the snow days definitely threw me for a loop. My Horticulture class is going great. This week we learned how to test for N-P-K in the soil using soil fertilizer tests and moved into the green house with their plant project with a topic of their choice. Some of the topics were very well thought out and will be interesting to see the out come....I wonder how well plants grow if fed nothing but Gatorade and soda???
For my first day in my freshman Introduction to Agriculture, they were every where and got distracted easily. They will be my real test and growing point for this internship. They demand more activities to keep their interest and need to be always moving, which is hard to plan for but easy to teach.
Advanced FFA Leadership is going well with speeches. The topics that the students are working on will be very interesting to hear and watch them grow as public speakers. However, I am still transitioning slowing with the "work days" that are designated for developing FFA activities. This week was very stressful since we did not have the near the time to work on the National FFA Week due to the snow days. Some of the students are really stepping up to the plate and others are confused with what to do. I am currently in the process of making a "To-Do" list for the committee so they can really focus on the objective.
Introduction to Welding is almost to the shop, but are in the process of trying to complete the safety exams to enter the shop. It was a great joy to over hear one students say "Mr. McMillen, you really care about us" which is more true than they think. I really want them to succeed and do well!!
For my first day in my freshman Introduction to Agriculture, they were every where and got distracted easily. They will be my real test and growing point for this internship. They demand more activities to keep their interest and need to be always moving, which is hard to plan for but easy to teach.
Advanced FFA Leadership is going well with speeches. The topics that the students are working on will be very interesting to hear and watch them grow as public speakers. However, I am still transitioning slowing with the "work days" that are designated for developing FFA activities. This week was very stressful since we did not have the near the time to work on the National FFA Week due to the snow days. Some of the students are really stepping up to the plate and others are confused with what to do. I am currently in the process of making a "To-Do" list for the committee so they can really focus on the objective.
Introduction to Welding is almost to the shop, but are in the process of trying to complete the safety exams to enter the shop. It was a great joy to over hear one students say "Mr. McMillen, you really care about us" which is more true than they think. I really want them to succeed and do well!!
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