My name is Megan Bergman, and I am a sophomore majoring in Agriscience Education. I recently completed my early field experience in the Ag department at Anna Local Schools. I was able to observe the two-teacher program under my cooperating educator, Mrs. Sarah Heilers along with Mr. Tim Zimpfer. Along with observing the classroom and the teaching styles and interactions within it, an important part of the early field experience is thinking about the classroom differently through the guidebook that we complete in our schools. This includes activities like interviews of other staff members at the school, taking note of student interaction, and daily journaling.
One of my favorite parts of my EFE was being able to teach a lesson. I had the opportunity to teach the two freshman classes about potential careers in agriculture. After the lesson, students were able to use the Ag Explorer website to see what agriculture careers best fit their interests and talents. It was fun to see the students’ choices of potential careers within the agriculture industry.
An aspect that makes the Anna Ag department unique is that while it is a two-teacher program, there are not two classrooms. Mrs. Heilers and Mr. Zimpfer team teach all of their classes, meaning that they are both up front and instructing together. This was interesting to observe. They often bounced ideas off of each other and chimed into the lesson when they had a personal experience that would enhance the message being betrayed. I really enjoyed observing this teaching style and the energy that both teachers brought to the classroom.
My EFE was an enjoyable experience thanks to all of the people at Anna. From the welcoming administration to the energetic students, the people were what made my time truly memorable. Mrs. Heilers and Mr. Zimpfer always made me feel welcome, and I never walked away from a day at my EFE without laughing at least a dozen times thanks to them! My early field experience enabled me to look forward to my future career as an agricultural educator.
Bergman’s cooperating educator, Mr. Zimpfer working with students.
Anna students working with their fruit sales.