What Do I want in my Student Teaching Internship?

 Welcome Back!

If you have been following along in life, you know that I have been touring school districts to possibly student teach at in the Spring of 2024. Today, I want to tell you what I have been looking for in those sites. Obviously, there are so many great schools and teachers to complete my 15 week internship it, so how do I determine what is best for me? 

I came from a very strong FFA and Agriculture Program at Oley Valley High School. We have a lot of rich history, as our chapter was chartered in 1932. We have huge community support from the fair organization and other groups. Our admin is very supportive of the FFA and agriculture program. We had access to some very cool resources such as the Greenhouse, Garage, Food Science Lab, Grow room with aquaponics and Hydroponics. They have recently added a Vet tech room with tools for students to learn the techniques with how to groom and care for pets.

As far as agriculture courses offered, there was a lot of variety to offer. I was very fortunate to take advantage of the many opportunities that Oley Valley offered. I was able to take Agriculture Environmental Science, Animal Science, Plant Science, Food Science, Agriculture Business, International Agriculture, Plant and Animal Biotechnology, FFA Leadership, and AP Environmental Science. This is where I realized that I enjoyed all aspects of agriculture and what ultimately led to my career in Agriculture Education. 



Our FFA Program was very active in the local, county, state and national level. I got the opportunity to compete in so many competitive events from public speaking, wildlife, milk quality and products, and environmental and natural resources. I am so grateful for all of these experiences and all of the opportunities that my advisors gave me. 

What do I want to see in a program?

So, I know that I came from a very strong FFA Program, but there are some things that Oley did not have. I am looking to grow my weaknesses in these areas to be the best well rounded teacher that I can be. These are some of the things that I am looking for in my Cooperating Center. 

Agriculture Mechanics

One of the first things that I knew that I wanted in my Cooperating Center was the option to teach agriculture mechanics. We did not have any of the agriculture mechanics courses at Oley, so it was all knew to me. I am looking to teach a little bit of welding, wood shop, small gas engines, and general agriculture mechanics. As this is not my strong suit, I am excited to learn with my students and to get more comfortable with this material. No better way to learn about Mechanics than to teach it to students! It will be a learning curve for sure, but I am excited for this opportunity to strengthen my weakness. 

Great Cooperating Teacher Relationship

I am looking for a Cooperating Teacher that I know that I can form a great relationship with. I also want them to be able to teach me, all of their tips and tricks for managing a classroom full of students. I am a very Type A person, very competitive, organized, and runs on a schedule. I am looking for someone that is more of a Type B person, who can show me how to be more flexible, patient, and laid back. Although, I do want them to be organized and be able to keep me on track. I am hoping that between a mix of this, I will be able to find a Cooperating Teacher who will best fit my needs and be able to help me work out some of my weaknesses. 

Strong Supervised Agricultural Experience Implication

An SAE is an experience that all FFA and agriculture students should participate in order use their knowledge that they learn in the classroom, outside in the real world. I completed my SAE Requirement as a placement working for a restaurant. At Oley, we did not have a strong SAE requirement, and students only completed one if they were really active. I want to be involved with a Cooperating Center that has a higher percentage of their students complete an experience and logging hours in AET. I think that this is beneficial for students to learn inside and outside of the classroom as well. This is an important part of their learning and being able to find their future career that they are interested in. 


I am really excited to be beginning this process and searching for my home for the Spring of 2024. We have our interviews next week with our advisors where we will discuss these needs and some of the programs we have visited. Stay Tuned to see where I am placed and all of the fun excited things to follow in this Journey!

~Paige

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