And so the journey ends here... (Week 15)

Over the past four months I have spent my time at Mohawk High School as their student teacher. I started out as a shy teacher. I was afraid of EVERYTHING going wrong! But... I have grown more in these past four months than I could have imagined. Not only did I become a better educator, but I learned about who I am as that educator. I figured out that I live by the phrase "learning by doing." Students pick up the most when learning from real-world experiences. I have had so many projects fail in the classroom that I learned from those failures and grew as a teacher. My students picked up on this behavior and reflected after lessons with me on why something failed and how to make it better.

At Mohawk, I taught a total of 5 classes. These consisted of Advanced Single Cylinder Engines, Welding, Ag Business Management, Building Masonry, and Electricity. YES! This is a wide variety of classes. Each class was unique and taught me something new each day. When I first began, I didn't feel I knew enough content or had the best lessons to engage the students because this school is ag mechanics based. (I am more of a horticultural person). I learned all kinds of content as well as classroom management within the shop setting.

Along with the classes, I got to serve as an FFA advisor and role model for the students involved in the program. I had the opportunity to attend conferences, conventions, and conduct SAE visits. I pretty much got a glimps of what it is like to be an agricultural teacher.

Today, as I was saying my final remarks as a student teacher, I realized that I never want to leave. I am going to miss this chapter of my life. Those students will always be my first students. My chapter at Penn State University and Mohawk is slowly coming to a close and my chapter with the United States Marine Corps begins to write itself. Semper Fidelis!