https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu en-us 2021-02-15 19:38:27 UTC 2024-12-04 07:20:55 UTC hello@padlet.com ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204702685 2021-02-15 19:41:27 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204702685 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204703102 2021-02-15 19:41:31 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204703102 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204728358 One thing that has been discussed during my placement and is reflected in the data at the link below, is the decreasing population size in Greenwich. As my school is in the middle of budget planning, the gradual drop in student enrollment from a lower population impacts the financial support available toward the school's budget. The poverty rate in Greenwich is 8.2%, approximately 5% lower than the state average. From the students I have observed in my classes, most fall into the middle-class category and I have no students that appear to be in major financial distress. This community has low diversity, with 92% of its population identifying as non-hispanic white. At the time of these statistics, the town had a 1.9% foreign-born population, which had decreased slightly in recent years. What I already knew and these statistics support, is that this community is lacking in terms of ethnic and social diversity. I hope to be able to demonstrate acceptance of different viewpoints and to incorporate acknowledgment of other cultures into my lessons to normalize this and bring diversity to the attention of my students. I have also noticed students occasionally using outdated or potentially offensive language when chatting with one another and I hope to show students a better way to express their point and explain why it is best not to use those expressions or terms. ]]> 2021-02-15 19:52:33 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204728358 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204786125 Located in Washington County, the school district serves students from the village of Greenwich, multiple hamlets, and rural areas. My mentor teacher estimated that 50 students in our school come from families with farms in the area, representing some of the rural population.  Greenwich is situated adjacent and among numerous important water features such as the Hudson and Battenkill rivers. The town is situated between the Adirondack Mountains in NY and the Green Mountain Range of Vermont. As I am doing a unit with students on career readiness, it is valuable for me to be familiar with what type of areas my students are coming from and what resources are available to them based on their locations.  ]]> 2021-02-15 20:19:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204786125 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204798775 Greenwich is proud of its history, which includes a national historic site (the Coffin Site) and has trails and houses that were important for the French & Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the Underground Railroad. From my experience observing classes, I have also learned about the agricultural history of the region. Knowing landmarks and history that is important to my students and their families will help me to connect to them and make connections to class content when possible.]]> 2021-02-15 20:25:49 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204798775 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204811114 On the town website attached below, it is noted that the town has numerous resources for agricultural related matters. As my current placement is with the Ag program, it is great to have a community with so many connections and supports related to agriculture. The town also has lots of natural areas and parks that can be used by the public. Students can benefit from participation in community sports such as lacrosse as well as a youth community center. The youth center develops programing to promote academic achievement, healthy lifestyles, and creativity. This center is conveniently located where it should be easily accessible to most students and is still open despite Covid. Being familiar with the programming that this center offers will allow me to suggest it to students that I think will benefit from it and could also be a valuable partner for outreach through our FFA program student volunteers. Additionally, cooperative extension is another resource in this community that I plan to use for collaboration between students in our school, FFA, and the community. ]]> 2021-02-15 20:32:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204811114 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204886038 This school is located on the edge of the village of Greenwich and has students who reside in the village, in adjacent hamlets, and in rural areas including farms.  Located on the same property as the high school, one can also find the elementary and middle school buildings. The building serving as the middle school is the original school building, with the high school being more recently established. For me, the close proximity of all three schools allows for collaboration with students in other grades. While the high school is not as up to date and expansive as some other high schools in the region, it has access to modern technology in every room. ]]> 2021-02-15 21:12:40 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204886038 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204963607 Greenwich Central School District is an above average public school district. It has 484 students in grades 7-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1. According to state test scores, 69% of students are at least proficient in math and 76% in reading. It is rated as one of the safest school districts in NY.  The small size of this school allows teachers to at least be familiar with all of the students in their school building. In many cases, the teachers not only know their individual students, but also their siblings and families. This allows for a strong network and understanding between most teachers and families. This school offers 7 AP courses, with high enrollment in science and other AP classes and low enrollment in AP math classes. The graduation rate for this school is 87%. The most popular college among Greenwich graduates is Cornell University.  Most students at this school feel it is the best school in the area. This tells me that many students take pride in their school and that coming from a smaller more rural school does not discourage students from applying to competitive colleges. ]]> 2021-02-15 22:00:59 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204963607 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204987591 According to niche.com, this school is rated as a C for diversity, which is common for schools in this region. 26% of students qualified for free or reduced lunches in past years. This year, all meals are free for all students due to the USDA's decision in light of the pandemic. 
In my classes, my students are primarily from white working or middle-class families. In the classes I teach, I probably have about three students that are of non-caucasian descent. There are no bilingual or ESL students in my school district.
In terms of political diversity, I have had numerous students loudly and proudly proclaim their political views in terms of economics as well as government leaders. I am unsure if this is because they are confident that their peers all think the same way or if the voices that I hear are just the only ones bold enough to speak out. 
I have yet to learn about most of my students' cultures, but I hope to uncover more on this topic so that we can highlight and embrace those differences in our classroom so that everyone may learn from others' experiences and beliefs. ]]> 2021-02-15 22:17:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1204987591 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205007584 This school has a well established agricultural education program that is a point of pride for students (according to a student survey). As of the most recent information available on their website, their FFA chapter has 345 active AET (Agricultural Education and Training) student accounts and 5 teachers (including related courses such as business).  Classes in the ag program include but are not limited to Veterinary Science, Plant Science, Environmental Science, and engineering courses. This well-established program is beneficial to me as a student-teacher because my mentor teachers and this school are able to provide me with an abundance of resources and support. ]]> 2021-02-15 22:31:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205007584 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205018296 Greenwich FFA Facebook]]> 2021-02-15 22:39:42 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205018296 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205020340 -AP Class Options
-Athletics
-Variety of Extracurriculars
-Great Teachers
-Class Option Diversity
-The Ag program & Ag Teachers
These answers summarize the responses I received from an in-class poll, and so may be biased. Since it was voluntary and I had a nearly 100% response rate, this tells me that most students do know something off the top of their head that makes them proud of their school. It also tells me that students respect the agriculture program in this school and take pride in being a part of it. This is valuable, because I can use this pride to motivate students. The pride in course diversity and AP options also tells me that a number of my students are very academically oriented. ]]> 2021-02-15 22:41:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205020340 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205094846 Principles of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, by Kasee L. Smith, Oct. 2015. Publisher: Goodheart-Wilcox. 
This is the textbook that I use to guide my teaching for this unit in our Ag Science classes, which serve as an intro to the more specific agriculture classes. Resources I use from this textbook include the order of topics and some slide resources. ]]> 2021-02-15 23:41:42 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205094846 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205102180 -Plant Science (grades 10-11). Period 2: 9:47-10:28 and period 10: 1:55-2:36
-Agricultural Science (primarily 9th grade), period 3: 10:32-11:13, and period 5/6: 12:02-12:41
I have A-K students on M-T and L-Z students W-TH, with Fridays alternating. Students with IEPs (with a few exceptions for minor IEPs) are in class every day regardless of last name. Students with absolutely no access to internet at home also attend every day. 
I teach in two classrooms, both with typical sized classrooms attached to "shop" areas which contain either tools and machinery or animals. One classroom has a small greenhouse space adjacent to the class seating area. 
For my plant science and some ag science classes, we use the greenhouse space adjacent to the classroom. I use the shop space on occasion to give students an alternate placement if they need or want space away from peers for any reason. I also use it strategically to divide groups of students during various activities. ]]> 2021-02-15 23:48:04 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205102180 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205112100 Plant Science, period 2:
This class has most of my everyday students with IEPs and is the biggest class I have, and the biggest in-person class in the school currently (given Covid restrictions). Two students have aids in this class. One aid assists with physical tasks and the other one mostly just observes from the back of the class. My students in period 2 are at all different levels, so I build in scaffolds for particular students. The most notable differentiation needed is alternate testing arrangements.
Plant Science, period 10:
This class is significantly smaller than period 2 and typically consists of about 5-6 in-person students. I have one minor IEP student in this class and one student that requires persistent help to be motivated to complete tasks. I have another student who has only just come into school for the first time this year and who my mentors know essentially nothing about, but I have learned that this student has an eye condition that makes them very sensitive to light (which I need to consider when doing demonstrations based on the layout of the classroom and their seat). 
Ag Science, period 3:
I have one student with a minor IEP in this class. All students in this class are in 9th grade. This class is my most homogenous, with all students being from similar ethnic backgrounds, the same age, and of similar abilities. 
Ag Science, period 5/6:
While the ag science classes are the easiest for me to plan content, half of this class is my greatest challenge when it comes to motivation (the L-Z group). I have one everyday student with autism who has a full-time aid. This class is different from the other ag science class in that the abilities of students vary more and I also have one 12th grade student in this class. ]]> 2021-02-15 23:56:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205112100 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205168525 I have access to an electronic whiteboard. Each student has a personal chrome book and we also have a set of chrome books in the classroom at all times. 
The textbook we use for Ag Science has an online version with teacher resources and digital workbooks for every student. 
These resources allow me to easily share and annotate resources in front of all students, as well as use resources like nearpod to engage students throughout lesson. These digital resources for all students also allow me to make the same resources and assessments available to online and in-person students. ]]> 2021-02-16 00:43:17 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205168525 ltrainor3 https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205213221 I have seen this mascot all over down on numerous local businesses, so I believe the town is also very proud of it. ]]> 2021-02-16 01:17:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ltrainor3/1844azoy94acxewu/wish/1205213221