Spring Break Immersion Trip Preparations

Because I am participating in the Global Orientation Agricultural Learning program through Penn State, I have had access to many unique opportunities. I am a student in a class with 8 Penn State students studying alongside 5 University of Idaho students via Zoom. We are learning how to teach global agriculture in high school classrooms. In October 2021, all of the participating Penn State and University of Idaho students as well as select teachers from across the country met in Des Moines, Iowa to attend the World Food Prize. This trip gave me a different perspective on incorporating globally oriented agricultural learning into high schools. Because many of the teachers taught subjects other than Agriculture (including English, Science and STEM classes, and Family Consumer Science to name a few), I learned that global agriculture has an effect on every aspect of life, and thus, should be incorporated into every aspect of learning. 

For spring break this semester, I am traveling with another Penn State Student to Raleigh, North Carolina to teach with Sarah Dinger–one of the teachers we met in Des Moines. While in Ms. Dinger’s classroom, we will each teach two classes of students for a week about global agriculture and its effects in the surrounding community as well as on a larger scale. The curriculum we will teach is adapted from Olivia Murphy-Sweet’s curriculum developed to bring a global perspective to Idaho Agriculture Education. 

                                                            Map of Raleigh

We have spent the majority of the semester thus far preparing for our immersion trip. We have completed a wide range of preparations including adapting the curriculum to fit into our high school’s schedule and to be relevant to our students, communicating with Ms. Dinger, planning our itinerary and budget, and booking a place to stay. 

Through this process I have certainly learned a lot about lesson planning as well as what goes into planning a professional trip. The process has also made me increasingly excited as our departure date approaches. I am excited to see Ms. Dinger again and watch her teach. I have interacted with her on a professional level in an environment where we were both learning new information. I am excited to now be able to observe her teaching style in the classroom environment. I am also excited to observe my travel partner teach. Because we both developed our curriculum from Olivia Murphy-Sweet's, it is similar, but I am eager to see how our lesson plans differ and how the students react to each. However, I am most excited to be teaching in an actual classroom for the first time. I hope to teach in a high school classroom post-graduation from Penn State, so this is great practice. I am also aware of how unique this opportunity is to be able to teach real students in a real classroom so early in my college career. 

Even with all of this excitement, I know it’s normal to have some nerves with any new experience. I am nervous about adapting my lessons on the spot. Luckily, my partner and I have support from our professors at Penn State who have helped us develop our lesson plans thoroughly, including extra activities and noting which to cut if we run short on time. Ms. Dinger has also assured us that she will be there the entire time to give pointers and tips, as well as other options to add if we have extra time. I am also nervous about the uncertainty of traveling to a place that is new to me. I know, however, this nervousness will turn to pure excitement once we are on the road and arrive in Raleigh. 

Finally, I am most excited to put together an answer to a long-term question I have been pondering all semester: how will my teaching impact the students in the long run, and how will the students impact me? There is plenty of preparation that can be done to get ready for an immersion experience like this, but some things will only be certain once they are complete. I hope that I will be able to see the impact that I have on these students and that the impact will continue even after my partner and I travel back to Pennsylvania post-immersion.

In summary, I'm excited to watch Ms. Dinger teach, watch my travel partner teach, and to teach myself. I am nervous for in class adaptations and the uncertainty of traveling to a new place. One question that I'm eager to answer is how will my teaching impact the students in the long run, and how will the students impact me?