A Bulldog for a Day

On Tuesday March 29, 2016 I had the great opportunity to visit my colleague Ms. Katie Andrews at Big Spring High School in Newville. Big Spring is very close to my home, however I was amazed at their agricultural program.

When I arrived at the school and got to Ms. Andrews first period class, she and the students were working in the greenhouse transplanting some of their vegetables they had started in trays. I, of course loved this idea and was eager to interact with Ms. Andrews first period students and lend a helping green thumb.

One component of Ms. Andrews program that I loved, was their greenhouse. While the structure itself was not overly large the components of it were amazing. Taking one look at the greenhouse, it was obvious to me that Ms. Andrews and her students spend a lot of time in this course cultivating plants. Their work and time commitment is evident in the green growth that is seen throughout the greenhouse!

As the morning continued, I followed Ms. Andrews to each of her classes. I have to give her credit for being able to jump between two different classrooms as she fills in the place of two cooperating teachers. I felt as though Ms. Andrews did a great job making each transition and being prepared to start each class.

Ms. Andrews and I both teach Introduction to Agriculture and Natural Resources through a CASE curriculum. This was interesting to see how Ms. Andrews students react and portray the curriculum compared to my students. I enjoyed observing this connection as well as talking to Ms. Andrews students and gaining their perspective on the content they are learning.

One take away that really stuck with me, was a simply white board. Ms. Andrews uses a white board in the front of her classroom as simply an assignment board (This white board is separate from the large instructional white board in the front of the room). The reason Ms. Andrews uses this board is because she finds that her students complete more of their assignments when they are able to be constantly reminded of the assignment as a result of the white board. This is a simple piece of instruction that I would like to incorporate in my future classroom, as a tool to help my students stay informed and to keep deadlines insight.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Big Spring. I thoroughly enjoy Ms. Andrews and her teaching style. She is a great leader and has a strong position in front of the classroom. I felt that Ms. Andrews was well respected by her students and had a great ease in her instruction.

Keep up the great work Katie!

~Ms. Timmons