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| Ms. Amanda Forstater is a #psuaged15 member and 2015 Penn State graduate. |
It's great to keep in touch with our past #TeachAgPSU graduates! We love to give you a chance to see what kinds of awesome things our Teach Ag Grads are up to in the classroom and beyond!
This week we're checking in with #psuaged15 member Ms. Amanda Forstater (@CityAggie) as part of our Second Year Series! Since her graduation from Penn State in 2015 with a Masters in Agricultural and Extension Education, Amanda was hired to teach agriculture in the small rural community around Pierson, Florida, at Taylor Middle-Senior High School.
Through her time at Penn State, Taylor was actively involved in Alpha Tau Alpha (Penn State's chapter of the professional honorary fraternity for agricultural education majors), and a brother of Alpha Zeta. She also took advantage of a trip to Trinidad and Tobago as part of Penn State's INTAD 820 course to learn about Caribbean agriculture, and participated in the joint #AgEd2Korea trip with University of Florida students in 2014. Her student teaching experience took place at Tri-Valley High School with cooperating teacher Ms. Gretchen Dingman.
In her new position, Ms. Forstater is one of three agriculture teachers at Taylor Middle-Senior High School. She teaches the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade courses as well as several sections of the Foundations of Agriscience prerequisite for all upper-level high school agriculture courses. She also says, "We are fortunate to have an agricultural mechanics shop and a 9-acre land lab on campus where we are set up to handle livestock and horticulture projects."
We asked Amanda what she's did differently in her second year of teaching than her first, and she said she had much more confidence. "During my first year I looked to my teaching partner for the final decision making in a situation regarding our program, and while we still make joint decisions I am confident in making program decisions and handling situations alone." Her confidence is reflected in her teaching as well, and she's really working to make classroom her own. Forstater emphasizes that she's taken risks with ideas that haven't worked out, but emphasizes that it's okay.
One of the biggest things Ms. Forstater learned from the two years under he belt is that it's okay to ask for help. She describes her county as being especially welcoming. She's a member of the Volusia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association (VVATA), a county-wide group of agriculture teachers that support each other's agriculture programs. She says, "At first it might seem uncomfortable to ask for help because as a new teacher you want to prove that you can hang...", but explains that being part of the group, and seeking help when it's needed, shows the 'veterans' that she's here to stay.
We asked if Ms. Forstater has any advice for those on the pathway to becoming an agricultural educator, and she says the best piece of advice is to not give up, and appreciate the good moments. She says, "There will be days where you go home exhausted and not sure why you chose this career", but that there's plenty of days that will remind you that the students in your classroom are your students, and they will make you proud. She also comments on all the 'extra' jobs of an agricultural educator, including but not limited to: administrative paperwork, lesson plans, and all the paperwork for fairs and FFA events. She recommends to approach it all just as you approach any other large task - piece by piece.
We wish Ms. Forstater the best of luck as she continues through her third year of teaching at Taylor Middle-Senior High School, and look forward to following her through the journey ahead!
Through her time at Penn State, Taylor was actively involved in Alpha Tau Alpha (Penn State's chapter of the professional honorary fraternity for agricultural education majors), and a brother of Alpha Zeta. She also took advantage of a trip to Trinidad and Tobago as part of Penn State's INTAD 820 course to learn about Caribbean agriculture, and participated in the joint #AgEd2Korea trip with University of Florida students in 2014. Her student teaching experience took place at Tri-Valley High School with cooperating teacher Ms. Gretchen Dingman.
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| Ms. Forstater and her student teaching counterpart, Ms. Gretchen Dingman of Tri-Valley High School. |
In her new position, Ms. Forstater is one of three agriculture teachers at Taylor Middle-Senior High School. She teaches the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade courses as well as several sections of the Foundations of Agriscience prerequisite for all upper-level high school agriculture courses. She also says, "We are fortunate to have an agricultural mechanics shop and a 9-acre land lab on campus where we are set up to handle livestock and horticulture projects."
We asked Amanda what she's did differently in her second year of teaching than her first, and she said she had much more confidence. "During my first year I looked to my teaching partner for the final decision making in a situation regarding our program, and while we still make joint decisions I am confident in making program decisions and handling situations alone." Her confidence is reflected in her teaching as well, and she's really working to make classroom her own. Forstater emphasizes that she's taken risks with ideas that haven't worked out, but emphasizes that it's okay.
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| Ms. Forstater (3rd form L) and employees of the Florida Forest Service. |
We asked if Ms. Forstater has any advice for those on the pathway to becoming an agricultural educator, and she says the best piece of advice is to not give up, and appreciate the good moments. She says, "There will be days where you go home exhausted and not sure why you chose this career", but that there's plenty of days that will remind you that the students in your classroom are your students, and they will make you proud. She also comments on all the 'extra' jobs of an agricultural educator, including but not limited to: administrative paperwork, lesson plans, and all the paperwork for fairs and FFA events. She recommends to approach it all just as you approach any other large task - piece by piece.
We wish Ms. Forstater the best of luck as she continues through her third year of teaching at Taylor Middle-Senior High School, and look forward to following her through the journey ahead!
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.
Hunter Kauffman, Student Blogger
Wildlife and Fisheries Science
The Pennsylvania State University
Email: hlk5120@psu.edu
Instagram: kauffman_hunter
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