It's about them - Week 14

"The future depends on what we do in the present." - Mahatma Gandhi 

Many factors contribute to a student's academic performance. This can include individual characteristics and family and neighborhood experiences. However, teachers create the most impact on the students. 4 years. 736 days. 5,888 hours. 353,280 minutes. 21,196,800 seconds. This is the maximum amount of time that one teacher might get to impact a student's life. So, why not give each student the maximum opportunities to expand their knowledge?

On Thursday, April 12th the Cowanesque Valley High School Ag students were provided the opportunity to travel down to Penn State University. There were two purposes to this field trip.  When at the university the students were able to connect classroom instruction and future career opportunities. We used these two purposes because every student is different.

The students that attended ranged from freshman to seniors. Some students were in Agriculture Science, Horticulture, Animal Science, or Metal. On the trip we had a student that wants to be a vet, and a student who wants to go home to the family dairy farm. No matter what type of student, each student met the purposes for the field trip.

First, we first stopped at the dairy barn. Here we met with Travis Edwards who is the Co-Manger at the dairy barns. In the parlor Travis explained the process of milk secretion. He went over the hormones and spoke about detecting mastitis. Also, Travis explained about rumen research. The students were able to connect classroom content from two days prior of the field trip. Two days earlier the students completed a digestive tract        (Tongue to Anus) dissection. 

We then headed to the meats lab. Here we met with Dr. Campbell and a student named Sam who is completing his masters in food science. Dr. Campbell explained the process of slaughtering and the opportunities at Penn State University. 

Being a student teacher I will not be able to watch these students grow to their future. However, I hope the time that I have had with them I was able to impact them. Whether I impacted their future or impacted their education for the four months I was with them. And I hope that the trip to Penn State University will be something Cowanesque Valley continues in the future.