11: Going Visiting

There was a lot of snow to clear off my car before
heading to Selinsgrove.

One of the best ways to expand your knowledge is to travel to other places. Travel can be across the globe or even as close as right down the street. On Thursday, March 22nd I had the great opportunity to visit my fellow cohort member Macy Fisher at Selinsgrove Area High School. It was great to see a friend and her cooperating teachers.

Macy overseeing students working on their
electrical wiring in the shop!

I took notes on what Macy was teaching, the ag program facilities, and the thoughts of the students. Some fun things that I saw were the tiny trout in the back of the classroom, the large greenhouse being fully utilized, and the four sided wall frame to practice electrical wiring on. With a 2-hour delay, the day went by incredibly quickly but I was glad to meet Mr. Curt Swineford and Ms. Valerie Fry in the short time that I was there.


My major takeaways from this visiting trip are as follows:

1. As I transition into a program of my own I aim to act as a mentor to those who come after me. This means saying "yes!" when I am asked to serve as a mentor whether that be through allowing program visitors or taking on a student teacher. 
2. Seeing other programs can give you some neat ideas to implement in your own. I saw many things that I would like to use on day in my own classroom. 



Lots of plants are growing in the greenhouse!

3. Continuing to build a network of support from other ag teachers is incredibly important and as I grow I hope to never cease in adding names and faces to those who I can help and that can in turn help me.