The World of FFA

It seems that January and February are very busy months when you live in the world of FFA. There is a lot to do when you have students involved in contests and applying for Iowa Degrees, or District Office. Through student teaching, I have had my first real experience with FFA contests, degrees, and running for office. I was not as involved in FFA as I would have liked to have been in high school. The last few months I have gained a real passion for the competition and compassion involved in FFA activities.


I haven't even mentioned that National FFA Week also falls into this chaotic time of planning for these events. Mid-Prairie's FFA week celebration was very different from my own. We put up signs in the library windows as well as on each FFA members locker. We also had a teacher appreciation breakfast, a few dress up days and an FFA assembly. The assembly unfortunately got postponed due to the winter weather we have been having the last couple of weeks. Overall, the students enjoyed the activities and were willing to help put in the time to make it successful.


I learned a lot about what happens behind the scenes at district review night as well as contests. I have enjoyed working with the other Ag teachers in our district and getting to know my role at these events. It has also been a great time for Alyssa and I to catch up and share our stories and experiences. I cannot even begin to express how much I have learned through the experiences of student teaching. This is comforting because I feel that I know 100 times more than I did when I arrived, but I know there is still so much more for me to learn.

Student Teaching Underway

The adventure has officially started. I cannot believe that I have already been student teaching for two weeks now. Dr. Paulsen was right, it is going to be the end of April before we now it! The first week was full of the hustle and bustle of finishing up activities of the semester. It was a great experience to see the activities happen at the end and beginning of semesters. The students seemed to be excited for the end of the term, but not as excited about the beginning of the new term. After watching Mrs. Schmidt deal with a difficult group of students, we were both excited for a new semester.

Last Tuesday, the new term began and I officially started teaching. I am very excited that I am able to teach a CASE class. It helps with the planning, but there is still plenty of preparation that goes into each class. My class this term is moving through the material at a rapid pace. It seems that they are understanding the material well and just have a better grasp on the CASE philosophy.

All of my classes seem to be off to a good start. The students in this term are well behaved and have been great to work with so far. I was able to observe how differently students act when there is a substitute teacher present. It gave me a good insight into planning for a substitute and the behavior I can expect when I am not present.

Overall, the experience has been great so far. I still have a lot to learn and I am excited about the adventures which are yet to come!

Hope everyone is having a great week!