Two-Thirds of The Way Done...

It is hard to believe that I am actually 2/3 of the way done with my student teaching experience... Over the past 10 weeks I have learned so much from not only Mr. Webreck, but the students here at Bellwood-Antis High School! No matter how much time we spend talking about how to handle situations in class at Penn State, it will never compare to "on the job" training. I am still super happy with my decision to come to Bellwood-Antis... it has been a great fit for me!

This week went well and I started the C-Clamp project with my freshman in Ag. Mechanics I. It is nice to see the students use the skills we spent weeks on practicing. The freshman are now in the welding shop, using the equipment safely and confidently! In my Ag. Mechanics II class we are making "bolt tractors" to be used at the FFA banquet on April 28th... I have been asked many times, by numerous students, if I will be coming back for their banquet...I think I am going to have to come back and acknowledge the students for their hard work, it would only be fair! 

Everyone knows I love Ag. mechanics, so lets talk about what we are doing in Ag. science... In my Ag. science II class, we finished up our meats and egg unit with an egg quality and strength lab. The students were excited when we broke out the "egg crusher" and some weights that we borrowed from the weight room! The strongest egg we had held over 60 POUNDS! Myself, Mr. Webreck, and the students were all impressed by the strength of this "super egg". 

With all of this excitement, there have been things that I have done well, but of course, there is always room for improvement!

What Went Well: 

1. Time Mangement: My time management skills are getting better with each day; I am not only using my prep-period time better, but the time spent in class is better planned for and I have not been going over my allotted time. Now, this was never a big issue, but I seem to be using the period to its full potential!
2. Safety- I realized that I have not really talked about safety in my previous blogs... I have not really had any safety issues and students understand the importance of it! Any time ANYONE is working in the shop, we all have safety glasses on.

What Needs Work: 

1. Differentiated Instruction: I would like to see myself use more teaching tools than I currently am.. Something I am still working on!

This week has been very rewarding and the beautiful weather has put everyone in a good/ hardworking mood! 

Until Next Time,

Mike