Creating a Successful Classroom Environment

As an educator, I want to ensure that my classroom is a safe and enjoyable place for learning to occur. However, it can not always be fun and games. As much as I love to create fun and engaging activities, I know that I must first cultivate expectations and procedures for my classroom, to ensure that we are learning.

Classroom management is key to a successful classroom. I believe that within a classroom there must be a clear list of expectations for students, a guide of procedures for students to follow, and ultimately a list of consequences that inquire if expectations are not met.

A pretty list of procedures, expectations, and consequences are fine and dandy but they will do nothing for the classroom if they are not implement. I think a classroom management plan can be implemented to ensure the class is safe and successful in three simple ways:

1. From the Beginning: In order for classroom management to be effective it must be implemented immediately. At the beginning of the school the teacher must convey their expectations, procedures, and consequences. We cannot expect our students to read our minds and be perfect angels (that would be to ideal) so instead we need to be firm and start out strong with our classroom management. You can always become softer, but you can't start implementing new rules half way through the year and expect students to follow them.
2. Consistency: As teachers we have to be consistent with our classroom management. If we let bad behavior slide one time then why not let it slide the next time. We have to be consistent with our follow through. We have to demonstrate discipline in which we are disciplined with our implementation and follow through of our expectations, procedures, and consequences.
3. Two Way Street: A successful classroom includes students and teachers. We as teachers must strive to work diligently with our students. Maybe we as teachers have to be the bigger person most of the time, but if we want to create a fun and successful atmosphere and reduce behavior problems we must be willing to communicate and work effectively with each student and their individual needs.

I think we as teachers have the ability to create a safe and successful classroom atmosphere if we take time to implement our classroom management expectation, procedures, and consequences. We must immediately be firm and consistent in our implementation, and at the end of the day remember we are all in this learning experience together!

Miss. Timmons

Serving in Action at KD

Yesterday, November 24th I had the pleasure of teaching a Life Knowledge lesson at Kennard Dale, my cooperating high school where I will be student teaching. Before I tell you any more, let me just say I love my school, I love being there, I love my kids, I love my cooperating teacher, I love it all!

So anyway, as part of my student teaching preparation, I was required to teach a Life Knowledge lesson to my students at Kennard Dale.

What is a Life Knowledge lesson?

Well the National FFA did a great job of creating complete lesson plans on common every day personal growth and development skills. The purpose of me teaching a basic personal growth skill was to just give me more confidence in my teaching as well as becoming more acquainted with my students.

Since we are among the holiday season, I chose to teach a lesson on serving others. This lesson stood out to me for many reasons. I strive to serve others in any way I possible can, and as an educator I want my students to see that in me. I want them to know that not only will I serve them through their education but I also expect them to help me serve others through our agricultural program. Also with the holidays right around the corner there are always needs to be filled and I felt this was a great time for us to fill them.

 I had a complete lesson plan already created for me from the FFA Life Knowledge program, all I needed to do was teach it. But I wanted this lesson to come to life for my kids. I wanted them to actually serve and find meaning and value in that five letter word.

After communicating my ideas with Miss. Smith we decided to conduct a canned food drive for our own food pantry within our school district. I felt this was a great way students could serve other students within our district.

I am thankful for Miss. Smith and her unconditional help and support as she informed our agriculture classes of our food drive mission and encouraged our students to bring in canned food for one week. We made our serving process a competition among all of our agriculture classes and whichever class period brought in the most items would receive a prize when I came to teach my lesson on the 24th.

When I got to Kennard Dale yesterday, I was pleased to see we had collected 2 boxes of canned food items to give to our food pantry. I was proud to see that our students actually participated and felt the need to serve others. Our period 9 Horticulture 2 class brought in the most items so they received cookies for their generous support.

Now for the actual lesson part...I taught a lesson on serving others to our Intro to Agriculture and Natural Resource class. This class consists of 14 students most of which are 9th graders. After teaching this class I am reminded as to why I do not teach any grades lower than high school. Overall the teaching went well.

Throughout the lesson we created a serving plate, which illustrated 4 areas in which we have the opportunity to reach out and serve others. We also illustrated 4 ways we can contribute to a service which include: time, money, gifts & abilities, and affections/encouragement. I had the student work in groups of 3 to create a service project or event in which they had to identify who, what, when, how, where, and why they were serving. And the last activity I had our students do was to write a word of encouragement to each other. On a piece of white copy paper each student wrote their name in the middle of the page. We passed each paper around to each student and each student then had to write something encouraging to the student whose paper they had. I wanted this to be away for our students to see how easily they can serve others with their words.

I felt good after teaching the lesson. I think this class will be an opportunity for me to grow in my abilities to maintain an instructional and enjoyable environment as well as help me implement my classroom management skills, and that is something I will look forward to with an open mind.

Overall, as always is was a great day at Kennard Dale and I continue to anxiously wait until I can be there everyday!!

Miss. Timmons

"A life of significance is about serving those who need your gifts, your leadership, your purpose." - Kevin Hall

Three Day Glimpse of Teaching at Juniata High School

Last week I had the opportunity to teach a three day unit of floral design to 20 students in a Plant and Soil Science class at Juniata High School in Mifflintown, Pa. These three days of teaching was a great snapshot of teaching agriculture and it gave me a great appreciation for the career that I am entering.

In the weeks prior to my micro teaching experience I communicated with Mrs. Morgan, the high school agriculture teacher at Juniata. Mrs. Morgan requested that I teach the students how to make a Thanksgiving floral centerpiece for their holiday dinner on Thursday, November 19th. I thought, that was awesome! I personally, love floral design so this would be perfect!

So the week before teaching, I created my lesson plans as to how I wanted the three days to be structured. Three days before I was to teach, Mrs. Morgan and I were still communicating as to when the flowers would be delivered and how this would impact our instructional time. This was stressing me to no end. Fun fact about Ms. Timmons, I am a perfectionist and kind of controlling when it comes to my teaching. I like to have all my "I's" dotted and every "T" crossed before I begin teaching. So when we were still discussing what to do, three days before 'go time' I was a little frustrated.

Also, my students that I was teaching have had no experience of floral design yet. Which was great! I wanted to teach them as we went along...But there is so much to know I felt like I did not have enough time to teach them everything they needed to know about floral design and how to create a cohesive, balanced arrangement.

Ready or not Monday came and this is what I wanted us to complete for the day:

Day 1 (Monday)
- Students will be able to properly prepare Oasis floral foam in a floral dish.
- Students will be able to describe the purpose of floral foam as it relates to flower preservation.
- Students will be able to construct a double butterfly bow to add to their arrangement.

We learned about Oasis and its functional purpose. How to cut and properly soak Oasis using the 'free float' method. Each student prepared their floral dish will saturated Oasis, taped it down, and added a candle holder. Then each student received a task sheet of how to construct a double butterfly bow. We read through the instructions together and then began to create our bows until the end of class.

Day 1- Success

Initially I had planned that on Tuesday we would learn how to prepare fresh cut flowers. We would discuss how to cut the flowers at and angle and why, etc. Then we would begin with foliage/greenery. Well, after Monday's class Mrs. Morgan got the flowers and had a student go ahead and prepare them for our class on Tuesday to save time.

Therefore, my plans for Tuesday changed to include:

Day 2 (Tuesday)
- Students will be identify 3 different types of foliage used in our arrangement.
- Students will describe the functional purpose of foliage in an arrangement.
- Students will construct the foliage portion of our arrangement.

We identified 3 different greens that we were using in our arrangement. Baker's Fern, Lemon Leaf Sala,  and Seeded Eucalyptus. Each student collected their greenery and we examined the stoma pores on the underside of the leaves and briefly related this to transpiration and photosynthesis. We then discussed cutting stems and finally began putting our greenery in our arrangement. I demonstrated the floral process as if this was a cooking show. My students followed each step that I made.

We ran out of time adding our foliage/greenery to our arrangement.

Day 2- Success but not complete

So Wednesday we had to get moving and get these arrangements done:

Day 3 (Wednesday)
- Students will identify flower structures (florets) of Chrysanthemums.
- Students will analyze balance and proportion of floral arrangements.
- Students will finish constructing their Thanksgiving floral centerpiece.

We began right away getting our arrangements out and constructing. I gave the students a timeline today to make sure we got done. I told them they had 10 minutes to finish greenery. After 10 minutes we were all moving on to flowers. And we all met that timeline and did just that. By the end of class we had completed our arrangements and were adding bows.

Day 3- Complete Success...finally.

What I learned from this experience:

1. All I want for Christmas is...a watch! Each day we ran out of time. I did not realize how quickly 39 minutes goes, compared to my cooperating school which is 52 minute class periods. It will take some time for me to adjust my pace of instruction.
2. Adapt and chill! I feel as though I am a relatively laid back calm person, but when it comes to teaching I know what I want, how I envision something and that's what I expect. So when flowers arrive at different times and we don't get a task completed that I had planned, it's okay! I am learning to be more patient and go with the flow.
3. I have the ability to set the mood! If I allow my students to lollygag and mosey around they will do just that. That is why on Wednesday I felt I needed to set time stamps for us to ensure we would get our tasks completed and I felt that was a good management strategy on my part.
4. I LOVED IT!! I felt very good about my experience at Juniata. My students were great and did not want me to leave (which was a great feeling). I am proud of myself and my growth as an educator. Each day my confidence grew and I am beyond thankful for this experience.

"I will hold myself to a standard of grace not perfection"
-Miss. Timmons

Teaching the Digestive System with Lingerie.....Say What??

Yes, you read the title correct. Last week in my AEE 412 Teaching Methods course, I taught the digestive system to my peers using lingerie.

Last week my peers and I were tasked with creating and implementing a lesson using the Inquiry Based Instructional method. So what is inquiry based instruction (IBI)?

Well, according to Warner and Myers, Inquiry-based teaching is a teaching method that combines the curiosity of students and the scientific method to enhance the development of critical thinking skills while learning science.

Ideally in an IBI lesson students are given a task or question and they have to use their prior knowledge, critical thinking skills, and resources to complete the task or solve the question. Often times, while students are inquiring they pose more questions and they continue to create new ideas, and explanations. Students have the opportunity to drive their learning through the processes for exploration and questioning.

Now to the good stuff...how did I used lingerie to teach?

On Wednesday, I decided to teach a lab on the digestive system, specifically a swine's digestive system. The 'inquiry' question I posed to my students was, "How does food move through a Swine's digestive system?"

First I divided my 4 students (peers) into 2 groups. As a group they were given a lab sheet and asked to create a hypothesis for this question. After I signed off on an "if, then" hypothesis statement, the groups had to make a procedure list as to how they were going to test and demonstrate the hypothesis. Once the groups got started I displayed an image of a swine's digestive system on the white board, to alleviate any frustrations that may have been brewing. The only instructions I gave my students was to  use as many or as little supplied lab materials as they felt were needed to demonstrate the answer to the posed question.

The lab supplies that each group received was a: Tupperware container, a large spoon, scissors, 2 Ziploc sandwich bags,6 saltine crackers, a mini can of root beer, a cup of milk, and last but not least the lingerie... a NYLON! (you were thinking of something skimpier weren't you?...Tricked ya!)

 Once the groups created a procedure list, they began to test their hypothesis to answer the question of "How does food move through the digestive system?"

Both of my groups answered this question in different ways. The way I interpreted the lab supplies was to use one sandwich bag as the mouth. I added saltine crackers into the 'mouth' and poured milk into the bag to represent saliva. The teeth became my hands as I crushed the crackers. Once they were smaller in shape they traveled through the esophagus and into the stomach which was the second sandwich bag. Once in the stomach, stomach acids or the soda broke down the food into even smaller pieces. Stomach muscles (my hands) also broke down the food even more. Next using a spoon, the food was passed to the small intestines or the sexy nylon. Once in the nylon (using my hand I kept the food near the top of the nylon) the nutrients or liquids was absorbed into the body (squeezed out of the nylon). The food then traveled down the nylon or small intestines into the large intestines where the remaining food became solid waste material. Then the food passed through the rectum and left the body through the anus (cut the nylon to expose solid waste or mushy crackers).

 The interesting part for me as the teacher was to hear the questions my students were posing to themselves? First we needed to think of what is digestion? Where does it occur? How do all of these compartments (mouth, esophagus, small/large intestines, etc.) work together to move food through the system? What does the soda represent?

And at, this point, when my students were forming all of these questions and creating interesting digestive systems with their materials I realized the value of Inquiry Based Instruction.

 

The Positives

• I thoroughly enjoyed this lab! After reflecting on my thoughts, my students, and my professors evaluation I feel good about my ability to implement IBI in my future classroom. My students loved the activity and I feel as though it was very helpful in demonstrating the digestive system.
• I feel as though I continue to grow with my presence in front of the class and my confidence increases with each week.
• I am getting better at clarity of instruction and posing questions to my students.

 

Improvement for Next Time

• IBI requires science. I need to incorporate more scientific aspects into my IBI.
• I need to ask higher order thinking questions.

Overall, I feel good about IBI and my abilities to implement it into my agricultural curriculum.
Ms. Timmons

"We cannot teach people anything, we can only help them find it within themselves." - Galileo
Galilei

I almost did NOT TeachAg!

In less than 4 weeks I will be completing my academic career at The Pennsylvania State University. In 4 weeks I will be off to conclude my college career as I student teach at Kennard Dale High School in York county and as I praise the good Lord I will walk across the stage to receive a Bachelors of Science degree in May.


 

But all of this almost did not happen...

 

You see, if you would have asked the little Jenna in elementary school what she wanted to do when she grew up she would have said, "I want to be a teacher." I always knew that.
 

I used to play school with my 'imaginary students' sitting on my living room floor, and I got pretty good at the handing out papers process.
My poor sister got extra tutoring even if she didn't need or want it, I was practicing my teacher skills.

I always wanted to teach! But what would I teach? I'm not drawn to specific subjects such as Math, English, and heaven knows definitely not History.
 

So why not teach what I know, what I love, what I live.
 

See, growing up on a farm is a great blessing. I was my Daddy's side kick. I followed him everywhere. From him, I learned how to milk cows, feed baby calves, drive tractors, bale hay, load a tractor trailer load of hay or straw, how to pick rocks out of the field (not fun), how to jump in the big truck and haul up through the gears, and so much more. I've learned so much just from my 21 years of life on the farm with my Dad. And I love it all!
 

So it only made sense to teach what I know, what I live, and what I love. I need to teach Agriculture!
 

I entered college right after high school with a major in Agricultural Extension and Education. I attended Penn State Mont Alto for 2 years to complete my general education credits and I thank the good Lord I did, because that is where the love of my life, Richie, found me (and we live happily ever after).

 

So after 2 years at Mont Alto I transitioned to University Park to dive into Agricultural Education.
 

But, I couldn't do it! I could not go any further in Ag Ed.
 

I didn't even make it through the first semester, not even the first week of classes, and I wanted out! I needed to change my major. But why? Agriculture is what I love, what I know, what I live.
 

I was afraid. I doubted myself and my abilities. Honestly, the biggest fear I had was student teaching. The thought of student teaching terrified me!! There was no way I would be prepared to student teach at the end of all this, no way at all! I do not know half of anything about animals, and mechanics. Plants ehhh, I like. But there was no way I could continue in Ag Ed and feel confident in my ability to be an effective Ag teacher. What if I didn't get a long well with my cooperating teacher? What if I just could not teach? What if I don't know the material that I am expected to teach? All of these 'what if's ran through my head constantly".
 

So, I took the easy way out, and I changed my major. I began to study Agricultural Sciences with a dual minor in Agribusiness and Agronomy. I could take a office job, that would be okay, I guess.
 

When I would call Richie and talk to him about my fears, all he would say to me is "You are GOING to be a great teacher!" That's not what I wanted to hear, I wanted to get out of Ag Ed not be encouraged.  My Mom would send me cards and call to tell me she is praying that I will make the right decision and follow Gods will. I did not want to hear that either. I didn't want to think about what was right or what talents God has blessed me with.

No, I had to run from my fears, I had to get out of Agricultural Education.
 

So for the entire 2014 Fall semester (one year ago) I was enrolled as an Ag Science student, not Ag Education. Friends, every single day I thought about teaching Agriculture. Every dang day!!!!! The desire of teaching Agriculture never left my heart! And of course I still saw my Ag Ed professors and they constantly told me I could be an awesome Ag teacher. But I couldn't do it!
 

Every dang day, it was on my mind! Every day it was on my heart!
 

But I made it to Christmas break. I went home to my families and was wrapped in such love and support (I love being home) I felt good, I felt confident.
 

I came back to PSU from Christmas break, and went to my first class. In that class I introduced myself "Jenna Timmons, a  Junior majoring in Agricultural Sciences" I actually had to write that down because in my head I said Agricultural EDUCATION.

By the next class period that day, I had changed my major back to Agricultural Extension and Education. I had not one fear, not one thought of 'what in the world did I just do?" instead I felt good! I knew I made the right decision. I knew somehow I would make it through the next two semesters and I would then make it through student teaching as well. I knew in my heart I was doing what God has blessed me with the abilities to do and He would make a way for me.
 

So here I am now, about to go student teach at Kennard Dale. Let me just say, if there was a perfect school for me to teach at, it would be Kennard Dale. If there was a perfect cooperating teacher for me to teacher with, it would be Abby Smith. So it doesn't get any more perfect than this!


After every day Agricultural education classes at 8 a.m., endless conferences, multiple workshops that I have facilitated, many teaching opportunities, endless lesson plans that I have created, and so so so much more...I am ready to go student teach!

The excitement I have to student teach is beyond measures. I am so excited to be able to teach my students at Kennard Dale. After spending a week at National FFA Convention with them, Abby and I call them 'our' students. And there is nothing more welcoming than already having your own group of kids.

I am beyond ready to go! Student teaching means the end is in sight and my golly, I am so ready to cross the finish line. I am so so ready to achieve this goal. I am so ready to accomplish my dreams. I am so ready to be the best Agricultural educator that I can possibly be. I am so ready to share my gifts and my stories (oh yes), and my talents with my students.

Further more, I am excited to not have to leave my family on Sundays to come to school anymore. Lastly, I am excited to marry my best friend and start our life together.

And student teaching will be the beginning of all my accomplishments.

 

So are my fears of student teaching gone? -Definitely!

Am I prepared and ready to go?

Oh my Lord, no! I have a million lesson plans to write and I already did half a million (I'm just kidding). I only have a few more lesson plans to finish by December. But I am confident in my ability and my skills as an educator. I know in my heart that this is what I was meant to do, I know that this is where I was meant to student teach and begin my career!

Do I know everything about Agricultural Education?

Heck NO! But I am learning and growing. I have realized that I will not (ever) know everything, and that is okay with me. However, my knowledge in animal science has grown and I am actually (as crazy as this is for me) most excited about teaching my animal care and management classes. I am growing in my ability to create engaging lessons while teaching with purpose. I am learning to be an effective powerful Agriculture teacher.

Now, I know there will be tough days in Ag Ed. Days where my lesson is horrific and it just all falls to pieces. I know there will be days when I fall to pieces and cry just because. But I know that it's all going to be okay, I will make it. I will cross the finish line. I will succeed in Agricultural Education.

I once was terrified of this career. I let this fear control me. I let the fear of 'what if's' take over. And I almost let fear take my dreams. So friends, take the challenge, take the risk, take control of your dreams, and chase them!

Love,
Ms. Jenna Timmons

"Peace is not the absence of trouble; peace is the presence of God in any situation. Circumstances don't have to be perfect for you to walk and live in His perfect peace!" -Victoria Osteen"
 

What is Inquiry Based Learning?

How can we as educators make learning fun and engaging for our students?

What if instead of just providing information to our students, we gave them the opportunity to discover learning on their own?

Well, Inquiry Based Learning is a teaching method in which students are given full potential to explore content on their own. According to Warner and Myers, Inquiry Based Learning "combines the curiosity of students and the scientific method to enhance the development of critical thinking skills while learning science".

During Inquiry Based Learning students are faced with a problem to explore. As students are exploring they may pose questions to the problems, make observations, and apply knowledge before coming to a conclusion.

According to the National Academy of Sciences (1995), the process that students go through when engaging in learning through inquiry include:

1. Question
2. Investigate
3. Use evidence to describe, explain, and predict
4. Connect evidence to knowledge, and
5. Share findings with others.

As agricultural educators, I believe we have a great opportunity to implement Inquiry Based Learning in our classrooms. Because of our laboratory component of our curriculum, I feel there are numerous opportunities for students to engage in hands on activities that allow them to strengthen their critical thinking skills.

For example while in the greenhouse my students and I noticed that one of our potted sunflowers was radiating beautifully. Two potted plants to the right we found a sunflower that was half the size as the first sunflower and the head of the sunflower was drooping downward.

I asked my students why these two flowers were so different? What was causing the dramatic difference in appearance?

My students can now engage in Inquiry Based Learning following the five steps listed above. They may pose questions as to are both flowers receiving the same amount of sunlight? Could the second sunflower be lacking a nutrient? Is the temperature to hot or cold for the sunflowers?

Then my students would investigate each of their questions. This investigation would require tests and other observations to our variables or sunflowers in this experiment. After their investigation and testing the students can use their investigations to describe, explain and predict or hypothesize what could be happening to our sunflower. This process allows for the implementation of the scientific method.

Once a conclusion is made students can connect their evidence to knowledge to create a resolution to their sunflower dilemma.


Inquiry Based Learning is a great method to get students engaged and in control of their own learning process. Students will enhance their critical thinking skills as well as develop a stronger connection to their learning.

Check out this video from Edutopia on Inquiry Based Learning in a science classroom! For all my Agriculture lovers out there, this could easily be implemented in to a Natural Resource or Environmental class as well!

The article referenced in this post can be found at:
Warner, A.J. & Myers, B.E. (2011) What inquiry-based instruction? Retrieved from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WC/WC07500.pdf


Amplify Life

Take the chance! Take the opportunity!

 

This past week I was given a chance of a lifetime, a tremendous opportunity to attend the 2015 National FFA Convention in Louisville Kentucky. The National FFA Convention brings together FFA members from all 50 states. I know, it's pretty much a big deal. This convention allows students to compete in Career Development Events at a national level as well as engage in student development workshops and emerge in career opportunities. I had never attended National FFA Convention before, so this was a brand new experience for me. Let me just say, it is AMAZING!! There is an indescribable feeling being surrounded by 60,000 blue FFA jackets. There is no better feeling of family and community like National FFA Convention. 

 

 

I am so fortunate to have had the pleasure of attending National FFA Convention with the Kennard Dale FFA chapter, my student teaching high school. Let me just tell you that spending 6 days AND nights with 9 students and my cooperating teacher, Ms. Smith, is the best way to get involved in my cooperating school. After this week, I am so so so so soooooo excited to student teach in 10 weeks!!!

 

We began our National FFA Convention week Monday, October 26 at 6 am. With sleepy eyes and anticipation we loaded our suitcases onto the bus at our school in York County and headed west towards Pittsburg, Pa. Monday we toured Pittsburg via a boat tour and the Duquesne Incline. We also had the pleasure of touring Heinz field. 

(Left to right: Duquesne Incline at night, City of Pittsburg, and Heinz Field)

 

 

 

We then traveled through West Virginia on Tuesday, stopping to visit the state penitentiary on our way. Finally on Wednesday we were in Kentucky and toured the Kentucky Horse Park and kicked off the 2015 National FFA convention with opening ceremonies and a Jake Owen and Maddie & Tae concert. 

West Virginia State Penitentiary

Jake Owen/Maddie and Tae Concert

 

 

Thursday provided great opportunities for our students to engage in student workshops and career opportunities through the convention and career expo. As a teacher, I gained many many resources and classroom material from the career expo, to implement and use in my future classroom. 

 

Thursday night we attended a dinner cruise on the Belle of Louisville Riverboat. This was an enjoyable evening! I appreciated the aspect of being 'stuck' on a boat with my students and Ms. Smith. This provided many opportunities to communicate and interact with my students in a very casual, fun atmosphere.

 

 

 

Friday, concluded our week at National FFA Convention. We explored the Louisville Mega Cavern Friday morning. At the cavern some students participate in zip lining through the cavern and other students completed a rope course. I faced some fears as I suited up for the zip lines, and to my surprise that was one of my favorite activities! While completing this course I was proud to see many of my students overcome and face some of their own fears as well!

 

Ms. Smith and I gearing up to zip line

 

 

Final Thoughts



This experience has furthered my commitment to agricultural education.  This week has amplified my desire to become the best agriculture teacher I can possibly be. A few things I have learned from this experience include:

 

~The best Cooperating Teacher

I have the very BEST cooperating teacher....in the world!! (just saying). Ms. Smith and I are very much the same person in many ways, and I feel that this allows us to work well together. I value Ms. Smith's presence as a young agriculture teacher. She is very organized and well prepared; she has it all together! She is respected by all our students. She constantly strives to grow our agricultural program. She's just pretty dang awesome and I admire her for all she is and does. I feel so blessed to have her as my cooperating teacher!

 

~The best Students

I am so thankful for each one of the students that I am fortunate to teach at Kennard Dale. I was so impressed with the composure and respect that our students displayed throughout the week. They  made me so proud. My students are great! They each have different personalities and I love being able to interact with each of my students, and this trip provided great opportunities for me to do so.

 

~You have to laugh

Throughout our trip we had many dilemmas, many of which had to do with our bus that we rode in to convention. Some of these dilemmas included a water leak, a flat tire and getting lost multiple times. But we learned to enjoy those set backs. Ms. Smith and I would just sit back and laugh, because that's all we could do. Our students even handled the dilemmas well, in which by the end of the week they named the bus the 'blue turd'. Life is full of dilemmas but I'm learning to enjoy them.

 

~I need to amplify my life

The theme of National FFA convention this year was 'Amplify'. Those seven letters have so much meaning. To often I have been in this rut of just getting by. I do what is required of me, to the best of my ability and that's it. But I want to do more than what is on my 'list of things to do'. I want to increase my value and purpose in this life. Also, I want to be a light for others. I want to shine the light and help amplify others. I feel that being an agriculture teacher I have many opportunities to allow my students to shine.  I want to amplify my life and make it the best life possible for me!

 

~Excitement!!!

I have been excited to student teach since, oh I don't know, the beginning of my college career. But today, after a week with my cooperating teacher, with our students..., excited does not even come close to how I feel. I woke up this morning wishing I could relive last Monday and we could be on the road again to convention. I am so thrilled to be student teaching at Kennard Dale with Ms. Smith!! Honestly, I can't stop smiling from the excitement that I have!

 

 

~Ms. Timmons

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another."-John 1:16