Final Lab Post

December is beginning to go faster than it has arrived! As I begin to wrap up AEE 412 lab, I am putting a bow on it by reviewing all of my videos from class. I watch from beginning to end and see exponential growth over the past four months. I still have a ways to go before I "own that classroom," but I started from the bottom and am proud of where I am now.

As I look back throughout my life of agricultural education, I realize that my best pedagogical ability is variability. I hate doing the same thing twice and being repetitive. It is important to change up the classroom environment every 15 minutes during instruction to keep the students attention. I realized that I am always changing the classroom environment.

Here is a video I have created with my lab videos on the variability that I will provide students.

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I hope you have enjoyed reading about my journey and continue with it in the spring!

Good luck with finals!

Dear future Ag teachers

Classroom management skills are important for any teacher to hold forever, but it takes practice and knowledge to master the skill. Managing your classroom will result in an effective learning process. Here are 5 tips on classroom management that I have found useful.

1. Start strong. This could quite possibly be THE most important part of managing a classroom. Starting out the year with a strong attitude is better than starting with a weak attitude and trying to become stronger. If you start strong, you can always lighten up once you begin trusting your class. The first day will either win you or lose you the classroom. 
2. Always remind students of the expectations, procedures, and consequences. Throughout the year students become comfortable in front of you and their classmates. Reminding students of your classroom rules and consequences can bring the students back to you. 
3. Reinforce good behavior. No matter how old students are, it is always best to reinforce good behavior to receive more of it during class. Just a simple phrase of, "Thank you for raising your hand," will remind students that it is important to follow the classroom expectations. Behavior can also be reinforced through rewards. Rewarding students for doing stuff like cleaning the shop, practicing safety procedures, or simply having students' respect will reinforce the behavior you want your students to have. 
4. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Preparation of the classroom is key. Having your lesson plans ready, the classroom seating chart complete, and a prepared classroom create the environment that you are in charge. 
5. Procedures for starting and ending class. These procedures allow students structure within the classroom. It will help you maintain the class with minimal distractions, frustrations, and loss of classroom time. With the periods only being 40 to 50 minutes long, every minute counts. 

These tips on classroom management will help out a beginning or student teacher. It takes time and practice to master this skill, but it is always better to try and fail then to not try at all. 

Putting It All Together

This past week I visited my cooperating center to teach a Life Knowledge lesson. The students were between the grades of 10 and 12. I chose to do a lesson that would be fun and useful to the upperclassmen: Interview Etiquette. The upperclassmen enjoyed the lesson, but the younger students couldn't connect it to their lives yet. Here are some snapshots from my experience.

• I started out with a lesson plan that I had to shorten to fit the time slot of the class. I made some small edits here and there. In the end, I never really used this plan! The students needed to become engaged through activities, not lecture. I started out going through the interest approach. This really grabbed the students' attention until I began a discussion. I lost the students, so I had to speed up to the next activity. Because of this, I had to improvise the rest of the lesson to fit the time. I actually ended the lesson in perfect time. 

• My classroom management skills have grown. With simple words, I have control over the classroom! I had four students who troubled me a bit, but that challenge was good. They became off task by talking to one another. I tried to bring them back in to the task with little success. I could have picked them out of the crowd for a later activity, but I didn't want to push my luck. 

This lesson brought back the spark I needed to finish out the semester's activities. I cannot wait to be in that classroom with students who are willing to learn. Labs throughout the semester help you find your teaching strategies, but there is nothing like a classroom full of high school students to point you in the right direction. 

4th #TeachAgChat

Each of us are required to moderate a twitter chat on a topic that we prefer within a group. I worked with Mike Swartwood to moderate a chat on "Fostering new innovative skill sets in agriculture mechanics education." The questions we compiled are listed below.

Here are some key points from this assignment.

• Because of our topic being on ag mechanics, we had a different group of individuals willing to participate. They are familiar with the ever changing industry and were able to provide a new insight for the classroom. 

• It was neat getting to interact with teachers across the nation. We got to pick their brains and get advice for when we are teaching. It was interesting to see the teachers interact with each other as well. They questioned each others way of thinking. 

This assignment was different from the rest we have had this semester. Here is the Storify from our #teachagchat last night. 

Micro Teaching Experience

This week was filled with many days of teaching. I had the awesome experience of teaching a 3 day unit of instruction on floral design at Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI). Each lesson held a different aspect of floral design that interested students. I saw the passion and excitement that the students have for horticulture throughout my teaching experience. 

I taught a lesson on 4 principles of design and the color wheel, an operational lesson on creating an arrangement, and a managerial lesson on pricing out arrangements. Here are some take away's that I got from each of these lessons.

• Day one was full of excitement as I began teaching about floral design. I had the students create a "note" book by using sheets of blank paper. They were to take notes in the book on the principles of design and color. I wasn't very clear in my instructions for this book. I wanted them to use one page per principle and was hoping for them to use colors to illustrate the principle. I did not state this in the directions for the book, which was poor decision making on my part. Next time, I will need to make a note in my lesson plan to give instructions on how to utilize the book during class. 

• With day one behind us, the students were to put the principles of design to use through an operational lesson plan. Mr. Luther had asked me to give him a list of plant materials and he would gladly order them for the class. I got to CPI that morning and wanted to prep the shop and flowers. He had about 6 bunches of mini carnations waiting to be prepped, but nothing else. (For a floral arrangement there is usually a green and a filler.) He also only had enough oasis for 5 students to create an arrangement, and there were 6 students in class. I worked some things out and in the end each student was able to create their own arrangement using holly cuttings. This day brought about a need to be flexible in the classroom. When you expect one thing, always be open to other possibilities. 

• Day 3 was my managerial lesson. I was really nervous to teach this because it was math based. I have never taught math before and was worried the students would loose their enthusiasm. I wanted the students to walk away knowing the importance of pricing floral arrangements and how to complete pricing problems. This lesson was far from successful. I didn't stop and check for understanding. This was a large issue with the lesson because I felt some frustration among the class. Some best practices I want to try are writing out in my lesson where to check for understanding. 

Although there were a few bumps along the road this week, it was a learning experience I will never forget. I got practice with some lessons I will be teaching in the spring, learned how to better my teaching, and became flexible with the cards that are dealt.

Inquiry Based Instruction Lab #6

As I finish up my last few teaching labs, I continue to learn and improve. Earlier this week I completed an inquiry based lab on dissecting a chicken wing. I had a fear that this lesson would crash and burn with the lack of preparation that was put into it. The lesson turned out running much smoother than I thought. Here are some highlights and learning moments from my lesson.

• No matter how prepared you are for the lesson, your plans may not always guide you. In each lesson plan I usually think ahead of probing questions I can ask the students throughout the lesson. This time, I had no questions planned, but the students were interacting enough with the lessons that the questions came naturally and were nothing compared to what I would expect to ask. I learned that sometimes it works out to just let the lesson flow.

• Having a different group of students in the lab made for a change of pace. The students I am used to teaching are quiet and go with the flow. This group was more energetic and demanding, but were very willing to participate. It taught me that every class will throw you different challenges as a teacher. 

As you can see, I am continually growing as an educator through my labs, classroom experiences, and projects. This week was full of teaching and moments of learning. Look out for my next blog on my micro teaching experience at Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology!

National Convention Recap!

It was another successful year at the National FFA Convention finishing up its last days in Louisville, Kentucky. Just last year I was walking across that stage to receive my American Degree. This year I went as a student teacher with Mohawk and Wilmington high schools. I had a relatively shorter week that other convention goers. We began our trek bright and early Thursday morning. Here are some highlights from the trip.

• Thursday We didn't spend any time at the convention center. It was filled with food, tours, and the Belle of Louisville boat trip. The students got to tour the Kentucky Speedway. Our tour guide was amazing with the kids. She took them to the owner's suite let the driver of our chartered bus race around the track, and let the students set foot on the track. For some, I think this was the highlight of the trip. On the Belle of Louisville, students got to mingle with their friends from around the state of Pennsylvania. They had the chance to dance the night away, or take in the city of Louisville views. 

• Friday We made it to the convention center. The students got to attend a session as well as the expo hall. Mr. Wallace had received his Honorary American Degree during this session. National FFA had brought in an amazing keynote speaker for this session. She made an impact in everyone's life that day. I took advantage of the little time I had at the expo hall to gather as many resources as I could to bring back to the rest of my class. Today was also filled with tours and dinner. 

• Saturday Students got the opportunity to walk around the shopping mall or attend the American Degree ceremony. From Mohawk and Wilmington there were 10 American Degrees earned today. This was also the day I realized that students are beginning to accept me as their student teacher. 

Through it all, I got the experience of knowing the students on a relaxed level. I don't feel as nervous anymore going into the classroom as I was. The time with Mr. Wallace and Mrs. McKelvey was very beneficial. Even though I won't be student teaching at Wilmington, the two chapters work closely together and it is important to know their side as well. I learned to respect the students and they will respect you, stay calm in any situation, and give the students the freedom to explore. You never know what they will discover next!

Effective evaluation of learning

Evaluating student success is a vital part of a teacher's job. Without evaluation, how would they know where their students are in the classroom? There are many types of evaluations that can be useful in an agricultural classroom and laboratory setting. Here are some snapshots of what I learned from my readings this week and how I plan to implement them.

• Written exam: 
• This is a test that uses multiple choice questions, short answer, true or false, and essay questions. There are advantages to these types of questions. Multiple choice and true or false questions require students to recall information, but it is easy for students to guess on and create mistakes. Open ended questions require students to know the material well, but it makes grading harder for the teachers because answers can vary greatly. A written exam will work well in the Ag Business Management course I am student teaching next semester. I don't look forward to this type of examination because students just memorize the information instead of learn it. 
• Performance Assessments:

• This will be great to use in a shop setting in any class where students are completing hands-on labs. Students are evaluated based off of a rubric. This evaluation has its ups and downs as well. Of course students get to show of their skills, a couple students may be struggling in this area and are afraid of failing in front of the class. I can cause a lot of frustration to the student who is behind. The way I plan to incorporate this in my classroom is through students working in groups, except for welding class. I can pair the students who feel like they struggle with the topic to a student that feels comfortable with the topic. 
• Portfolio Assessments:
• Students use all their projects from throughout the course to compile a portfolio that can be used as a final assessment at the end of a course. This shows where the student has grasped or struggled with the topic. I want to implement this in the Ag business management course through the students' projects. Each unit has at least one project and the student will chose 3 of their best for the portfolio. 

Evaluation of students learning lets the teacher know where the student falls in the classroom. It can show what needs more explanation and what can be moved quickly through. It will be fun getting to experiment with the different types of learning assessments to figure out which ones work best and how to properly implement them in the classroom.

Problem Solving Approach

I have been practicing my teaching techniques for almost seven weeks now! Each week is a new adventure and a new technique to learn. This week I created a problem solving lesson to fit into my greenhouse management unit in the Ag business management course. I was really excited about this lesson because it was an idea I had in mind since the beginning of the year. As a high school student I hated learning skills like this by listening to a lecture. I always wanted to be able to apply them in the classroom. Here are some snapshots from my lesson!

• Once again, I am having troubles with filler words, rocking back and forth, and playing with the lesson plan in my hand. I am a very fidgety person, so these habits are hard to break. I can practice effective questioning before the lesson to eliminate the crutch of a lesson plan, which will eliminate my fidgeting hands and filler words. 

• I did a really good job of introducing the topic through personal experiences. To start, I could have shared on of my experiences to warm students up to the idea of sharing. I had to prob some students to get answers. I should practice with the effective questioning because that could have been a problem as well. Having effective questions will allow students to think deeper. 

• Time for absorbing. I gave the students about a minute to read the scenario to themselves. Instead of telling the students to stand up when they are done, I just asked if everyone was ready. I realized at the end of the last scenario that students didn't get enough time to read through the full scenario.

In the end, I have made tremendous improvements in teaching over these seven weeks. Problem solving can be a boring lesson in the classroom if it isn't confronted with enthusiasm. The students loved how I was excited and started the class with a funny video on customer service fails. They also enjoyed the hands on approach to solving a customer service scenario. Instead of acting out the scene I could have had it typed up and every student would have to work through the situation on their own, but this experience got them thinking on their toes. It was by far one of the best lessons to teach this semester, so far. 

Always remember.........

Fall Leadership Conference Reflection

I had an eye opening experience being a facilitator this year at FLC. This is an FFA conference for officer training and first year members. Olivia and I had the Vice President workshop. Here is some key events that I learned from.

• Not every student will be full engaged. It took us about half of the workshop to get all the students engaged. Maybe we weren't hitting their modality of learning, it was just too early in the morning for them to be mentally awake, or the student simply didn't want to be there. To address this, Olivia would stand next to the person with their phone out. I used the technique of clapping when I couldn't get their attention for the next objective, activity, or direction. One way that I will try to engage students more is to give them a classroom task or try to teach to their modality.

• We had to change minor details of our lesson plan. Olivia had the brilliant idea of playing Wheel of Fortune to guess the objectives as a transition. About half way through, most students had lost interest in the game. We decided to switch up our teaching method and use transitioning questions instead. I have realized that this type of thing may happen in the classroom as well. It takes thinking on your feet to change up a situation when you see your plan is starting to fall apart. 

• Time was our biggest enemy! We thought we had timing planned out well for our objectives. When they were put into practice, it only ended up taking less time than we thought. We slowed down the workshop and allowed students more time to think out a Program of Activities. Towards the end we had to cut out one of our leadership activities because we were having so much fun with the other two. Timing will be my enemy when it comes to teaching in a classroom. 

All in all, the experience of writing a long lesson plan and facilitating it to actual FFA members. I learned that planning is super important, but plans are meant to be changed and not set in stone. 

How DO you teach?

We are quickly moving through the semester. As I dig further into lesson planning, I learn more about effective questioning and other teaching techniques. Here are some ways that this weeks readings have helped me.

• Effective questioning goes a long way in the classroom. 
• Questions are used to assess the knowledge of students, create interest, and develop a relationship between concepts. There are different ways to ask questions depending on the response you want to receive. They can be open ended, divergent, and convergent questions. I have already began using these to create my lesson plans. When I think of a great probing questions for discussion, I write it in the plan in the section that it goes with. It is best to think of these questions before hand.
• Maximizing student participation
• Some ways to gain student participation through questioning are to call students by name, ask questions throughout the lesson, randomly select students to answer. Calling students by name gives them a sense of belonging instead of just being a number. Asking probing questions throughout keeps the attention of the students and breaks up the lesson from just lecturing. Randomly choosing those students to answer the questions will prevent intimidation of others. Maximizing student participation will bring more discussion to the table. I plan to use these techniques throughout labs and student teaching. 
• Experiments as a teaching technique

• Experiments can be used to solve a problem. They can be individual or classroom conducted. This teaching technique allows students to plan by collecting materials and outlining the procedures. This is a technique I will be using in the classroom when student teaching. I want students to experiment with how amperage affects a weld's strength. Students will also be experimenting in the advanced single cylinder engines course. They will have to tear down engines and figure out why it wouldn't run. 

These readings have brought understanding to me about effective questioning and different teaching techniques. I have outlined just some ways of incorporating this new information to my lessons and cannot wait to use them!

Erin Yoest

Unit Planning

It seems so surreal that we are SIX weeks into the semester! With classes rolling by and assignments becoming complete, there is still a lot of planning to do. Planning will help the  classroom run smoothly. One of our assignments in AEE 412 is to create the unit plans for the units we are teaching. The one I created for peer review was on Embryology. Here are a couple points I learned while creating my unit plan. 

1. The main goal of the unit has to be clear. I thought long and hard about this unit. I began with the end in mind. I portrayed the goal of the unit clearly throughout the plan. The goal of my unit is that students learn the reproductive system of a chicken, parts of an egg, and the stages of embryonic development. They will keep accurate records in AET of the hatching process and create a financial goal. 
2. Peer feedback was important to me. I had received the feedback within a reasonable time period. They had good feedback. I adjusted unit plan with the feedback in mind. 
3. I edited my unit goals to not contradict with the unit rationale. Earlier that week, we learned to write objectives. I rewrote my objectives. There was some contradiction in the order I had placed my classes. I looked from a student perspective onto the plan and decided switch teaching the parts of an egg after how to candle an egg. I noticed that students would need to know the parts of an egg before they were to candle it. The last change I made was in the assessment section. I did not fully identify how I was assessing the students. I added in point values for each assignment as well as how I was assessing them. 

This was the first unit plan I had created, so I knew it was going to look rough. I learned that it is super important to write a plan with the end in mind. The feedback was really important in creating this plan. Without them, I would not have pointed out some mistakes. Thankfully, they were only minor changes that were simple to fix.
Erin Yoest

How can we improve education?

Over the weekend we were asked to watch a couple TED talks and read a couple articles on inspiring ideas. I am sitting here thinking, "what am I really passionate about that needs to change?" There are so many great ideas out there about what needs changed in the educational world. Well, here is my idea...



Every single year teachers hear the same phrases about standardized testing. Don't teach for the test, teach for your students. Teachers think of this constantly in their classroom, but how can they teach for their students when they have to pass a state standardized test that isn't based on what you actually need for the real world? Don't get me wrong, these tests are an important part of education, but do they really show the true value a student has? We could think of it this way. High school seniors are graduating with the knowledge of trigonometry, but not how to properly balance a checkbook. They know the importance of the government, but do they know how to vote? Do they really know how to put the facts together and vote for who they think should be in office to run our country?

Students lose their creativity and sense of being in the school system today. Teachers are shoving this knowledge into their brains just to pass an exam. An exam that doesn't have any value to students once they graduate. Students are loosing precious time on learning

Students know how to do all the technical math problems and writing out of high school. But think of it this way...

How different would our world be today if kids graduated from high school learning to be an informed citizen instead of just learning to pass a test?

Teaching Lab #3

I decided to create my interest approach on shop safety. I wanted to incorporate an E-Moment into my interest approach and wanted it to be kinesthetic. Student's don't get to move around much when discussing shop safety. I had students collect items from around the room. These items were a mixture of safety PPE and unsafe clothing.

Here are some points from throughout the lesson.

1. I need to be careful for filler words, especially "ummm." I can continue to practice or think about what I am going to say to fix this issue. 
2. I caught the student's who were using technology and talking out right away, but I feel like I could have handled the situation better. Next time, when someone is using their phone during an individual project, I could say, "Hey Stacia! Since it looks like you are finished with the assignment, can you look up three points on welding safety that we have not talked about yet?"
3. When I was teaching through my interest approach, I noticed that picking students' brains is very important.Integrating open ended questions in your lesson will open new doors to a student's learning. Choosing those questions is important as well because you want the questions to lead somewhere. By clicking here you can read about 5 powerful questions that when used effectively can create and engaged classroom. 

As the days go on, I improve with my planning and teaching. The most important part is that I have fun doing it.

Remember, "The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge." -Thomas Berger

First Day of Class Lab!

One Wednesday, I taught my "first day of class." I went in to it thinking I had a much better lesson than my RTL from two weeks ago. I will be teaching shop safety, so this lesson came from my shop safety unit. Here are some snapshots from my lesson!

1. Having clarity when giving directions would have helped me in the first few minutes of class. To fix this I could have wrote more directions on the board instead of verbal. My intent was to have students talk among each other to learn more about their fellow classmates. They were supposed to pick up one new fact about their partner to share with the class. Instead, they wrote down their answers individually and then shared with their partner. The intent wasn't to have students "think-pair-share," but in that situation I was in I became flexible. Next time, I need to have very clear, short set of directions if I am giving them verbally AND ask if there are any questions before they begin.

2. I should have ordered the way I discussed the classroom expectations, procedures, and consequences different. I discussed the 5 Bees of the Classroom (my expectations) then went over the consequences and finally the procedures. I should have placed the procedures in between the expectations and consequences. This will create a smoother transition in between the three.

3. Filler words! I have a bad habit of using the word "umm" in a situation where I am trying to find the right words to say. To try and fix my bad habit, or make it less noticeable, is to practice at home with what I want to say, and how I want to say it. I can also jot those down in my lesson plan so it is always there if I get loose track during a lesson.

I feel like I am improving with the more I learn in class and applying it to the lab. I am happy with the outcome and feedback from the students. They really enjoyed the part of the lesson where they created expectations for me as their teacher. It helped establish respect between the students and teacher because of the fact that I want the environment to be a positive one for them.

Until next time, "What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." -Ralph Marston

Erin Yoest

E is for...

Every student should experience an enthusiastic teacher within their lifetime of being a student. Over the summer I read Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess. The whole entire second part was about grabbing a student's attention. He talks about a three circle model. His three circle model consists of Presentation, content, and technique/method. Presentation is the most vital part to that circle. Dave states, "Just like meat has to be turned and basted, you have to continually added engaging twists, turns, and changes of pace throughout the lesson." Rosenshine and Furst named enthusiasm as one of the 5 variables of an effective teacher.

Enthusiasm can be brought into the classroom by how you teach, the interest approach, and by planning your lesson around some of the multiple intelligence's that students have. A teacher should try and hit on three different multiple intelligences a lesson. But, how can a teacher tell if a student is engaging in the classroom? An Edutopia article states that teachers can tell by a variety of ways. Students being taking notes, asking questions, and interaction between classmates.

There are many ways that teachers can create these diversely interactive lessons. Dave Burgess talks about creating these lessons in part 2 of his book. He created questions that go along with lesson planning. They also intertwine with E-Moments. E-Moments help bring that enthusiasm into the classroom. They go along with multiple intelligence as well. I learned that it is the little, sometimes simplest of things, that can get a student's mind flowing. It could be something as simple as color or a little classroom conversation while keeping the content relevant.



Until next time, "Student engagement is the product of motivation and active learning. It is a production rather than a sum because it will not occur if either element is missing." -Elizabeth F. Barkley

~Erin Yoest~

AEE 295 Cooperating Video

So here is my video all about my cooperating school at Mohawk High School. It is located in Bessemer, Pa and cannot wait to begin my journey!

The Core of Teaching

I had the opportunity to read some amazing articles this week that taught me the principles and strategies for being an effective teacher. As many of you know, I am striving to obtain a teaching degree in agriculture. This was the first step of crossing the threshold from student to teacher. I am beginning to see what the teacher sees.

There are 16 principles that go into becoming an effective teacher. I learned from reading many more articles that these all flow together into creating the effective teacher I need to be. The following web address sends you to a journal article I found that ties these principles and characteristics together. The articles calls them the "Four Aces of Effective Teaching."

• Ace 1: Outcomes
• Ace 2: Clarity
• Ace 3: Engagement
• Ace 4: Enthusiasm

Some of these readings also talked about growth vs fixed mindset. In class, we learned that anybody has the capability of becoming a teacher, but it may take more effort for some than others. This is reiterated in the textbook reading we had about both students and teachers having these mindsets. It was also in our summer reading book of "Teach Like a Pirate."

These have given me the great start into learning how to become the most effective Agriculture Educator that I can be. These readings are a great lead into what the following week of classes have in store for me.

~Erin Yoest~

Reflecting on my first "mini" lesson

The other day I had the challenge of teaching a lesson that was given during the first day of class. These lessons were anonymously chosen. I had one of the harder lessons try and teach. As I look back on my video from the 15 minutes, I realized that there were many things I did wrong. I thought I had it planned out very well, until it was actually put into play with a live audience. The three things i picked up on right away were:

1. I had no objectives! :(
2. two minutes into the lesson I realized that my method was NOT working
3. I took too much time on revealing the symbol's matching word 

Now let me back it up a little because you are probably wondering what my lesson was. I had the task of teaching 31 symbols with a matching word to each. The end assessment was to decipher a paragraph and have the students fill out a learner satisfaction form.

After the lab was over, I read those learner satisfaction forms. About half of them said they were unsatisfied with the learning they received. I compare the comments to what I saw in the video and they were all right. I needed to put more enthusiasm into what I am teaching. I also needed some sort of learning activity to go with the symbols. As I was half way through the lesson, it dawned on me that I was boring them.. a lot. But I couldn't stop then. I kept on going, and I feel like that was one good thing I did during the lesson. I learned a lot from this one experience and it can only go uphill from here!


Until next time, "Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer."   -Denis Waitley

~Erin Yoest~

Supervised Agricultural Experience Student Visits #1 & 2

June 23, 2015

On this day I had the privilege of conducting SAE home visits with Mr. Wallace. I got to meet two of the most active students SAE wise. The first student we visited Brandon. He works with his dad on their large farm. They have about 20-30 dairy cattle they still milk. The farm is mainly crop and hay production. Brandon works on the farm full time to help his dad. They had just bought a new tractor. Mr. Wallace was asking him questions about the engine, where they bought it, and what it will be used for. The family had just went through a hard time with one of their larger producing dairy cows had just died earlier that morning. For just that half hour that I was at Brandon's farm, I saw how this SAE was important to him and his family.



The second student we visited that day was Hanna. She was raising beef projects for the county fair. At this SAE visit I got to see the importance of community to the students and their projects. Her neighbor that owns a beef cattle farm let her keep her steers in their barn. Their families helped each other out. The set up was amazing at the farm. There was a wash rack, scales, and a large pen the steers had to grow in. I got to meet the owner of that farm. They also showed me a little more of their calving set up.










In the end, I enjoyed these SAE visits. They got cut short because of the huge storms rolling it, but they still served their purposes. I saw the importance of home visits, community, and family commitment to these students' projects.



August 19, 2016

This was my second SAE visit. This time it was at the county fair. I got to see more projects. Even though the students weren't there at the moment, Mr. Wallace knew a lot about them and answered all the questions I had. There was a mixture of animal projects at the fair. I had the opportunity to watch the hog show and visit with Hanna again. I got to see the final outcome of her project.

I learned that visits outside of school are important. The teacher can get to know the students and parents on a different basis than in a school setting. The teacher can learn from the students, just like the students learn from the teacher.


Until next time, "The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs you and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a shark stick called 'truth.'"

~Erin Yoest~

Mallorie showing her market hog project.

Cara and Jamie with their prize winning dairy cattle.

Where it all began...

... was about 12 years ago when we moved out of the suburbs and to the country. My family decided to start a Texas Longhorn herd of about 12 cattle. I slowly got more involved in showing livestock over the past 10 years through 4-H and FFA. One of my favorite things to do each summer was raise and show livestock at the county and state fair. I have been successful with many 1st places, 2nd places, and a division champion and reserve champion. My personal favorite animals to raise are hogs and goats. This summer was my last year to show market livestock. It was a bittersweet moment being in that sale and show ring for the last time. Hopefully I will carry on the show stock legacy with my future children.













I also have a horse named Kat. He's a 14 year old quarter horse who loves the barrel pattern. I've owned three horses in my lifetime of riding and I finally found my forever horse. When I settle down with a home and my own property, I plan to run a horse farm with two quarter horses and a team of Belgians.








I was an active member of both programs and LOVED every minute of it! I found a passion of mine: teaching agriculture. I have spent the past three years of my life at Penn State University studying Agriculture and Extension Education. I have just begun my senior year. I will be a student teacher at Mohawk High School in spring semester. Throughout the last couple of years at college, I have been active in Altoona Ag club, Altoona Collegiate FFA and Teach Ag! Society at University Park campus.




So... many of you may be wondering, "Why is her blog titled so?" Well, there is a story behind that. I am proud to say that I have enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves. It took months of thought to make my decision. I am excited to be leaving in 10 months for my next journey. Who knows where the next road may lead, but I know it will be a good one.

Along with signing for the Marines, I recently got engaged. I am excited to live this crazy journey called life with my best friend.




I hope you continue on this amazing journey with me!

Until next time, 

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."   

  -George Bernard Shaw

~Erin Yoest~