That’s a Wrap!: ATA Initiation and Teach Ag! Society End of Year Celebration

End of semester celebrations are always a great time to reflect about the school year, see friends and peers before the winter break, and of course show off some holiday spirit to ring in the holiday season! At our last Teach Ag! meeting, there were several events that happened including ATA Initiation, a newly elected officer was announced, and a White Elephant Party that the whole organization took part in! 

Beginning with the Alpha Tau Alpha Initiation, the Eta Chapter of Penn State invited seven new members into the organization. These students have a GPA of over 3.0 and are in the Agriculture Extension and Education Major.  These proud new members of ATA are pictured below! 

Pictured from left to right here are your new Eta Chapter ATA Members:

Miranda Kane, Junior

Danielle Johnson. Junior 

Evelyn Zaleski, Junior 

Matt Holt, Senior

Mike Swartwood, Senior 

Jenna Timmons, Senior 

Kayla Hack, Junior 

After the initiation of these members, the crowd moved upstairs in Ferguson Building for the Teach Ag! Society Meeting to find out the new officer team and have a great time playing the White Elephant Christmas Game! 

 Without further ado, here are your 2016 Teach Ag! Society officers:

Pictured from left to right: 

Bottom row: Nate Repetz, George Dietrich, Matt Wagner

Top Row: Victoria Herr, Heather Wasson, Miranda Kane, Kayla Hack, Rose Cowan 

Your 2016 Team:

President: Miranda Kane

Vice President of Program Development: Rose Cowan 

Vice President of Membership Development: Kayla Hack

Secretary: Victoria Herr

Treasurer: George Dietrich

Matt Wagner: Stakeholder Liason

Heather Wasson: Ag Student Council Rep 

Domestic Study Away Chair: Nate Reptez

Congratulations to everyone that is listed above! The 2016 class of seniors knows that this new team and newly initiated ATA members will add to the program in many ways and they will leave the woodpile higher for years to come! 

If you are interested in any of these organizations, please email Dr. Daniel Foster at teachag@psu.edu for further information! 

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.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph  

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

Student of the Month: Katie Andrews #psuaged16 #studentsuccess

Every month we like to highlight students that have gone above and beyond in the Agriculture Education department! For the month of November, that student is our sporty cohort member Katie Andrews.

Katie is a senior this year and is minoring in International Agriculture and Agriculture Business Management. Katie has had an interesting story regarding her time at here at PSU! Not only was she a sports hero and played for Penn State Women’s Field Hockey, she used continued towards her goal of getting her Agricultural Extension and Education degree. She states, “Penn State has instilled in me pride, tradition, honor, and excellence that I will continue to incorporate into my future career. These four characteristics were role-modeled and lived out by the professors, coaches, peers, and administration I worked with daily. As an agricultural educator, I want to be a role model for students and establish an agriculture program that is swarming with students carrying pride, tradition, honor, and excellence. Pursuing a degree in Agriculture Education was my goal since day 1 of freshmen year. Preparing agriculturally aware and competent students with 21st skills to be successful in anything they decide to do is my passion. Penn State has provided me with endless opportunities to maximize my skills and knowledge and I am excited to provide the same opportunities for students.”

On top of all of that, Katie is the Collegiate FFA Secretary, Teach Ag! Society Treasurer, Teach Ag! Avenger, a member of Coaly Society, involved with the Athletic Director’s Leadership Institute, and lastly is a Spirituous Lioneous.

Katie is a great student and has  done a lot for the Agriculture College! Congratulations Katie for being November’s Student of the Month!

Want to know some fun facts about Katie? Check them out below!

 

Hometown: Lancaster, PA

Favorite PSU Class: AGBM 338

Favorite place to eat in State College: Otto’s

Favorite Penn State Athletic Team: Field Hockey

Favorite Hangout on Campus: 4^th Floor of the HUB

If you would like to read more about Katie and her preparation for student teaching, check out her blog at: http://kickinwithkatie.blogspot.com/  

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.

Check in with Global Teach Ag Intern Victoria Herr! #TeachAg #GLAG15

As students across campus begin making plans for the coming fall break, members of the Penn State Global Teach Ag! Initiative have already been gearing up for winter break and the special event that will take place just before the start of the spring semester. This event will be packed with educational and engaging opportunities related to global learning in agricultural that can all be enjoyed via internet in the comfort of your own home!

The 2016 Global Learning in Agriculture Conference, or GLAG, is slated to take place on Friday, January 8th, from 1-5 PM and is sure to get your new year off to a great start! 

The conference will include breakout sessions on the best practices for globalizing student learning, a vendor fair where you can virtually communicate with programs and businesses, and a poster session filled with great information. Plus, there will be a live keynote on global competence presented by Dr. Caitlin Haugen, an Education Program Specialist with the Peace Corps, and an ‘after party’ at the conclusion of the conference to ask Dr. Haugen questions and dig deeper into global learning! And of course, no conference would be complete without door prizes which will be awarded before, during, and after the event.

Attending the Global Learning in Agriculture Conference is so simple and is a great learning opportunity for current or future agricultural educators, vendors and stakeholders in global learning, and anyone who has an interest in increasing their global competency! The registration fee for GLAG is just $30 and the limited spots are filling quickly! To find out more or to register head to http://aese.psu.edu/teachag/global/global-learning-in-agriculture-conference. Make sure you register by December 1st to qualify for your free “Conference in a Box”! This mystery gift will include all sorts of swag, and possibly snacks, to enhance your GLAG experience, and is only available to participants who register before the December 1st deadline!!

As the members of the Penn State Global Teach Ag! Initiative continue to plan this amazing conference we hope that you will take the opportunity to get involved!

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.

Victoria Herr

2019 Student Teacher Candidate 

@VHerrrrrrr

Calling all Penn State Teach Ag! Avengers! #PSUavengers

2014 Teach Ag! Avengers (left to right)
Olivia Murphy-Sweet, Janae Herr, Deanna Miller, Laura Metrick, Rea Ianson
Rachel Telesz, Howard Poole 

In a world troubled by a national shortage of agriculture educators and the people searching for hero’s to educate them about agriculture, there is only one group that can save the day. One group that is selfless in their acts of helping others understand agriculture education, noble in sticking up and defending why agriculture is important, and cunningly clever in their innovative ideas and perspectives that they bring to the table. That group is the Penn State Teach Ag! Avengers!

With the ending of a term, new Avengers are interviewed to be selected to serve a year engaging students to join the agriculture education major and to serve as a “face” for the Penn State Agricultural Education Teacher Education program at State and National Agricultural Functions.

How can you become an Avenger you may be thinking to yourself? That’s easy! 

To be eligible for this position you need to be a student majoring in Agriculture Education at ANY Penn State campus. You must hand in the following before December 4^th, 2015:

     - A Letter of Interest

  - Resume

    - A 750 word essay

   - A document about who you are

Also, something that is BRAND NEW this year is that all applicants will participate in a face to face interview with a panel of agricultural education colleagues (students at a commonwealth campus don’t worry! We will accommodate your schedule!) as well as give a 10 minutes presentation during the face to face interview. The topic you may wonder? “You are a Penn State Teach Ag! Avenger and you are asked to present to group of high school juniors interested in Penn State and Agriculture Education” Pretty simple right?!

Current Avenger Team (left to right):
Olivia Murphy-Sweet, Janae Herr, Nate Repetz, Danielle Johnson, Katie Andrews 

If you want to see more of the application and what else the program can do for you, check out this link for more information and to answer any questions you may have: 

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jv6nNzGuACVDgv1cX3pkPO5zNXYwN2sJBISsmqWfmk4/edit?usp=sharing

We hope that you use your special “super power” and make an impact on students and peers lives! 

The application is LIVE and is due on Friday, December 4^th by 11:59 EST. Please send applications to Melissa Sankey, mls501@psu.edu.

 Good luck to all you future Avengers! 

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.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph  

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

Outstanding Early Career Agricultural Educator Award: Dr. Daniel Foster #teachag

The Pennsylvania State University prides itself on being a leader in academics preparing its students for a successful career upon graduation.  Having this reputation, it comes as no surprise staff members go above and beyond for their students to prepare them for their future. In the Agricultural and Extension Education Program, we are fortunate to have Dr. Daniel Foster, Assistant Professor and Student Teacher Coordinator.  Dr. Foster has been recognized as the AAAE North-Central Region Outstanding Early Career Agricultural Educator Award.

The American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) recognizes annually an individual who is in the early stage of a university career in agricultural education to recognize contributions to the profession and encourage others in the profession to emulate the achievements of those recognized. Dr. John Ewing and Dr. Laura Rice co-nominated Dr. Foster to be recognized on a national level for his accomplishments in the field.

In the nomination packet, there needs to be evidence relating to excellence in the following categories: Teaching (preservice and in-service), Research (personally or directed), Writings, and lastly Service whether it is professional, community, state, and or nation.  To show you just some of Dr. Foster’s achievements, please look at the following below to show you just some of his achievements.

Teaching- Dr. Foster has taught courses in pre-service teacher education for a grand total of seventeen courses. Currently Dr. Foster instructs the Methods of Teaching Agriculture and Environmental Science, Developing Youth Leadership through Organization and Program Structure course, and serves as the student teacher coordinator. He has also developed a global competency course for our students called Global School-Based Agricultural Education.  Course work included students traveling to South Korea to meet students majoring in agricultural education at Seoul National University.

Research- Dr. Foster has had the opportunity to do several research projects including: examining current levels of cognition (teacher and student) in college classrooms, and studying what is needed to develop teacher candidates to lead programs and to make our teachers and students globally competent. Since his time in the profession, Dr. Foster has had articles published in refereed journals and presented papers and posters at professionals meetings.

Service- Dr. Foster has represented Penn State on a national and global scale since joining Penn State. He encourages students daily and has even worked with the FFA and 4H organizations. Outside his work with these organizations, Dr. Foster has led training's, seminars, and workshops offered during research conferences and meetings.

Dr. Foster’s extensive hard work and dedication to the Agriculture Education major and profession makes him well-deserving of the AAAE North Central Region Outstanding Early Career Agricultural Educator this year. We are thankful for Dr. Foster who pushes us to be the best agriculture educators that we can be and we can’t wait to see what he does in the future in and out of the profession.

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Foster! 

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.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph  

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

From Classroom to Department of Ag: Sec. Redding speaks to #psuaged16

Yesterday, the 2016 Student Teacher Candidates and AEE staff met with the new Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding to discuss Agriculture Education, his time at Penn State when he was a student, and of course what he plans to do in the future with his new position.

Before Secretary Redding was the nominated by Governor Tom Wolf to serve as the 26^th Secretary of Agriculture for PA, he was the former dean of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Delaware Valley College. He is a graduate of Penn State getting his B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Extension and Education and has used his education to serve as Chair for the USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21^st Century Agriculture.

 

When Secretary Redding sat down with the 2016 Student Teacher Candidates they wanted to know what his expectations are for the future teachers in agriculture and what he personally thinks they should be aware of. He stated, “I believe that Agriculture Science teachers should be able to connect science and civics together to form good lessons. Teachers should be solid in science skills and be translators to why agriculture is important to show students and parents to gain support. Be contemporary on issues, well read, engaged and persistent. Lastly, look at the need for what we are preparing our students to go out and do after they graduate.”

He also gave the student teacher candidates some advice to prepare them for the future when they are student teaching and even when they accept jobs. He stated, “The top three things that you should be aware of are, you can never have enough patience, don’t be afraid to accept constructive feedback, and lastly be personally organized.” All of his advice and input for the future teachers were taken seriously and the 2016 Student Teachers felt more prepared for their student teaching experiences in the next semester!  Overall his visit was constructive and the students were happy to have him! 

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.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph  

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

Program of the Month: Pequea Valley High School #studentsuccess

In Pennsylvania we have over 150 FFA chapters that represent the Blue and Gold at its finest. There is one chapter that has stood above the rest this month to become our October Program of the Month. This month Pequea Valley High School, is that program.

Student's in the Lab at Pequea Valley High School

Pequea Valley High School was chartered in 1956. Since then it has been under the supervision of Mr. Doug Masser and Mrs. Jasmine VanSant. Pequea Valley has a large array of classes and opportunities for students that are in the FFA program. They currently have 30 students working on SAE’s which is higher than previous years and have even started a program for agriculture internships with local businesses  where students will have paid positions for course credit as a senior capstone course starting in the Spring of 2016!

Pequea Valley High School’s Agriscience Program offers a wide array of classes for their students to take including:

Introduction to Agricultural Sciences

Introduction to Agricultural Mechanics

Biological Students in Agriculture Science (Mandatory Ag Class for all 10^th grade students)

Horticulture

Natural Resources

Animal Science

Veterinary Science

Food Science

Foods Unwrapped

Agricultural Biotechnology

Power Technology

Welding

Precision Agriculture

Agricultural Topics (Independent Study in Agricultural Education) 

 

Students at Churchill Downs during FFA National Convention

Some of their latest chapter accomplishments are highlighted below:

1^st Place Small  Gas Engines Team (FFA Activities Week 2014)

4^th Place Agricultural Mechanics Team (FFA Activities Week 2015)

Pequea Valley High School has done a great job in the past and we can’t what is yet to come for this chapter. Under the supervision of two Penn State Alumni, we know that they are in good hands! Congrats again for being Program of the Month Pequea Valley High School!

If you would like to contact them for information about the program you can reach them at these social media outlets:

Program Twitter: @PVAgEd

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

Student of the Month: Kayla Hack #psuaged17 #teachag

Every month we like to highlight students that have gone above and beyond in the Agriculture Education department! For the month of October, that student is the one and only Kayla Hack!

Kayla is a junior this year and is minoring in International Agriculture and also specializing in Spanish. Kayla has always had a passion for teaching and agriculture so this major was the perfect career path for her. She states, “When people ask me what I want to do, I respond: “I want to teach”, there is something about teaching, learning and students that warms and breaks my heart all at the same time.  Agriculture is my subject area, and Agriculture Education community has opened a multitude of doors, at Penn State, across the nation and World for me.”

Kayla also has a unique experience in traveling seeing as she spent 10 weeks in Costa Rica through the College of Agriculture Sciences. She went with a goal of studying Spanish and agriculture while completing her undergraduate research. Upon her return, Kayla enrolled in a class called “Introduction to Teaching English Language Learners” where she is in a virtual tutoring session that allows her to go in depth with class discussions about issues involving emergent bilingual education and how teachers can play a role.

On top of all of that, Kayla is involved in the Penn State Navigators, is the Vice President of Membership Development for Teach Ag! Society, and was the Global Teach Ag! past intern and volunteer for the college.

Kayla is a great student and community member and does a lot for the Agriculture College! Congratulations Kayla for being October’s Student of the Month!

Want to know some fun facts about Kayla? Check them out below!

Hometown: East Troy, Wisconsin

Favorite PSU Class: INTAG 100, INTAG 499B, AEE 311

Favorite place to eat in State College: Cozy Thai

Favorite Penn State Athletic Team: Football

Favorite Hangout on Campus: The Study abroad Lounge or The Pasquerilla Center

If you would like to read more about Kayla’s travels, check out her blog at: http://kaylahack.blogspot.com/

Janae Herr: Penn State Ag Council Youth Leadership Award #psuaged16 #studentsuccess

Leader [lee-der]

noun: a person or thing that leads, a guiding or directing head

A leader is someone who isn’t afraid to take charge and accomplish much in a short amount of time. It is someone that is kind, delegates work, and is someone who isn’t afraid of complicated situations. At Penn State, there is an award to recognize students that are youth leaders through the Penn State Ag Council. To be qualified for this award, the student much demonstrate outstanding communication and advocacy skills, exhibit high levels of professionalism, and serve as a role model or mentor to others. This year, the Penn State Ag Council has selected a leader that has gone above and beyond in the Agriculture College. That leader is Janae Herr.

Janae is a senior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education and is minoring in Agribusiness Management and International Agriculture. During her time here at Penn State she has dedicated her time to numerous clubs and organizations and has had several leadership roles in the college. Some of her leadership roles include, being President of the Teach Ag! Society, led a 8-day trip with several Penn State students to Mississippi to teach students in rural Appalachia, being a College or Ag Sciences Advocate, a National Collegiate Agriculture Ambassador, and has worked with national FFA corporate sponsors to aid in recruiting agriculture educators. WOW! Just reading all of those accomplishments you know that Janae cares about the agriculture industry and making her mark in the college!

Janae states, “I count myself incredibly blessed to work underneath such a phenomenal instructional team; individuals who stretch and challenge me and my peers to be the best professional and future educators we can become. I am thankful instructors who are incredibly passionate about the future of school-based agriculture education and the production of similarly passionate individuals who will choose a career in that field after graduation. I would like to give a huge thank you to each of them, Dr. Foster, Dr. Ewing and Dr. Rice for the nomination for this prestigious award and for investing continually into me as a professional and an individual.”

Congratulations again for the award Janae! It is well deserved!

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.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph  

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher