I am a Wheat Farmer

By Bailey King

The year will be starting soon and I am mentally preparing myself for the joy and

challenges it will bring. !It will be a busy year and soon the wheat seeds will be here and my job of planting,

fertilizing, watering and harvesting will begin. !I am very excited about this upcoming year as

I believe it will be full of new learning experiences, challenges and growth.

Before the students return to school, I believe it is important to prepare myself mentally for the year ahead. Researching

creative ideas for your classroom and taking time to anticipate the year's possibilities will help my year start on a positive note.

Pre-season Plans

Before the season begins and the wheat grain arrives I must make sure that my equipment is in order. Equipment needs to be laid out and

organized so that I do not waste time when the grain gets here. I will be prepared for the arrival of seeds by planning which equipment to use and ensure it is ready to go. It might be a good idea to ask your neighbor what

they have planned for their season. Long time farmers have seen it all and are a great source of information.

Before the school year starts, I need to set up my classroom. If I am prepared it will send a better message to the students. Setting up my year, unit, weekly and day lesson plans will

enable me to stay on task and on time throughout the year. I need to ensure that the curriculum is the starting place when I begin my planning so that all learning has a purpose

for the students. Asking future colleagues or experienced teachers for advice is great for new information

Equipment Preparation

First I have to prepare the field. Soon the wheat will be here and I need to make sure that everything is in order. In order for our season to stay on time we need to have a system in

place to ensure that I do not forget to do something. The soil needs to be worked to ensure that myself and the wheat stay on track through out the season. I have to make

sure I work the land in a logical order so the seeding proceeds smoothly, without waste.

Once the students arrive, we will set up routines and procedures that will be followed throughout the year. The routines need to be age

appropriate and include the correct amount of responsibilities. Students need routines that can be followed easily. Routines will make classroom management and transitions much better for the students

and myself.

Cultivation and Soil Preparation

The grain has arrived and it is time to begin. In order for the seeds to grow and

be successful they need to have nutrients. The first couple of weeks are crucial for the

development and growth of the crop. Without these initial nutrients the seeds

would not grow to their potential.

Planting The Seeds It is the start of the

school year. The first few weeks will be

important for creating a supportive and

productive classroom environment. The

students need to feel safe and important. Getting to know your

students is critical for a healthy classroom. If

the students know that I care about them they will be more willing to care about my class.

Irrigation and Fertilization

After I have planted the seeds it is time that I give them the materials they will need to grow. The seeds need many different materials to enable

them to reach their potential such as soil, water, heat, sunlight and fertilizer. It is important that I

deliver the materials in a way that provides optimal growth and absorption from the seeds.

Students need directions. I have to

give them information so that they will be able

to learn. I have to be able to deliver this

information in a variety of ways because every

student learns differently. Only

teaching to one style of multiple intelligence will

limit the number of students that will learn

the material.

Growth

You have given the seeds raw materials like soil, sunlight and water so that they can grow. Now it is

time to watch to see how they do on their own. Although I will keep a watchful eye over the seeds so that I can see how they are progressing, I will let them take time to grow on their own. If any problems arise I will be able to step in and give the wheat what it needs so that it can get back on

the right track.

My students need time to practice. Once I have given them direction and content they then need time on their own to discover their understanding. Guided practice and indirect practice

are important for students to be able to absorb the information and apply it to real life situations. If they are able to observe and apply their knowledge

their understanding of the subject has become much greater and more

successful.

The crop can change very quickly. One day it is beautiful and the next hail hits and you have lost half of it. I need to be prepared and alert, always trying to anticipate and adapt.

Students are always changing, even from day to day. Even if it is going well I must always be flexible, reflective and challenging the ways in which I teach to expand my abilities and

meet the needs of the students.

Sunny Days and Rainy Days

Throughout the school year, problems are going to occur. It is important that these issues are dealt with head on. I am not going to brush issues under the rug until they get worse. I need to be proactive, dealing

with care about whatever problem comes along.

In your season, sometimes weeds take over and if left untreated can

destroy the whole crop. I need to deal with these weeds quickly and effectively by spraying some

herbicide. This will deal with the problem upfront and hopefully solve

the issue

Weeds Take Over

Late Night Harvest

This time of the year is a little overwhelming and sometimes I am going to have to burn through the night to get all of the wheat in on time. Especially when I am

starting out as a farmer, there will be a lot of late nights and early mornings. I have to develop my techniques of farming and find out what works the best for me. I need to keep my mind focused on how much I enjoy farming and how proud I will be with the

wheat in the end.

The first few years as a teacher are going to be very busy. A lot of my time is going to be spent on lesson plans and marking . I will still be finding out what teaching strategies work

best. Throughout all this craziness I will need to stay positive and remind myself why I became a teacher.

As things progress throughout the season sometimes it is good to have an outside opinion. If I am falling behind on harvesting my crop having outside assistance can help me get it done correctly and on time. My

neighbors provide me with support- someone to bounce ideas off of, and gather ideas from, for improving my farm techniques.

As a teacher it is important that I get to know my colleagues. My colleagues can help me improve by providing me with

information or demonstrations of various teaching techniques. They could have resources that they would

share and I could use to enhance my lessons. My colleagues could also be my confidant because they have gone through what I am now going through. I believe that this relationship

is a very important one to have in the school environment.

Neighbors Helping Out

Harvest Time

It is crunch time now. Things are starting to come to a close. The wheat

has grown into a great crop. It is ready to move on and become the end product. Before it does I need to make

sure that it is top quality. The wheat needs to be able to pass the quality

check so that it can be used for food. The wheat has changed a lot over the season. After the final check I know

the wheat will become something wonderful.

The end of the school year is coming soon. The students are starting to get more excited about summer and all the great things that they are

going to do. The end of year assessment is important for both the student and myself. It

ensures that all of my students understand what they have learned throughout the year and can

take it to real life experiences.

At the end of the season my crop should be able to be produced into a variety of

things. These goods will be able to feed people and they

will be enjoyed in many ways.

If I have done my job correctly as a teacher, my students should be able to go out of my

class with more confidence, knowledge, strength and motivation than they came in

with. They should have the confidence to try new things, the knowledge and understanding to further their learning, the strength to keep going, the motivation to better themselves

each and every day. If I have succeeded my students will become whatever they want to be and be a wonderful attribute to society.

Production

And the Season Comes to an end . . .

For Now.