Spring Break 2022
Kalispell, Montana Teaching Immersion
Teaching at the H. E. Robinson Agricultural Education Center
Krista and I had the opportunity to tour the H.E Robinson Agricultural Education Center the night we arrive in Kalispell and I think it is safe to say that we fell in love with the ag center right away. The ag center consists of six Agriculture teachers and six other educators that teach general subjects such as Biology, English, and Western Civics. Krista and I spent most of our mornings observing classrooms and familiarizing ourselves with the ag center.
While on our teaching immersions, each GOALs participant was asked to give a nightly reflection on what we learned about global food security or agriculture, students, and ourselves as teachers. While some days had busier schedules than others, each day I was able to gain further knowledge on all of these subjects that I believe have significantly informed me as a future educator.
Global Food Security / Agriculture
While in Montana, we had the opportunity to experience how different Montana agriculture is from the agricultural industry in Pennsylvania. One of the most interesting things we learned is that the cow to human ratio in Montana is 3 to 1! We also had the opportunity to learn about what commodities are grown in Montana and how those commodities are used within the state.
Our teaching immersion was also a great opportunity to learn about global food security. Over the week, we were very fortunate to meet local producers and educators who discussed global food security with us. These conversations included anything from supply and demand issues to how raising gas prices can effect crop production across the globe. Krista and I were very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with individuals willing to discuss global food security and to be able to share our knowledge of global food security with the students at the ag center.
Students
Throughout the week, as Krista and I had the opportunity to teach one class and then observe the class that the other was teaching, we very quickly
realized that we were experiencing two very different class dynamics that required very different classroom management techniques. This allowed us to gain experience with students of all levels and how we can manage classrooms with two different overall attitudes. It was also very interesting to experience how your relationship with students can develop and how this relationship can help foster student engagement. When we first started teaching our classrooms, students were very reluctant to answer questions, however, by the end of the week they felt much more comfortable engaging in conversations with us.
I also learned that students tend to be more engaging when they are being presented with material that they are more familiar with. Students felt much more comfortable starting conversations and answering questions when we were discussing agriculture and their area and how it relates to the rest of the world then they were discussing general vocabulary terms and concepts.
Overall, I learned that managing students and a classroom can be very fun and rewarding. Being able to observe and teach at the ag center has given me a better understanding of how to manage a classroom and how important it is to connect what you are teaching to students lives so that they have a better understanding of why the material is so important. I loved teaching the students at the ag center and this week will be a learning experience that I will always remember!
Myself as an Educator
After teaching a total of five lesson as the ag center, I left with a better understanding of who I am as an educator. I gained a better understanding of my classroom management preferences and of the expectations I would like to set in my future classroom. This experience has allowed me to learn more about myself as an educator and given me some very useful insight into my future career!
Adventures
Obviously the main point of this trip was to gain experience teaching a classroom and spread awareness of global food security. However, we were also on spring break! Krista and I had an amazing time getting to explore Kalispell and the surrounding areas. We flew into Kalispell on the Friday prior to our teaching immersion and we spent as much time as possible exploring!
On Saturday, we had the opportunity to explore Glacier National Park. While in the park, we had the opportunity to explore Lake McDonald. We also took some amazing pictures - and even snuck in some pictures with a Penn State Teach Ag! Flag! After we explored Glacier National Park, we drove around Kalispell and the surrounding areas. While these adventures were a lot of fun, and they also better prepared us to teach our students for the rest of the week.
Our time exploring Glacier National Park and Kalispell allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the area that the students we would be teaching are from. We became more aware of the commodities that were produced in the area and the aspects of the area that students would encounter on a daily basis. Krista and I loved exploring Kalispell and learning about the area!
Reflection
My time in Kalispell was truly a trip I will never forget. I am so thankful for the amazing opportunity to step into a classroom and teach students about global food security and to observe educators with different backgrounds and teaching styles. This experience was truly incredible and I cannot wait to hear from other GOALs participants about the opportunities they had while on their teaching immersions!
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