As a future high school agricultural science teacher, I have put quite a bit of thought into what resources will make me the best teacher I can be. Of course there are many websites, books, and workshops that I can use as resources. However, I think my best opportunity comes from current and former teachers. Who better to learn from than those that have already dedicated many years to the field of education? The first teacher I interviewed was my high school agricultural science teacher, Kevin Wunderlich. Mr. Wunderlich is a graduate at Texas A&M University and has been teaching at Riesel High School for 31 years. There are not many agricultural science teachers that stay in the same place they began teaching. I think that commitment is one of the many qualities that makes him a great agricultural science teacher. Mr. Wunderlich said he didn’t decide that teaching was what he really wanted to do until after he student taught. He had a great student teaching experience that reminded him of why he really enjoyed being involved in his high school ag program. What really drew him in was the fact that he trained a state qualifying meats judging team as student teacher. He said he was reminded of how good it felt to get a great outcome out of hours of hard work and dedication. Mr. Wunderlich said the most rewarding part of being an agricultural science teacher was seeing students succeed in team events, animal projects, and FFA degrees. Another reward that he mentioned was the
Some teachers say that they have had the dream of being a teacher their entire life. I on the other hand would not strive for this dream until my second semester of college at the College of Southern Nevada, and I often ponder how different my life would have been if I would have had a teaching end goal from the beginning.
Field experience has shown me many things and has given me pointers on what to do and what not to do in my teaching career. It has shown me the natural talents I have for teaching. Teaching is my dream career and having this experience has only shown me the
I found this job very rewarding, and my excitement for teaching grew. After that, I volunteered to work as a teacher’s assistant for Mrs. Fast, the fifth grade teacher at my school. The experience I had in Mrs. Fast’s classroom had a big impact on me. Mrs. Fast was able to connect to her students, and gave the students every opportunity to succeed. As I worked in her classroom, I began to see what a teacher truly does: and that is to, not only teach, but to also instill a desire to learn in
Even though I volunteered in different schools, I never had the opportunity to ask about the real feelings of a teacher. During the interview, I learned that there is more than just teaching in becoming a teacher. This is because she told me how one of her hesitation on becoming a teacher is the time one dedicates for the job. She told me that when one is teacher, one must prepare lesson plans, come to school early to prepare for the day, and even stay longer to grade papers. She said that her typical day starts at 7:30 am to prepare materials and school instruction starts from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm. Then, even though the class ends already, she needs to create lesson plans for the entire week. She said that all these things are part of a teacher’s job, but they do not get paid to do these things. Therefore, I learned that being a teacher is not easy because there are a lot of extra responsibilities beyond the job description and that being a teacher extend beyond the classroom. Additionally, her answer made me reflect on whether I want a job, where I have to work more than the “work hours.” However, despite this workload, what amazes me was when she said that if she could go back, she would still choose to be a teacher because of her passion to make a difference in the lives of the
Looking back at the experience I had in observing, I still have the determination to inspire others through a career in teaching. Teaching is a very diverse job that requires many skills and a lot of patience. It is important for a teacher to be able to maintain a healthy and professional relationship with their pupils, develop lesson plans that keep the attention of a majority of the students, make the atmosphere of the classroom inviting, and be a welcoming person capable of standing up in front of the class to
“Learning to do, Doing to learn, Earning to live, Living to serve” is the motto of the National FFA Organization. This historical organization is guided by dedicated educators teaching in the field of agriscience. Agriscience educators are in high demand in Alabama and across the nation. Agriscience educators teach in a project based learning environment that reaches all students by teaching about innovative agricultural topics and working with new technology all while traveling across the state and country with the FFA.
For me, the decision to become a teacher is more of a way of life than a career. I have always loved school, practicing at being school marm from a young age, and voraciously devouring every shred of education offered me in my career as a student. If it were possible, I would be a student for the rest of my life. And then I still would not have learned enough. As a teacher, I hope to instill this appetite for knowledge in secondary students. They are, after all, the future leaders of the world, and what better place to expand the minds of the generations to come than here in Appalachia where education programs, especially the sciences, which I plan to teach, are poorly funded and children’s dreams
Teaching was very natural for me. I felt comfortable and confident working in all my classrooms. I was fortunate to have the support from all supervising teachers and they provided me guidance and knowledge as I continued to grow in the classroom. I couldn’t wait to go to college so I could focus on teaching every day and officially start my journey as a future
I have been working on my academic career for many years now. I am currently in my third year of community college, and have come across multiple teachers who have helped and inspired me in many ways. A teacher not only teaches the content of their course, but life skills as well. They are kind, caring, considerate, and understanding of their students. A teacher who goes above and beyond for their students is one that will make a difference. One teacher who I believe has made all the difference to me, was my accounting professor.
The idea of a high school freshman taking a college class at such a young age is not a concept that most people are familiar with. Therefore, when I was presented with this amazing opportunity, I knew I had to take advantage of it. The Wonderful Agriculture Career Prep gave me the chance to take dual enrollment to obtain my A.S degree in Plant Science while completing my high school requirements as well. My high school experience was quite challenging. Not only did I have high school classes and sports, but I also took college courses. From the beginning, this program has served as a preparation in my path to pursue higher education. The program has taught me how about time management, made obvious by the fact that I am now capable of balancing
I interviewed a teacher from Seckman High School named Lori Bunting. I asked Lori several questions and she gave me more insight on the teaching career. Lori graduated from Southeast Missouri State in in 2000 with her Bachelors in Secondary Education and Mathematics. She then received her masters in classroom teaching in 2008 from Missouri Baptist University. With student teaching in my near future I thought asking her about her student teacher experience would give me some advice on what my next steps are. Lori student taught at two different schools and for eight weeks each. The first place she student taught was at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Missouri. Lori stated that the school was very small and only had one math teacher. She said this gave her an insight of what it would feel like to teach in a small school. On the other hand, she also taught at Cape Central High School in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She said she really enjoyed this experience because the school was much bigger and she felt more involved in the school. She said that unlike today, she had no choice of where she student taught but she was grateful for the experience she had at both Oak Ridge High School and Cape Central High School.
Teachers invested in their student’s success and learning go beyond the label of just any teacher. Dr. Farmer is one of those teachers who are willing to go an extra mile or two to ensure success in her students. She is committed to actively helping each individual student achieve the goals they have set for themselves in the classroom-and in general. Dr. Farmer’s teaching impacted my education by allowing me to believe in myself to achieve the goals I have.
I first became interested in teaching in my sophomore year in high school. My inspiration came from three amazing teachers who showed passion for their subject matter as well as a love for teaching. My desire to become a teacher was amplified by the many leadership and teaching roles that I took on while I was in Boy Scouts. While teaching in Boy Scouts I learned that teaching was what mattered most to me. Under my leadership, I helped advance many scouts to the rank of Eagle Scout as well as winning multiple awards at every summer camp that we attended. This was my jumping point into enrolling in Old Dominion University’s education program.
After hearing Kristina’s background of her road to becoming a teacher, I began to ask her questions about her teaching experience. The first question that I asked Kristina was what influenced her decision to become a teacher? Kristina’s response to this question connected greatly to my own influences. She had known that she wanted to teach from about second grade. Kristina nannied and babysat for multiple kids when she was younger. The experience she had with watching kids had an impact on what she wanted to do in her life. Having the opportunity to relate to children
I think agriculture can help schools. Through Agriculture in Schools, students ages 10-14 and their teachers receive training in best practices, including compost-making, proper sowing and cultivation. Students who participate learn to appreciate the great importance and dignity of agricultural work. Agriculture will help with fresh ingredients; young people often have a poor opinion of agricultural work. Clearly, this could be the answer to teach students, how to be able to grow more food of better nutritional quality. Agriculture should be an elective or even a requirement at schools.