Happy National FFA Week from Penn State Teach Ag!

Holidays: they are what we look forward to for days, they help us get through the longest days of the year.  Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, Valentines Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day... we all know the big national or religious holidays, but what about those everyday ones?  This week for instance has various holidays, Tennis Day, National Tortilla Chip Day, Love Your Pet day, Be Humble Day, International World Thinking Day and even Tell a Fairy Tale Day. Sure they are random, but they give us a good laugh and maybe even a reason to celebrate.  The biggest celebration this week in our opinion is even better, February 20-27th marks National FFA Week.  National FFA Week is a time to celebrate past and present accomplishments of agricultural education students, teachers and supporters across the US, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, to advocate for agriculture and to say "thank you".  It is a week where many former members are brought back to their "glory days," the days they wore that coveted blue corduroy jacket.  We reminisce and celebrate the success of the largest school based, student run organization in the country.  

The FFA mission statement says "FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students, by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education."  So what did FFA teach you? How did it make that positive difference?  Hear from our students, faculty and staff below, and share your comments!  We want to hear how FFA has influenced you!  

Dr. Laura Rice, Instructor, Agriculture Education Program

Matt Snyder, Agricultural & Extension Education,
Class of 2017

Matt Wagner, Agricultural & Extension Education,
Class of 2019

Victoria Herr, Agricultural & Extension Education,
Class of 2019

Dr. John Ewing, Assoicate Professor Agricultural &
Extension Education

Ms. Melissa Sankey, Programs Manager 

Kayla Hack, Agricultural & Extension Education, 
Class of 2017

Miranda Kane, Agricultural & Extension Education,
Class of 2017

There you have it!  This is how FFA has made a positive difference for us.  What is cool is that we get to help make that positive difference through FFA in our students lives someday! It has taught us about ourselves, our industry and our communities. FFA will continue to teach us, as we learn to teach our students!  Happy FFA Week from a few of us at Penn State Teach Ag!  Share your stories in the comments! 

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog.

Kayla Hack

Student Blogger

Twitter Handle: @hackkayla

2017 Agriculture Education Student Teacher