Friends, we are have way there! Half way to the end of my college career, half way to becoming a high school agriculture teacher within my very own high school (hopefully). But that also means I am half way through my internship at Kennard-Dale High School. My love for my students and my career grow more with each struggle of each day.
This week was a very very busy week at Kennard-Dale. This week being National FFA week offered a lot of extra agriculture floating around the school. Throughout the week we had many events and activities going on to spread the word of our great love for agriculture. Each day of the week offered a special spirit day, which allowed a lot of students and faculty to participate in creative spirit days promoting agriculture. We also decorated an entire hallway, illustrating the timeline of FFA and important agriculture events. In addition, our students had a trivia wheel during each lunch period, spreading the word and knowledge of agriculture throughout our school. And last but not least, we asked each of our homeroom's within our school to decorate their doors with an agriculture theme. The door that won the decorating contest received donuts this morning for breakfast. What a great way to spread the word of agriculture.
My highlight of this crazy week, was taking 19 of our students to Winter Ag Skills Day at Bermudian Springs High School in Adams County on Thursday afternoon. I was very excited to attend this event because I had never attended any local CDE's in my agriculture career. This was also a very exciting afternoon because I had the opportunity to help Ms. Smith conduct the milk quality and products CDE. I enjoyed this role working with Ms. Smith and being the advisor and leader of our CDE. And lastly I felt confident in my abilities to help conduct this CDE because I just finished my dairy science unit where we spent a few days discussing dairy products and specifically preparing for the milk quality and products CDE.
However, the highlight of my week was seeing a few of our students from my animal care and management course in our milk quality and products CDE. The exciting aspect of seeing my students was knowing they had just learned this content material and I felt confident in their abilities to conduct this CDE. After the event was over, I was eager to see how my students felt about their performance in the CDE and I can happily say that my students felt confident! I was happy to hear this.
The most exciting and encouraging news came to me today, as Ms. Smith and I found out who the winners were of our event. The individual who came in first place in the milk quality and products CDE was one of Ms. Smith and I's student in animal care and management. We were so proud of her!! When she came to class today, we greeted her with joyful congratulations and a candy bar for all of her success on Thursday night!
Seeing Morgan's name at the top of the list, in first place for the milk quality and products CDE made me feel accomplished for the first time in my internship. I felt as though I actually made an impact and my students learned something from me, that they were able to apply to their continued education in agriculture. This feeling of accomplishment came at a perfect time this week, and gave me the encouragement I needed to continue to do my best for each of my students.
I look forward to my next few weeks with our kids at Kennard-Dale and all the many more accomplishments I hope to feel as my students teach me to become a great agriculture teacher.
Ms. Timmons
About Me
- Jenna Timmons
- A farmer's daughter living the dream of becoming an Agricultural Educator. I am studying Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State University. I have passions in Horticulture and Floral design. I am thoroughly excited to share my passions and 'homegrown' agricultural experiences with others.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Milk Products Tasting Lab
As my days at Kennard-Dale continue, I am becoming more comfortable and getting into the swing of things! I enjoy each day I am able to spend at KD with my students and with Ms. Smith!
This week was a fun week for me as well as my students in Animal Care and Management. We are wrapping up our unit of instruction on Dairy Science. Throughout our unit on Dairy, my students and I learned about the dairy industry, common dairy cattle breeds, evaluation of cattle, common diseases in cattle, and then we analyzed milk composition and production as well as products produced with milk.
So as we are wrapping up milk production, my students and I spent one day discussing processing of milk and how milk is made safe for our consumption. We then discussed factors that sometimes cause milk to become unsafe or carry off-flavors. On Wednesday, my students and I discussed 11 different off-flavor that can occur in milk and how they are caused as well as how dairy farmers can prevent these off-flavors from getting into the milk that we drink out of the milk carton.
After we discussed off-flavors we identified another valuable milk product, which is cheese. We identified 4 factors that help use identify cheese samples, including four sensation devices on our tongue that detect certain flavors.
After discussing all of this material my students were anxious and ready to put their knowledge to the test or to the taste.
Finally, on Thursday we conducted our milk products tasting/sensory lab. For this lab I made 5 different samples of off-flavored milk. The off-flavors that I used were: flat/watery, salty, foreign, feed, and onion flavored. All of these samples except the foreign one, looked exactly like safe white milk. So my students could not necessarily detect the off-flavor just by looking at the sample. They had to use their sense of smell and finally their sense of taste to determine the off-flavor. As my students took each sample their was lots of drama as they all chattered trying to determine what the off-flavor was and how is was so gross and disgusting. After all the samples were tasted, we identified each sample and it's off-flavor, determined possible causes and how to prevent the off-flavors.
My students then got to sample 5 different samples of cheese. Again, using their senses and identifying the cheese based on the 4 factors (body, texture, color, flavor) we talked about in class, they described each sample and at the end we identified each cheese sample.
The last experiment in our lab, was a pudding comparison. This was my favorite portion of the lab because I felt as though it really brought together the importance and difference of various milk samples and milk composition. I made four pudding samples. Each sample was made with an instant vanilla pudding mix. The only difference in each of the four samples was the milk that was used. In the first pudding mix, I used 1% low fat milk. The second sample was made with skim milk, the third sample was made with whole milk, and the last sample was made with evaporated milk.
To complete this portion of the lab, Ms. Smith and I gave each student I dollop of each pudding sample. Again, using their senses my students had to determine how milk composition alters or affects the composition of a product. Surprisingly, to me the visual composition of the puddings were obviously different in each sample. The first two samples were more running or thin, while the others were very thick. Also the color was different among all four samples, ranging from a bright yellow to an almost light brown color. The taste was not as different among the sample as most of the students said all the samples tasted sweet however, there was a difference in which milk provided the best flavor. Most said whole milk and evaporated milk, tasted the best.
My favorite part of the pudding lab was the lightbulb moment when my students were able to analyze how various milks with varying compositions results in altered product composition.
I felt this was a great end to our dairy unit and my students really enjoyed the day of tasting food (of course they did, they are kids). As my students came in to class that day, they were all excited and ready to go and when I asked them if they liked the lab they all shouted yes, as well as asked if we could have good tasting milk for a treat on Monday!
Thankful for another week with Ms. Smith and our students at KD!
-Ms. Timmons
"You never want to get on a plane where the pilot learned to fly from a worksheet."-Anonymous
This week was a fun week for me as well as my students in Animal Care and Management. We are wrapping up our unit of instruction on Dairy Science. Throughout our unit on Dairy, my students and I learned about the dairy industry, common dairy cattle breeds, evaluation of cattle, common diseases in cattle, and then we analyzed milk composition and production as well as products produced with milk.
So as we are wrapping up milk production, my students and I spent one day discussing processing of milk and how milk is made safe for our consumption. We then discussed factors that sometimes cause milk to become unsafe or carry off-flavors. On Wednesday, my students and I discussed 11 different off-flavor that can occur in milk and how they are caused as well as how dairy farmers can prevent these off-flavors from getting into the milk that we drink out of the milk carton.
After we discussed off-flavors we identified another valuable milk product, which is cheese. We identified 4 factors that help use identify cheese samples, including four sensation devices on our tongue that detect certain flavors.
After discussing all of this material my students were anxious and ready to put their knowledge to the test or to the taste. Finally, on Thursday we conducted our milk products tasting/sensory lab. For this lab I made 5 different samples of off-flavored milk. The off-flavors that I used were: flat/watery, salty, foreign, feed, and onion flavored. All of these samples except the foreign one, looked exactly like safe white milk. So my students could not necessarily detect the off-flavor just by looking at the sample. They had to use their sense of smell and finally their sense of taste to determine the off-flavor. As my students took each sample their was lots of drama as they all chattered trying to determine what the off-flavor was and how is was so gross and disgusting. After all the samples were tasted, we identified each sample and it's off-flavor, determined possible causes and how to prevent the off-flavors.
My students then got to sample 5 different samples of cheese. Again, using their senses and identifying the cheese based on the 4 factors (body, texture, color, flavor) we talked about in class, they described each sample and at the end we identified each cheese sample.
The last experiment in our lab, was a pudding comparison. This was my favorite portion of the lab because I felt as though it really brought together the importance and difference of various milk samples and milk composition. I made four pudding samples. Each sample was made with an instant vanilla pudding mix. The only difference in each of the four samples was the milk that was used. In the first pudding mix, I used 1% low fat milk. The second sample was made with skim milk, the third sample was made with whole milk, and the last sample was made with evaporated milk. 
To complete this portion of the lab, Ms. Smith and I gave each student I dollop of each pudding sample. Again, using their senses my students had to determine how milk composition alters or affects the composition of a product. Surprisingly, to me the visual composition of the puddings were obviously different in each sample. The first two samples were more running or thin, while the others were very thick. Also the color was different among all four samples, ranging from a bright yellow to an almost light brown color. The taste was not as different among the sample as most of the students said all the samples tasted sweet however, there was a difference in which milk provided the best flavor. Most said whole milk and evaporated milk, tasted the best. My favorite part of the pudding lab was the lightbulb moment when my students were able to analyze how various milks with varying compositions results in altered product composition.
I felt this was a great end to our dairy unit and my students really enjoyed the day of tasting food (of course they did, they are kids). As my students came in to class that day, they were all excited and ready to go and when I asked them if they liked the lab they all shouted yes, as well as asked if we could have good tasting milk for a treat on Monday!
Thankful for another week with Ms. Smith and our students at KD!
-Ms. Timmons
"You never want to get on a plane where the pilot learned to fly from a worksheet."-Anonymous
Sunday, February 14, 2016
It's Just Not My Forte
Well once again this week, was filled with not one but two snow days! Therefore, I only taught two 'normal days' of class. I feel confident in my ability to bounce back and adapt to many changes and challenges that occur. And to be honest, the craziness of schedule changes actually drives me and really makes my adrenaline run and I love it!
But one thing I realized I did not like as much this week, was teaching a unit on small gas engines. For this unit of instruction, I am co-teaching with Ms. Smith's co-teacher, Mr. Treager. Because I am not teaching with Ms. Smith, I already feel off going into the unit. For the 52 minutes that I am teaching period 3 with Mr. Traeger, I just feel lost without my mentor.
Agriculture mechanics is not my forte however, I feel able to teach my students the importance and fundamentals about small gas engines. As I have spent time preparing to teach, this week I felt confident in my ability to educate my students on the fundamentals of small gas engines.
As I reflect on this unit of small gas engines, I feel as though I was able to serve my students and provide them with new knowledge. I am glad that this week of small gas engines is over, for many reasons. This week challenged me and made me feel very uncomfortable, but I feel more confident as a teacher as a result of my challenges this week.
I had no intentions of teaching a unit on small gas engines. I was trying to steer clear of that agricultural aspect, however Ms. Smith thought it would be best for me and my future to have that experience. And as I look back, she was right!! This week showed me that sometimes the best thing to do, is take a risk and just go with it.
This past week also offered another new course for me to begin teaching. I am now teaching Ms. Smith's period 2 Veterinary Science class. This class makes me slightly nervous but I also find it as a good challenge. Most of our students in this class excel greatly through their academics and that makes me nervous in which I want to continue to provide for them. I don't want to let them down, so I am striving to make sure they are challenged as well as enjoy their learning.
In Veterinary Science this week, we began learning about the skeletal system. To get my students thinking of the purpose of the skeletal system, we constructed our own class skeletal system. I asked each of my students to put their name on a popsicle stick and then we arranged them so we all were touch. This represents our class framework, our support system. And this allowed us to then transition to the framework and support system that the skeletal system provides to many animals.
I enjoyed this exercise with our students and I felt that this was a great way for them to correlate the purpose of the skeletal system and make it meaningful to them.
Looking forward, I am excited for another week of teaching our students at Kennard-Dale and working with Ms. Smith to become the best teacher I can be. Also I am looking forward to another round of snow and all that it entails :)
-Ms. Timmons
"It's not what you have in your pocket that makes you feel thankful but what you have in your heart."-Anonymous
But one thing I realized I did not like as much this week, was teaching a unit on small gas engines. For this unit of instruction, I am co-teaching with Ms. Smith's co-teacher, Mr. Treager. Because I am not teaching with Ms. Smith, I already feel off going into the unit. For the 52 minutes that I am teaching period 3 with Mr. Traeger, I just feel lost without my mentor.
Agriculture mechanics is not my forte however, I feel able to teach my students the importance and fundamentals about small gas engines. As I have spent time preparing to teach, this week I felt confident in my ability to educate my students on the fundamentals of small gas engines.
As I reflect on this unit of small gas engines, I feel as though I was able to serve my students and provide them with new knowledge. I am glad that this week of small gas engines is over, for many reasons. This week challenged me and made me feel very uncomfortable, but I feel more confident as a teacher as a result of my challenges this week.
I had no intentions of teaching a unit on small gas engines. I was trying to steer clear of that agricultural aspect, however Ms. Smith thought it would be best for me and my future to have that experience. And as I look back, she was right!! This week showed me that sometimes the best thing to do, is take a risk and just go with it.
This past week also offered another new course for me to begin teaching. I am now teaching Ms. Smith's period 2 Veterinary Science class. This class makes me slightly nervous but I also find it as a good challenge. Most of our students in this class excel greatly through their academics and that makes me nervous in which I want to continue to provide for them. I don't want to let them down, so I am striving to make sure they are challenged as well as enjoy their learning.
In Veterinary Science this week, we began learning about the skeletal system. To get my students thinking of the purpose of the skeletal system, we constructed our own class skeletal system. I asked each of my students to put their name on a popsicle stick and then we arranged them so we all were touch. This represents our class framework, our support system. And this allowed us to then transition to the framework and support system that the skeletal system provides to many animals.
I enjoyed this exercise with our students and I felt that this was a great way for them to correlate the purpose of the skeletal system and make it meaningful to them.
Looking forward, I am excited for another week of teaching our students at Kennard-Dale and working with Ms. Smith to become the best teacher I can be. Also I am looking forward to another round of snow and all that it entails :)
-Ms. Timmons
"It's not what you have in your pocket that makes you feel thankful but what you have in your heart."-Anonymous
Monday, February 8, 2016
Settling In to Life at Kennard-Dale
Time sure is flying by very quickly here at Kennard-Dale High School. But as time passes I am feeling more in place and more at home each day! I love the courses that I am teaching, I love the kids I get to serve, I love the mentor I get to share this process with and most importantly, I love what I get to do!
Last week concluded week four of my student teaching experience. Each week I am finding that I get more comfortable and in more of a routine with each of my courses. Some highlights of last week included: evaluating dairy cattle in animal care and management class. I taught my students how to properly read a unified scorecard and then they had the opportunity to place a class of cattle using the Hoard's Dairyman's resources. My students enjoyed this activity in which it allowed them to apply the content material that we were learning. So in this aspect my students were able to apply their skills.
Another highlight of the week was creating not one but two arrangements in floral design. The first arrangement my students made was a candy arrangement. We created candy arrangements to demonstrate the principles of design and how they are implemented in arrangements. My students loved the candy aspect of this learning activity! To assess their understanding and not their sugar intake, I had my students complete a lab worksheets to help tailor their candy arrangement and keep them on task.
The second arrangement that we made was a Valentine's Day centerpiece (this was with real flowers). My students in this course have not worked with flowers before, so this was a great learning opportunity and I feel they really enjoyed this application of principles and elements of design.
Last week was rounded out with a great weekend at ACES leadership conference in Harrisburg. Miss. Smith and I had the privilege of taking 10 of our students to ACES. I have experienced this conference as a student, a facilitator, and now an advisor, and I can honestly say I enjoy being the advisor. Spending this weekend with Miss Smith and our kids allowed me to see and celebrate the leaders in our FFA Chapter. We are very proud Kennard-Dale FFA advisors.
This week has started off with a bang, teaching two new classes and I am so excited to continue to grow as a teacher and continue to work with our students at Kennard-Dale!
Ms. Timmons
"So fill your hear with what's important and be done with all the rest."
Last week concluded week four of my student teaching experience. Each week I am finding that I get more comfortable and in more of a routine with each of my courses. Some highlights of last week included: evaluating dairy cattle in animal care and management class. I taught my students how to properly read a unified scorecard and then they had the opportunity to place a class of cattle using the Hoard's Dairyman's resources. My students enjoyed this activity in which it allowed them to apply the content material that we were learning. So in this aspect my students were able to apply their skills.
Another highlight of the week was creating not one but two arrangements in floral design. The first arrangement my students made was a candy arrangement. We created candy arrangements to demonstrate the principles of design and how they are implemented in arrangements. My students loved the candy aspect of this learning activity! To assess their understanding and not their sugar intake, I had my students complete a lab worksheets to help tailor their candy arrangement and keep them on task. The second arrangement that we made was a Valentine's Day centerpiece (this was with real flowers). My students in this course have not worked with flowers before, so this was a great learning opportunity and I feel they really enjoyed this application of principles and elements of design.
Last week was rounded out with a great weekend at ACES leadership conference in Harrisburg. Miss. Smith and I had the privilege of taking 10 of our students to ACES. I have experienced this conference as a student, a facilitator, and now an advisor, and I can honestly say I enjoy being the advisor. Spending this weekend with Miss Smith and our kids allowed me to see and celebrate the leaders in our FFA Chapter. We are very proud Kennard-Dale FFA advisors.
This week has started off with a bang, teaching two new classes and I am so excited to continue to grow as a teacher and continue to work with our students at Kennard-Dale!Ms. Timmons
"So fill your hear with what's important and be done with all the rest."
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