By: Dennis C. Swartz
Marion, Ohio
Agricultural Education Alumni (BS and MS)
The hands-on activities present in student teaching opportunities create a “real-world” atmosphere that cannot be duplicated in the college classroom. The classroom management style of the host teacher, the difference in maturity of freshmen vs upper-classmen and boys vs girls is real and the teacher must learn to manage the situations. Also, home visitations, working with handicapped and special education students can be beneficial for later teaching, since all will have those students within their classroom.
And… don’t forget, as a teacher within a school system, you will be expected to perform additional duties you never trained for and join organizations within the community that will assist with your personal and teaching career. No teacher in the school system gets more involved than the Ag teacher, so expect to be busy during both the school year and summer.
Mr. Swartz is an alumni of Ohio State’s agriscience education program (formerly Agricultural and Extension Education). The advice he shares in this blog post for our current student teachers are his own opinions.