Teaching the Teachers

Extension Unit 25 has a program of federation members that also work as Teen Teachers and teach different educational programs to schools and summer programs in the area. This summer I worked with a group of Teen Teachers and we worked together to teach a grass head program at the Lawrence County Fair. The Lawrence County Extension Program Coordinator, the Teen Teachers, and I had a meeting discussing what, how, and where we wanted to teach this program. We decided that this would be a quick program where children could walk up, make a craft, and learn about simple gardening facts while still keeping the importance of the program understandable and entertaining.

Monday, July, 29, the day of our grass head program. I was in charge of making sure all the supplies were accounted for, preparing the work area for the program, and making sure the Teen Teachers were there and prepare to teach their lesson. I was set up and ready to go 45 minutes ahead of schedule. The grass head program was not supposed to start until 1:30 pm, but local daycare came thirty minutes early, so the Extension Program Coordinator decided we should not keep them waiting. However, Teen Teachers were not prepared for their lesson. They asked me multiple questions throughout the program, which I was prepared for, but I felt like I took over their program. Although I was there to assist them in what they needed, like grab them extra supplies, answer questions they had, and whatever else they needed, but this was their program that I took over.

Creating a plan and watching others teach it a different way than you would have was a challenging task for me. Instead of correcting the teen teachers, because they did a step differently than what I would have done, I should have let them do it their own way. Although the program went differently than I would have done it, we were all praised with a job well done. I apologized to the group of teachers after the program was over, but they were all glad I was there leading them in the right direction. They said the times I interrupted them, helped them out and they used my suggestions to their advantage. Overall, this program was a success with not only providing the Lawrence County 4-H'ers and local daycare members with knowledge about gardening, and a fun craft to see their new grass head friends grow but also a great learning opportunity for the teen teachers and I. They learned to be more prepared for future programs, and I learned that I should be more trusting of others and things will work out in the end.