Connection!

When I first started my job as an orientation leader we learned a whole bunch of ice-breakers to do with students. I quickly found one that I enjoyed, that the students enjoyed, and that fit well with our tight schedule in orientation. The name of the game is "Connection!" and it basically allows everyone to tell a little bit about themselves and find others that share common interests. 

Since student teaching started this week, my life feels like one big game of "Connection!" as I'm constantly meeting and interacting with new people. 

For starters, I have connected personally and professional with my cooperating teacher and the other teacher in the ag department. Conversation has ranged from fun memories during conventions to helpful resources for teaching and working with students. They have answered about a billion different questions and have worked with me on content knowledge and structing lessons. I have come to realize, too, that I have a lot to learn about predicting timing on lessons and after only teaching twice this week, I have reviewed a lot of stuff in order to be more realistic for the students.

I have also been able to connect with plenty of people around the building and I've met new people everyday. Just today I talked with the department head who told me that he teaches woodshop and invited me to come observe his classes and work in his shop so that I could get some experience in this area of ag mechanics. The other day I was also able to meet with the curriculum director in the high school who showed me Breakout EDU where I found a bunch of cool virtual breakout boxes that I can do to meaningfully engage my students who are online. 

Finally, I am living with a couple where the wife is an ag teacher and the husband is in ag sales, as well as both running their small farm. Through the two of them I have already gained a wealth of knowledge raging from practical electrical wiring and woodworking, to engaging lab ideas and new educational platforms for virtual students. It seems everyday I gain some more knowledge from the two of them.

Overall, I feel very blessed to be where I am for student teaching. After reflecting on how much I have learned and done in this week alone, I know this is only the tip of the iceberg for student teaching. I am looking forward to meeting more students, teaching more classes, making more connections, and learning a whole lot more about people and agriculture.