The incredible student success stories of the Penn State Agricultural & Extension Education Program! Creating Positive Agents of Change to make the world a better place!
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To say Ms. Sarabeth
Royer was “Tagged to Teach Ag” at an early age is an understatement. Growing
up on a dairy and poultry farm, her parents were her first teachers. Sarabeth's parents
encouraged her, guided her, showed her, and let her learn on her own. As a teen,Sarabeth's
Ag teachers took the reigns. “They believed in me before I believed in
myself, and pushed me to try harder, go farther, and achieve more.”Sarabeth has the opportunity to do just that
at Athens High School where she has been hired as an Agricultural Educator!Congratulations Sarabeth!
Ms. Sarabeth Royer & Mr. David Stienfelt
Athens is where Sarabeth student taught with
the guidance of Mr. David Steinfelt, who she will now call a colleague, and teach alongside.Sarabeth was hired as part time agriculture,
part time science.She was drawn to
Athens even more after student teaching there. “I was just blown away by the
community. While student teaching at Athens I felt very welcomed and I knew
that I wanted to find a school that was as closely knit to their community. At first, I was very hesitant of teaching science part time, but realized
that I really enjoy science and that there are so many teachers who teach
subjects they weren’t originally planning on teaching! Plus, Biology and
Agriculture are very much intertwined.”
While at Penn State Sarabeth held animal
science and international agriculture minors and was extremely involved in
campus organizations including Teach Ag! Society, Poultry Science Club, Dairy
Science Club and Navigators to name a few! She also served as an Ag Advocate for
the College of Agricultural Sciences. These all led her to an incredible
student teaching experience at Athens, where she really learned “it’s all about
the students, the community and the small victories of everyday teaching.”This will continue to serve her well.
One of the many quotes Sarabeth lives by!
Athens Area High School is home to largest FFA
chapter in Bradford County. Mr.
Steinfelt has classes in Introduction to Agriculture, Horticulture, Ag
Mechanics I and II and SAE/FFA Leadership. Sarabeth will be teaching Animal
Science and Veterinary Science along with some Biology classes. “This is
exciting because in the past, the high school has primarily had Science teachers that
taught Animal and Vet Science, so it will be nice to have two Ag Teachers at
Athens.”Sarabeth is excited to continue
working with Mr. Steinfelt and the diverse and welcoming Athens community. From getting
her FFA jacket through the PA FFA Alumni Jacket
Campaign, to growing flowers, learning how to drive atractor and keeping records on her chores for
her Supervised Agricultural Experience, she is ready to help her students do
the same.“I hope to always keep my
classes relevant so having any type of certification for my students would be
ideal. I also would LOVE to see that Athens Ag Program expand even more and
embrace their everyday victories.”
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.
Hometown. A place we know, with people we
know- a place that has seen our best and seen our worst, a place of familiarity
and expectations.A place some of us are
lucky enough to go back to.Mrs. Janae
McMichael (Herr) received that opportunity to go back to the place she calls
home.Teacher candidate from the class
of 2016, Janae McMichael will be teaching at Lampeter-Strasburg High
School!
During her time at Penn State Janae was an
agricultural business management minor and was involved in Teach Ag! Society
where she served as the President and chair of the Domestic Study Away, which
she attended twice in Colorado and Mississippi.She served as a Teach Ag! Avenger for Penn State Teach Ag! and Ag Advocate
for the College of Agricultural Sciences.She was also involved in Collegiate FFA.Janae student taught with Mr. David Bittner and Mr. Greg Erb at
Midd-West High School where she learned how to effectively and efficiently
incorporate technology and involve community members and stakeholders.Janae said she hopes to “actively seek
opportunities to do the same.”
She was “Tagged to Teach Ag!” in some of the
same places she will Tag others to do the same thing.“Growing up on a generational dairy farm
certainly influenced my passion for production agriculture, but my involvement
in 4-H and FFA helped cultivate that passion focus more so on the future of
agriculture.”She credits her Dad and
her Agricultural Educator, whom she will teach alongside, for being “incredibly
influential individuals in helping me solidify my career choice in agriculture
education.”
Janae and her students at Midd-West
Lampeter Strasburg is a two-teacher program where Janae will
teach alongside Holly Oberholtzer.Together there are 180 students in the program.The Agriculture Program has courses in Veterinary
Science, Agricultural Science, Landscape and Plant Design, Agricultural
Mechanics, Welding, Electricity and Small Gas Engines.
When
thinking about teaching in the same school where she grew up, Janae reflected on
what she looks forward to while teaching.“The opportunity to give back to the community that I grew up in;
the challenge of helping my students discover the immense amount of
opportunities that agricultural education allows for its students; playing a
role in preserving the rich heritage of agriculture in our community; changing
students lives.” Janae will be well on
her way to challenging her students and giving them opportunities to grow; in
her classes, as well rounded students as she strives to work on cross
curricular projects while meeting the needs of the community she calls home.
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.
It is the home of the battle of Gettysburg, the famous
Gettysburg address and now the new home of Penn State graduate Miss Jenna
Timmons!This fall Jenna Timmons, 2016
graduate of Agricultural and Extension Education will be the Agricultural
Educator & FFA Advisor at Gettysburg Senior High School.
From her Dairy farming roots, to her time as a student at Chambersburg High School and most recently as student teacher at Kennard-Dale, Jenna’s agriculture experiences will serve her well as a new teacher.She is excited to work alongside current agricultural teacher, Laura
Kennedy.Jenna will teach plant science and agricultural mechanics including: horticulture, floriculture, advanced landscaping, small gas engines and
welding.A tour of the Gettysburg facility would showcase two greenhouses, a hydroponics system, courtyard used for design and an outdoor classroom. Jenna will use these facilities to serve her classes and students well.
Jenna and the crew on the DSA trip to Mississippi
As Jenna looks to the future full of new classes and new
students, she reflected on how her past experiences will aide her in her new
classroom. She was involved in Teach Ag! Society and attended the Domestic Study Away to Mississippi with an emphasis on financial literacy in Appalachia; particularly related to Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Jenna learned the importance
of incorporating career development events in the agricultural education
program through her time student teaching with Ms. Abby Smith. Ms. Smith required students to participate
in one Career Development Event per marking period, relevant to their class
content. “I felt this was a great way
for our students to get involved in FFA and participate in a CDE as well as
fulfill their class requirement. Therefore, I would like to see all students
in each of my classes at Gettysburg compete in a CDE as a class requirement. I
believe this will help promote our program as well as increase our FFA
involvement.” Jenna credits Ms. Abby
Smith and her mentoring for increasing her drive to become an amazing
agricultural educator.
At the end of the day Jenna hopes to leave her students with
two things: Worth and Value.“I believe
in the potential of each of my students and I am dedicated to making sure that through
my program each of my students will find their value and importance to become
positive agents of change.”
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.
Editors Note: The following is the final blog instalment of
#psuaged2TN, our domestic study away program. Nate Repetz (@N8_Repetz), a
junior and member of #psuaged17, shares below. This incredible opportunity is
made possible by the generosity of the CHS Foundation.
The whole group at Clarkrange High School
On Sunday May 8th, seven future
agricultural educators and one brave teacher educator loaded a van. The
destination was the Volunteer State. The reason was the 4th annual
Domestic Study Away trip. The focus was STEM in agricultural education in urban
and rural settings. We each had different reasons for going on this trip, but we
all ended with renewed passion for agricultural education.
This was our fourth annual Domestic Study
Away, and each has had a different feel to it. Others have questioned why we
would sacrifice a week of summer to visit ag ed programs. This year, our four
greatest take-aways are why we do this trip.
4 Take-Aways
2016 crew downtown Nashville
1. Exposing ourselves to agricultural
education throughout the nation: Agriculture is truly a global industry. You do
not always need a passport to see these differences. The agriculture industry,
and therefore agricultural education, looks different in TN than it does in PA.
This trip allows us to see these differences so that we may feel prepared to
teach in any location we choose after graduation.
2. Expanding our professional network: We had
the pleasure of meeting several wonderful individuals during this trip. Each
one was open to future questions and advice. It is never to early to make
connections throughout the nation.
3. Connecting OUR classroom content to
concrete experiences: Agricultural Education is always hands on, but in teacher
education it is hard to have these hands on experiences before we student
teach. This trip gave us the opportunity to work with hundreds of different
students with numerous backgrounds in a very short period of time. Also, we were able to apply educational theory that we learned in our own classes. One example was Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory. We had our concrete experiences during the trip, every day we reflected and learned from the experience, and tried to implement what we
learned the next day. This trip provided a glimpse into the life of a teacher.
Grand Ole Opry
4. Grow as a cohort: There is no better way
to get to know someone than by spending a whole week with them in hotels and
rode trip in a van. With all the experiences we have as ag ed majors, our fellow
students start to feel like our family. This trip is a wonderful opportunity to
spend time with some of our best friends.
In conclusion, the 2016 Teach Ag Society
Domestic Study Away was one for the record books. We could not have done this
trip without the help of our 4 continued sponsors: The PSU Center for Professional and Personnel Development in Agricultural
Education, the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, the University Park
Allocation Committee, and most importantly, the CHS Foundation. I would also
like to thank Dr. Billye Foster, Dr. Chaney Moslty, Dr. Kris Elliot, Ms.
Beverly Flatt, the Tennessee Farm Bureau, and all of our other partners.
Without their support, this trip would not have been possible. Here’s to the
bright future of Agricultural Education!
Here is short fun video I made of our experience and the "Cascarones" experience we culminated with:
We are excited to begin planning our 2017 experience to Wisconsin. This will be lead by our co-chairs, Heather Wasson (hlw5145) and Rose Cowan (rvc5334). If you are interested in partnering with us in 2017 or would like to be considered as a 2018 destination, please contact the student chairs or our adviser, Dr. Daniel Foster, @FosterDanielD, foster@psu.edu. 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.
Nate Repetz
2016 Teach Ag! Society Domestic Study Away
Chairman
To say Ms. Sarabeth
Royer was “Tagged to Teach Ag” at an early age is an understatement. Growing
up on a dairy and poultry farm, her parents were her first teachers. Sarabeth's parents
encouraged her, guided her, showed her, and let her learn on her own. As a teen, Sarabeth's
Ag teachers took the reigns. “They believed in me before I believed in
myself, and pushed me to try harder, go farther, and achieve more.” Sarabeth has the opportunity to do just that
at Athens High School where she has been hired as an Agricultural Educator! Congratulations Sarabeth!
