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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The NAAE Agriscience Inquiry Institute (Ag I²) is a state focused professional development opportunity for Agricultural Educators to learn about inquiry-based teaching and techniques to better incorporate science into their Agricultural Education courses. This opportunity also allows for sharing of materials between educators and a chance to train future educators who will be influencing future generations of leaders in agriculture. This year, a group of Pennsylvania Agricultural Educators and the 2020 Penn State Agricultural and Extension Education cohort participated in Ag I² to learn about how to improve their teaching methods in the classroom through inquiry based instruction.
THE FACILITATORS
PA Ag I² facilitators in action.
"I have really enjoyed facilitating workshops and sharing ideas with the best educators from across the country" says Ms. Krista Pontius. Two dedicated Pennsylvania Agricultural Educators and members of the National Agriscience Ambassador Academy, Ms. Krista Pontius and Ms. SaraBeth Fulton, served as facilitators for this experience. While they both expected to share inquiry based education methods with hands-on applications that could be used in the classroom with a group of fellow Agricultural Educators, one of their favorite aspects of the experience was watching each participant realize how frustrating it can be to incorporate the five elements of inquiry into their lessons, but pushing forward to make their methods more student-centered and challenging. Each hoped that the participants were able to gain a valuable understanding of inquiry based instruction from the experience. Ms. Krista Pontius emphasized, "Inquiry is about changing the classroom from teacher centered to student centered... challenging student curiosity while improving their communication skills and increasing their confidence to share their own ideas".
THE PARTICIPANTS
PA Agricultural Educators at Ag I².
Ms. Darla Romberger shared, "Whenever a group of Ag Teachers get the chance to brainstorm and share ideas regarding content and pedagogy, it is time well spent". Ag I² allowed for growth in the minds of both experienced and first-year teachers, a trait that Ms. Victoria Brown truly appreciated about the workshops. "During my time at Penn State, I had the chance to engage in multiple professional development events centered around inquiry based learning. I knew that at Ag I² we would be working through some of the same content, but I was hoping to gain a new perspective since all of my other experiences with inquiry were pre-service." Both Ms. Darla Romberger and Ms. Victoria Brown were excited to learn new activities and gain new materials that they could add to use in their existing coursework. Apart from learning about the five essential components of inquiry (Questioning, Evidence, Explanation, Connection, and Communication), Ms. Darla Romberger stated that, "the collaboration between teachers was the most valuable and memorable portion of this workshop!"
THE SENIOR COHORT
Luke Kerstetter trying out new inquiry-based techniques at Ag I².
While this years seniors in Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State had just taken part in professional development at the National FFA Convention and Expo, Ag I² was made a special experience none-the-less. With their student teaching internships just around the corner, #psuaged20 dived deep into the inquiry-based techniques that would enable them to have a greater impact on their students at their cooperating centers. Luke Kerstetter says, "Getting the experience of teaching an inquiry-based lesson helped me understand the method and grasp how to reign in a class to conclude the 'why' to the lesson. As educators we can never forget to explain the 'why' behind the content being taught." This professional development experience, paired with the others they have attended, have prepared this years seniors for life in their own classrooms in the future. "The ideas that became more concrete in my mind will help me in my future to be able to create a more structured system of expectations in my classroom, but one that still gives the students freedom", says Kaitlin Liszka. Each senior appreciated how Ag I² taught them how to center their classrooms around their students, giving them tools to maximize their students' potential for learning.
Teachers Excelling in the Workplace: Darla Romberger
Pennsylvania has a number of young agricultural educators making an impact inside and the classroom. At Cumberland Valley High school, Darla Romberger co-advises more than 170 FFA members and agriculture students, helping to guide the chapter to a number of National Chapter awards, state officers, and Keystone state degree recipients.
Cumberland Valley FFA hosted PA Secretary of Agriculture, Russell Reading during Pennsylvania Ag and Food Careers Week
Recognition of Excellence
Ms. Romberger was recently awarded by her Alma Mater, Delaware Valley University, the Secondary Education Award during their Alumni Achievement Awards this past fall. Delaware Valley highlighted 10 individuals who had made contributions to their chosen field and who had been active in community and professional organizations.
She said that she was humbled to to have been recognized by her peers for the successful part of her ag ed journey, and shared she enjoyed being able to showcase how agricultural education is an integral part of secondary education as a whole.
Ms. Romberger was awarded the Secondary Education Award
Ms. Romberger new she wanted to be a teacher in high school because she enjoyed helping and tutoring others. This led her to pursue a degree in agricultural education. After becoming a teacher in a suburban school district, she "quickly realized the need for agricultural education literacy in science curriculum", and she gets most excited at the opportunity to expose students to the ever changing and growing agricultural industry.
Every month a student is recognized within the Agricultural and Extension Education program. A student is chosen who has demonstrated hard work and dedication to their education, major, and passions. Penn State Agricultural and Extension Education Student of December was chosen to be Amanda Gagne of Bristol, Connecticut which is also home of the famous ESPN.
Amanda came to us all the way from Connecticut where she was involved in FFA. She hails from Southington FFA Chapter where Amanda served as the chapter Parliamentarian and Vice-President. Then she went on to serve a year as the Connecticut State FFA Vice-President. Her fondest accomplishment was placing 9th at The National FFA Convention and Expo, in horse evaluation.
Amanda’s favorite place to hang out on campus is the HUB, and her favorite sports team is Penn State Football. Her overall favorite class is Horticulture 201, which is tree climbing! Another one of her favorites is the restaurant Roots. One interesting fact about Amanda is that as a child she was in a reality TV show and in Pepsi commercials.
With plans of graduating this Spring of 2020, Amanda will be earning her degree in Agricultural and Extension Education. After graduation, she is most looking forward to “being able to spend time with my stepdaughter as she enters FFA and Agriculture Education at our local program.” Her favorite quote that she goes by is “Everyday might not be a great day, but there is something great in everyday”. We are beyond proud of Amanda’s accomplishments and we can’t wait to see where she goes in the future. Congratulations Amanda, on being Penn State’s Agricultural and Extension Education student of December!
Every month a student is recognized within the Agricultural and Extension Education program. A student is chosen who has demonstrated hard work and dedication to their education, major, and passions. Penn State Agricultural and Extension Education Student of November was chosen to be Brandon Witmer, of State College, Pennsylvania.
Brandon is a senior here at Penn State planning to graduate spring of 2020. When he graduates, Brandon will have an Associate of Science in Wildlife Technology, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Extension Education and, a minor in Forestry. Brandon transferred from the DuBois Campus and has enjoyed his time here at University Park, with his favorite sports team being Penn State Football! In fact, his favorite place to hang out on campus is in Ferguson Room 115. Brandon’s favorite Penn State class is FOR 204 (Dendrology) with Dr. Steiner. Another one of Brandon’s favorites is The Waffle Shop in State College.
Interestingly, Brandon did not participate in 4-H or FFA in high school, but that did not hold him back, what fascinated Brandon to join Agriculture Education was the connection he could make with his passion for Environmental Education. After graduating Brandon plans to continue his education into a master’s program where he said, “I want to look at how we as agricultural educators can bring environmental education into the classroom.”
This speaks loudly and we are looking forward to what Brandon will continue to accomplish in the future. Best of luck in student teaching next semester Brandon! Check out more with Brandon by following his Instagram and Twitter handle @BWitmer20.
Throughout my life I have experienced the National FFA Convention and Expo a total of four times; as a senior in high school, as a Pennsylvania FFA State Officer, as a Pennsylvania FFA Delegate, and as a sophomore pursuing Agricultural and Extension Education with The Pennsylvania State University. Each trip entailed around sixteen hours in a van, a week away from home, a chance to be surrounded by blue corduroy (quite literally for three out of four of those trips), and an entirely unique experience. In joining the National FFA Organization, I was told of the incredible opportunities, growth, and brotherhood that I would be blessed with, but I was never made aware of the Blue and Gold Evolution I would personally experience until heading home from the 92nd National FFA Convention and Expo a week ago.
My first year attending the National FFA Convention and Expo, I went with my local chapter to experience the organization that gave me a passion for Agricultural Education at the national level. While I did not compete, I gained a true understanding of the scope of FFA, made friends from across the nation, and grew closer to the members of my chapter. I could feel myself being swept up in the atmosphere of fun and fellowship as I collected signatures from one member from each US state and territory, danced during sessions, and toured a few sponsors local to Indianapolis. While I had felt a part of something larger when I first joined the Elizabethtown FFA Chapter, being at the National FFA Convention and Expo gave me tangible evidence of my individual importance in a united purpose as an FFA member.
The second milestone in my Blue and Gold Evolution built upon my newfound sense of belonging. I was a State Officer, and after studying and preparing to be blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime, after reflecting on how the National FFA Organization had taken my shy disposition and transformed it into a passionate confidence, and after feeling the rush of ecstatic joy when my name was announced as part of the new team, I was back at the National FFA Convention and Expo in an Association jacket. While I did not expect to have the opportunity to return to National Convention after graduating, I felt more a part of the organization than I had in high school. I attended every session, contributed to the delegate process, made friends with State Officers from across the nation, and was greeted by Pennsylvania FFA members with excitement. In short, I felt as if I had reached an importance that I had never had before. Not only was I part of a united purpose in FFA, but I could feel the weight of my year of service through a lack of sleep and a heart full of the friendships, memories, and opportunities that I made in that short week.
Retiring from the 2017-2018 Pennsylvania FFA State Officer Team was the most emotional experience of my life. I was overjoyed for the newly elected team and the passions and talents that they would get to experience and share with Pennsylvania FFA, but I was sad to be letting go of a position that showed me the working relationship between love and service. So, when I applied and was selected to serve as a Pennsylvania FFA Delegate with my teammate Thomas Gabel and the 2018-2019 Pennsylvania FFA State Officer Team, another opportunity to enjoy National Convention in the midst of the chaos of my freshman year was a pleasant surprise. Once more I was able to discuss the future of FFA through the delegate process, form new friendships, receive my American Degree, and talk to different supporters of the National FFA Convention. After struggling through my first semester of college at Penn State Harrisburg, completely disconnected from Agricultural Education, a week at the National FFA Convention and Expo allowed me to see the faces of students who won a Career or Leadership Development Event after months of hard work, cheer on members that I knew personally, and admire the dedication that each of the advisors present had for their students. In short, I got to reconnect with the reasons I was pursuing a career as an Agricultural Educator.
After three years of experiencing a Blue and Gold Evolution at the National FFA Convention and Expo, I returned for the first time this year and walked the streets of Indianapolis without my blue jacket. While I did get the opportunity to participate in my first Parliamentary Procedure competition at the National ATA Conclave, I felt saddened at first; disconnected from the organization that I fell in love with during my sophomore year of high school. However, as I bonded with my Agricultural Education family, caught up with a few old friends, and watched the members around me realize their own individual importance to FFA's united purpose, I respected the feeling of separation that came over me. While some FFA members evolve to work directly in agriculture, I realized last week that my Blue and Gold Evolution led me to feel the humble disconnect of a future Agricultural Educator. Though I no longer feel like an FFA member, I am proud of this newfound separation, because FFA is no longer about the relationships that I will make and opportunities I will take, it is about them, those students beginning their own Blue and Gold Evolutions, and what they will do for the future of agriculture.
Over the course of this fall semester, The Center for Professional Personnel Development is connecting Agricultural Education to the industry through webinars. Each webinar will feature a different presentation and presenter. Our goal is to provide educators with resources and knowledge to better serve their students.
Industry
Our featured industry for the month of November is AgChoice Farm Credit. Some of us may know what the services AgChoice provides for its members. However, to reiterate their services, AgChoice is a member-owned cooperative that supports rural communities and agriculture with loans and financial services. They serve 10,000 customers in 52 Pennsylvania counties and four counties in West Virginia through ten branch offices. AgChoice has been providing services to its members for over 100 years.
Presenter
Our presenter, Ryan Davis, is the Director of Credit Administration. His overall mission at AgChoice is to establish and promote a positive credit culture. "My role is to establish and promote a positive credit culture through loan approvals, credit training, and procedures. This is accomplished through serving on our Senior Leadership Team, Credit Committee, and various other credit functions within our Association." - Ryan Davis. He had attended Messiah College where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a Finance concentration. He further went on to receive a Master in Business Administration degree from Penn State University. When asked how he became interested in AgChoice Farm Credit he stated, "I was attracted to AgChoice Farm Credit because of their strong focus on helping their customer-owners succeed in an industry that is vital to both Pennsylvania and national economy. My position combines an overall leadership focus with training and development – an opportunity to positively impact both our customers and employees."
Webinar Highlights
The webinar will focus mainly on the "5 C of Credit" - the areas of focus that are used to make a good credit decision. Through the discussion, he will also touch on factors that impact credit score and share resources that AgChoice can provide in the classroom. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, November 13th at 3:30PM follow the link to participatehttps://tinyurl.com/AgChoiceFarmCredit
When I first sat down to write this post, I wanted the direction
to be centered around why educators should take students to the World Food
Prize to participate in the Global Youth Institute. Starting with explaining
what The World Food Prize (WFP) and the Global Youth Institute (GYI) are and
then move into some of my experiences that might motivate educators to want to
take students or inspire students that might read this to want to attend
themselves because that fits the audience of these blogs. As I began to write
and really reflect upon my experience though, I've realized that's not the
story that I want to be known, that's not where my deepest learning lies.
I will still start with a
little bit of background on what the World Food Prize is, so that there is some
understanding about the event I am referencing.
What is the World Food
Prize?
The World Food Prize (WFP) is the result of the vision of Dr. Norman
E. Borlaug, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. The prize is an
international honor that recognizing those who have made contribution to
advancing human development through improving the world’s food supply.
The Global Youth Institute (GYI) was created in 1994 to give
students a voice in creating change. 200 high school students meet and discuss
issues related to food security and agriculture internationally.
I was beyond excited to be able
to attend the World Food Prize in general and was even more excited to be there
as part of the Global Teach Ag! Team - to learn more about Global Guides, work with
the professors, etc. I honestly had not put a lot of thought into what I
expected to get out of the experience beyond some networking opportunities, I
just knew that I would get to be surrounded by people that I aspired to be
like. People that were working towards creating global food security and loved
working with youth.
The #WFPGlobalGuides Team
We talked about ‘Our Why’ a lot
during the global guides program, especially in relation to digital storytelling,
but also overarching as to why we were even at the WFP. I specifically remember
the night we had our GlobalGuides Session in the mural room at the Hall of
Laurates. I was sitting with a group of teachers and we were supposed to be
telling each other about our whys. One of the teachers honed right in on me and
wanted to know what my why was and honestly, I didn’t have a meaningful answer.
After some prodding I came up with some words, but even as they left my mouth,
they felt scripted and clique.
The beginning of the #WFPGlobalGuides session in the mural room.
Throughout the week I slowly realized that as I’ve been wrapped up
in all the busyness of my own life, trying to get to the next phase, I had
somehow forgot about the part of me that has a passion for being a part of international
work related to food security and safe drinking water. I have always had a
desire and felt called to work to alleviate hunger, specifically in Africa. Those
feelings have changed slightly throughout my life for particular reasons, but
that is always where I have re-landed. That night in the mural room particularly
left me in a lot of deep thought remembering these things and thinking about life
reevaluation.
A different night we had a VIP guest from Corteva, who started out
in Agricultural Education come talk at a GlobalGuides session. As I was in this
spot of contemplating what my ‘Why’ is and since I graduate in May with not really
a clue of where I want to end up, some things that she said really resonated
with me. She talked about how we don’t have career paths, but instead we
have career adventures.
The speaker from Corteva.
My education path has already really been an adventure, and
attending WFP was a piece in that story. I think that throughout the next few
years as I start my post-graduation career adventure, I will really get to look
back at my week spent learning from everyone around me at the WPF and see that
it played a pivotal role in where I end up. Not necessarily because of all the
information that I took in, but because of the people I met and the fact that in
its own way, it made me slow down. It’s crazy to think that through the whirlwind
of chaos that taking another week away from classes caused in my life, that I could
have slowed down, but during that bubble of time WFP, actually forced me to slow
down and ask myself what I am truly
passionate about and how I can make those passions and my career collide.
Looking past what everyone around me is doing and
where they expect me to end up.
I left the World Food Prize
even more confused as to what my own future holds, but I also left encouraged
and filled with hope for our future because of the amazing, motivated, and
caring people that I was blessed to spend my week surrounded by, and with the
reignited belief in the power of education. Most importantly though, I left that
week with a deeper understanding of my own ‘Why’.
Over the course of this fall semester, The Center for Professional Personnel Development is connecting Agricultural Education to the industry through webinars. Each webinar will feature a different presentation and presenter. Our goal is to provide educators with resources and knowledge to better serve their students. Industry Our featured industry for October is Bob Clements International (BCI). You are probably wondering; what is Bob Clements International? BCI is a training company the works with about 4,500 OPE, Ag, Trailer, Powersport, and Marine dealerships across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Their goal is to implement and improve parts and services processes and profitability. "We often joke that we are the Gordon Ramsey of kitchen nightmares in the dealership. We often go into a dealership and turn a struggling dealership around with a little tough love and some proven processes," - Sara Hey. Presenter Our presenter, Sara Hey, wears many hats within the company since they are a small team. Her two main roles in the company are traveling around the world speaking to manufacturers and dealers, and to make sure the programs partnered with BCI are successful. It is worthwhile mentioning that Sara had attended North Park University in Chicago and received a degree in psychology. Her degree has helped her work with their dealers and inside the family business. What Sparked Her Interest? Her parents had started BCI over 30 years ago, so it is safe to say she was born into it. When she began working for BCI, she recently had twins and was passionate about making a paycheck. Her dad gave her the opportunity to work in an inside sales role. Throughout the past eight years, Sara has had the opportunity to explore other areas in the dealership realm. Her daily excitement to work for the company comes from giving hope to dealers that are at the end of their rope. She states, "When we get to come alongside them and help them realize that the way things are, isn’t the way they have to continue to be. This is the reason I do what I do." Webinar Highlights
How they decide it’s time to add an additional person in the service department
How they determine what they can pay their technicians and what their expectations are of their technicians.
What the products mix in each of the dealerships look like and what that mix means for training.
What each one of the dealerships wants you to know about what they look for in new employees and the knowledge they have as they come out of school.
Each month a student is recognized within the Agricultural and Extension Education program as Student of the Month for their hard work and dedication to their education, major, and passions. This October, sophomore Mr. Justin Kurtz has been selected as Student of the Month for his outstanding accomplishments inside and outside of the classroom.
Justin grew up in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania where his experience working on farms with his stepfather in the area gave him a background in agriculture and encouraged him to pursue a degree in the Agricultural Sciences. While he was at first interested in Plant Science, his experience in agricultural education at State College Area High School led him to become a part of the Agricultural and Extension Education program at The Pennsylvania State University. On campus, Justin is an active member of LEAD Society and serves on the executive board for Ag Student Council. Off campus, he continues to grow and supplement his faith at Cedar Heights church. When asked about what he likes most about the University Park campus he responded, "all my friends are here and we have PHENOMENAL faculty and staff in the Agricultural and Extension Education department".
In the future, Justin's career goal is to teach agriculture. While he believes that most people feel motivated by their own agricultural educators to pursue a career in Agricultural and Extension Education, and agrees this is part of his motivation to teach agriculture, he is mostly motivated to "facilitate the development of youth through agricultural education, just as it has done for me".
Some more about Justin includes:
Birthday: April 3rd, 1999 Favorite food: "Mashed taters for the win". Favorite PSU Class: HORT 150N (Plants in Society) with Dr. Decoteau and Dr. Hoover Favorite Hangout on Campus: Ferguson 115 Favorite Place to Eat in State College: The Waffle Shop Favorite Quote: "It is well with my soul". 4H/FFA Background: Justin was active in the State College Little Lions FFA chapter, served as a State Officer from 2017-2018, and has been chosen to represent the state of Pennsylvania at the 92nd National FFA Convention and Expo as the National Officer Candidate.
Congratulations again to Justin for being selected as the 2019 October Student of Month. His humor, compassion, and genuine personality will continue to serve him as he finishes his degree and runs to be a National Officer for the National FFA Organization.
From the 1620 teachings of Squanto to the English settlers to the establishment of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, agricultural education revolved primarily around teaching students how to grow and harvest food. Today however, agricultural education's focus has shifted from cultivating knowledgeable farmers and ranchers to developing strong leaders in all fields of agriculture including mechanics, science, medicine, and marketing capable of overcoming the impending challenges of the industry. In recognition of this shift, the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association come together to award the Student Leader Scholarship.
Every year, ten undergraduate students who have plans to pursue a career related to the dairy industry in the future are selected to receive the Student Leadership Scholarship for their outstanding accomplishments in their respective academic programs. This $3,000 scholarship provides recognition, encouragement, and financial support for these future leaders of the industry. This year two outstanding students enrolled in the Agricultural and Extension Education program at The Pennsylvania State University were awarded this scholarship.
Nicole Guise is a junior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education at The Pennsylvania State University. She grew up in Spring Grove and got her start in the dairy industry on Buttonwood Farms and Bentz Hollow Farms which her family owns and operates. Nicole served as both the York Dairy Princess and State Dairy Princess which she believes allowed her to "give consumers a more personal relationship with the dairy industry". She is passionate about advocating for agriculture, interned with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, and hopes to become an agricultural educator in the future to combine her two passions of dairy farming and teaching others. While Nicole may not be working full-time on her family's dairy farm in the future, she hopes to use her career as an agricultural educator to spotlight the dairy industry through student competitions, curriculum, and opportunities and develop students into informed consumers. One of Nicole's favorite aspects of the Agricultural and Extension Education program at Penn State is the travel opportunities that the program offers. In reference to these opportunities, Nicole explained, "I think the program does a good job of showing students just how diverse agriculture is". Nicole plans to use the Student Leader Scholarship towards her tuition costs.
Thomas Gabel of Newport, Pennsylvania is a sophomore studying Agricultural and Extension Education at The Pennsylvania State University. Growing up on his parents dairy farm, Thomas helped to milk, feed, and manage the cows. He hopes to continue to advocate for the dairy industry in the classroom as an agricultural educator in the future and develop an innovative agricultural education program that will allow his students to make connections to the dairy industry. Thomas wishes to teach agriculture "to have an exponential impact on students, communities, and the world". He believes that by investing in students, we are able to make a positive impact on them which they will in turn pass on to others. "I want to empower students and help them to develop their passions and find a future career path for them". Thomas's favorite aspect of the Agricultural and Extension Education program at Penn State is that it feels like family. He believes that this atmosphere has allowed him to forge lasting relationships with his peers and the faculty in the program. "No matter who you are interacting with in the program, they are there to support you". Thomas is grateful for the Student Leadership Scholarship and plans to use it to continue to pursue his degree and advocate for the dairy industry.
Congratulations again to Nicole and Thomas and the rest of the scholarship winners for being strong leaders in the Agricultural and Extension Education program and for being awarded the Student Leader Scholarship. Click here to learn more about the 2020 Student Leader Scholarship.
It is a custom every month to recognize one of our outstanding students within the Agricultural and Extension Education program, who has made a positive impact on their mentors, peers, and program as Student of the Month. This September, Ms. Jessica Barnhart's passion and drive has played a role in her selection as September Student of the Month.
Jess resides in Blairsville, Pennsylvania and began her journey in Agricultural Education at Derry Area High School where her Ag Teachers "planted the seed" for her to pursue Agricultural Education as a career. She spent the first two years of her college career at Penn State Altoona studying Plant Science before a position as an Education Intern at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources spurred her excitement for educating youth, leading her to find a home in the AEE program. At Penn State Altoona, Jess was involved in CFFA and was President of Ag Club. Currently at the University Park campus, she is involved in LEAD Society is a TeachAg! Avenger.
As a senior in the program, Jess will graduate with a Bachelors Degree in May of 2020 after completing her student teaching semester at Brockway Area. Her motivation to become an Agricultural Educator is student excitement. Jess says, "I feed off of their energy". When working with students, she helps them to express energy by sparking an interest and excitement for learning inside of them. In the future, Jess plans to put this motivation to use by becoming either an Agricultural Educator or an Environmental Education Specialist. She reasons, "I would be happy in each of these career fields as long as I get to teach about my passions".
Some more about Jess includes:
Birthday: August 31st Favorite PSU Class: Biology 220W where she particularly enjoyed a stream study on macroinvertebrates. Favorite Insect: The dobsonfly. Favorite Hangout on Campus: The Entomology (5th) Floor of the ASI Building. Favorite Place to Eat in State College: McDonalds. "McNuggets are always my #1!" Favorite Quote: "What's meant to be will always find a way". 4H/FFA Background: Jess was actively involved in the Derry FFA Chapter, serving as President and Reporter, and received her American Degree last October.
Congratulations to Jessica Barnhart for being selected as September Student of the Month! Her joyful and passionate personality are an incredible addition to the Agricultural and Extension Education program at Penn State University.
Over September 13th -15th I traveled with Penn State Teach Ag! to cross more states off my list, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Penn State doesn't take you to states just to cross them off your list though (or I would totally have all 50 covered by now!), we were there to help with FFA Career and Leadership development events (CDEs and LDEs).
This was super beneficial for me because it was the first time that I got to be a part of a CDE or LDE competition the day of the event. Over the summer, I got to help with the background work of the Food Science CDE, but unfortunately I was unable to attend the actual competition. In PA, the ag teachers run the events at the State Level, so having an understanding of what goes into the event is important because I might someday be in charge of one. Regardless if I am in charge of one, I will have students competing, and to be able to coach them well, I first need to understand the event.
Let's take a step back though, What is the Big E and What are CDE/LDEs?
The Big E
The Big E is the Eastern States Exposition and is essentially a large fair that lasts for three weeks, with exhibitors and events rotating which weeks they are held. One cool part of the Big E is that each New England State has their own building to showcase special things from that state. I think one of my favorite parts was the iconic Big E Cream Puff though! It was huge and delicious!
The Connecticut Building (Picture from Amanda Gagne)
Career and Leadership Development Events are focused on specific content areas and are designed to develop "college and career readiness skills". (Find out more about them on the National FFA Website) At the Big E, teams from states in the NorthEastern Region of FFA competed.
So what did I learn?
I learned so much while I was at the Big E! The first event that I helped with was the Vet Science CDE. My specific role was to be a judge for a practicum. Students had to tell me verbally and show me how to properly restrain a rabbit. From this I learned how hard it can sometimes be to really be consistent in my grading for all the members, especially once it was getting to the end of the event and I had heard what should have been the same thing multiple times. I also learned from a coaching stand point how important it is to know the events because I had some teams that all told me very well, and the same way how to restrain the rabbit, unfortunately it did not match the rubric, so I could not give them a good score. Coach knowledge of the event can help avoid these little things that keep students from doing as well in the events as they may have hoped. I also got to grade essays for the Current Issue topic based off of a rubric for this event. I felt more qualified to be able to do this compared to being a practicum judge.
The second Vet Science Practicum judged (and picture from) Amanda Gange.
The second event I got to help with was the Food Science CDE. I was really excited to help with this one since I had missed being a part of it in June. My background knowledge of what goes into the event before the day of was helpful for me to understand how all the pieces went together, but I was unaware of how much really went into the set up of this event! My main job at this event was to judge the students group work abilities as they figured out safety hazards in food processing plants. Here I also saw the value in previous coaching of how the different segments of the events worked. Some teams were confused on what they were supposed to do in the event and those teams were the ones that also seemed to struggle the most with completing the task.
The judges for the Food Science Team Event. Mary, Erin, and Amanda (Picture from Amanda Gagne)
From both days I really learned how rubrics are beneficial for keeping everything fair across all students because it gives you a guideline that you cannot be as subjective about. It also allows for multiple people to fairly grade the same thing so that work can be done faster. I also learned the importance of well thought through setup, especially thinking through how things are set up so that students don't even have the opportunity to be tempted to cheat or "cheat on accident" because the opportunity was there. I think that both of these lesson translate back into the classroom well too, thinking about assessment design and creation.
Rubric from an LDE (Picture from Luke Kerstetter)
There were many learning moments, some time for fun, and not a whole lot of sleep on this trip, but at the end of the day it was a very beneficial trip.
We even got the bonus lesson of handling when your students leave possessions at places while you are traveling. I don't think that the #PSUAgEd20 cohort will let me soon forget leaving my phone at the Dunkin Donuts on the way home.
All the Penn State students that helped with the events after the awards banquet.
Deanna Miller (#psuaged15) has been using her @TeachAgPSU education to make a positive impact in the lives of students and her fellow teachers in New Jersey! Though now in the Garden State, she is a Pennsylvania native. Deanna went to Red Lion Area High School in York County and was an active FFA member. To continue her education, she found herself here at Penn State to major in Agricultural and Extension Education and graduated in 2015.
Deanna (far right) pictured with her ACTE award
Currently serving as Vice President and Southern Representative of the New Jersey Association of Agricultural Educators (NJAAE), Deanna is showing off her drive to serve others. In addition to her current positions, Deanna has won prestigious awards that serve as a testament to her skill and passion in this line of work. These awards include but surely are not limited to:
NAAE Teacher Turn the Key Award Recipient - 2017
ACTE Region 1 New and Beginning Teacher - 2019
NJ FFA Advisor of the Year - 2019
Additionally, she can proudly say that she has become CASE certified in 6 courses, secured over $15,000 in grants and has increased total program enrollment by more than 120%. This is REMARKABLE considering the short time Deanna has spent teaching in the classroom.
Looking at these accomplishments, it would be great to credit all of this solely to her @TeachAgPSU experience, but we know that it takes a special individual, such as Deanna, to implement this knowledge so effectively. She says that the two things that still stands out about her education are:
"The purposeful and intentional instructional programming which included materials that I used and implemented my first year teaching, and continue to use" and "My student teaching experience at Penn Manor High School with Neil Fellenbaum- I learned more than I could have ever imagined and have made lasting professional connections."
We are proud to see past @TeachAgPSU students engaging in ways to serve others through Agricultural Education. Deanna is an example for her peers and future teachers to do that very thing.
