3, 2, 1...Lift Off! Traveling from Pennsylvania to Tennessee!

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I am so excited to announce that I will be teaching at Eagleton College and Career Academy in Tennessee in just one week! As a participant of the Global Orientation in Agriculture Learning program in conjunction with the World Food Prize Foundation and USDA NIFA, I have the opportunity to travel to a school in the continental United States to teach about global agriculture over spring break. Some key concepts of the curriculum are the Sustainable Development Goals, agricultural systems, and connecting Tennesee to global agricultureI am so excited to travel to Maryville, Tennessee where I will be able to share my knowledge about food security and global agriculture to 8th grade students at Eagleton College and Career Academy! 





3...Things I am Excited About 


Of course, there is a lot to look forward to as I get ready to take off this coming Sunday and head to Knoxville, Tennessee. Something I am excited about is experiencing how I will grow and develop as a teacher. I am going to be reflecting on my lessons, teaching methods, and overall approach to each day as I go through the week. I think that I will be a completely different teacher at the end of this teaching immersion, and I am looking forward to that!  


Another thing I am excited about is teaching content to students in a different geographic region of the United States. Each time I stop and think about traveling to Tennessee, to teach students that may have never been to Pennsylvania, and to have the opportunity to represent my school and my home state, I am blown away with how amazing this opportunity truly is. The students are not only going to be learning from me, but I am going to be learning from them. How cool is that? 


 Lastly, the thing that I am the most excited about is teaching agriculture in a formal setting for the very first time! Aside from workshops at conferences here and there and an educational presentation or two, I have never had the opportunity to teach in a formal agricultural education setting. I am really looking forward to taking in the whole agriculture teacher experience, and really giving the students in Maryville a week to remember! 

 



2...Things I am Nervous About 


But like all great endeavors, there are always some nerves that come along with embarking on such a journey. Something I am nervous about is seeing my lesson plans come together. With two lessons at 70 minutes each, I am worried about if my curriculum will come out the way I am planning it will. Flexibility is the name of the game as a teacher, and I am excited to learn and adapt where needed as I go through this coming week.  


Another thing I am nervous about is traveling to Tennessee and seeing the logistical plan go smoothly. Even though I like to fly and visit new places, this is the first time I will be traveling to Knoxville, Tennessee, and getting there requires a lot of planning and communication between my cooperating teacher and I. Flexibility is a key part of the operation here as well, what if a flight is delayed? All part of the experience, and we will grow as we go! 

 


My teaching partner Ambar and I planning our trip to Tennessee



1...Question I Have for My GOALs Cohort 


All this to say, I am ecstatic about this opportunity to teach in Maryville, Tennessee over my spring break. As I navigate this journey though, I do have a question for my other GOALs participants going off to their own teaching sites. How will we know that we made a lasting impact on the students we travel to teach? That is the biggest challenge I find myself facing. I want this experience to be as special for the students as it is for us, and I hope that we are all able to leave our mark on Tennessee, Montana, Idaho, and North Carolina; together. 

 


Thank you for the endless support, 

Ms. Cusate 

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