Week 10: New Learning Every Day Even During A Week Away

It is hard to believe that I am officially 2/3 of the way through student teaching! From teaching classes all day long to exciting field trips with phenomenal students, it has surely been an exciting adventure over the past 10 weeks. During this previous week, I did not get to serve inside of the classroom, however, there were many lessons that I was able to learn! 

The week started on a high note as I traveled with my cooperating teacher and three amazing students to Harrisburg for the State Legislative Leadership Conference. I was able to learn about the various responsibilities of an FFA advisor while on this trip. Between the countless laughs and enlightening conversations with various other agriculture teachers, the time away at this conference was well spent making lasting memories. 

Once arriving back in Gettysburg, I was on the road again to travel to Penn State for our Mid Internship Seminar. It was great to connect with my entire cohort to work together to give back to the community through a service-learning project. I certainly learned how to plan for instruction while not in the classroom so my class can still make progress in content. All in all, this week looked quite different as I was not in the classroom teaching, but I was still able to learn how to be a more effective teacher in the future.  

Some of my goals for the upcoming weeks include increasing variability to help every student better understand the content in class. I want to increase the rigor and allow my students to apply their knowledge through more inquiry-based learning! I also want to accomplish the personal goals that I set for myself before the end of student teaching. These goals both are for both in and outside of the classroom but will help me become a better teacher candidate as I seek to find my first teaching position. 

Student teaching has truly been an exciting journey. There have been many highlights that I will always remember but also many moments of growth. Looking forward, I am excited for the last five weeks of student teaching and cannot wait to see what I learn along the way!