Little Girl Takes on California

As I am reflecting on my time spent at the National Association of Agriculture educators conference in Anaheim California I can honestly say that It was an experience that I am lucky to have. The big take away that I got while I was there was that as Pennsylvania educators we are very blessed to have such a supportive state association. I know that I felt support from all of the Pennsylvania teachers that were there. 
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It was amazing to get to talk to teachers from all over the country. It was even greater to talk to Pennsylvanian teachers and to make connections with the teachers that are there to support me as a pre- service teacher. 

I did get to talk individually with a teacher from Arizona, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. 
The teacher from Arizona, he was from a non- traditional program, and he did not have a degree in agriculture education, he was an animal science major. It was interesting to talk to him, and to learn that he does not make lesson plans, but it did sound like he loses control of his classroom a lot because of not having lesson plans. 

The Oregon teacher was very nice and super supportive, I met her at the crop and soil science workshop. She sat between Jess and I so we got to pick her mind at being a young female teacher. She told us that we need to relax and that everything that we are doing is going to help us in the end. Student teaching is going to be hard, and it is going to challenge us a teachers. BUT it is so worth it. She said she wouldn't change anything. 

I also got the experience to meet one of my virtual mentors, Becky is AWESOME and I wish I could have met her sooner. She gave me the best advice, and it was really nice to know that she is always there to support me, if I ever need her she is there. It was really nice to meet her to see that she is a person just like me, she is a teacher, she has a family, she is a HUMAN. We are all humans, and we all have different needs just like our students. 

From PA we got the experience to hang out with a few pa teachers, and eat dinner with them as friends. I think that I really benefited from this experience to see that as a teacher I can still go out to dinner with my friends, and there are Pennsylvania teachers that like to hangout with each other. As teachers we do not have to hide in a box, or hide in our homes we are humans and we can have friends. 

As I go into student teaching I think that this experience make me more relaxed, and this will help my students as well. I hope that I can go into student teaching with a relaxed attitude. 

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