2K18 NAAE Convention Highlights

In November the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators (PAAE) had several members receive awards at the 70th National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Convention in San Antonio, TX as well as other members from the organization attend to aid in directing the national association for the next year. 

The members of PAAE had also participated in professional development focusing on agriculture, sessions on building partnerships between agricultural educators, agribusiness leaders, and policy makers. Our award winners from PAAE were Meagan Slates receiving the Outstanding Early Career Educator Award and Janae McMichael receiving the National Teacher Turn the Key Award. 

Meagan Slates gets her drive by student success in and outside the classroom. She utilized technology and experiential based learning to make her daily instruction interactive. Along with experience based learning, Meagan makes her courses engaging, rigorous, and model job expectations. Meagan currently serves on the Policy Committee for both NAAE and PAAE, and has attended the National Policy Seminar in Washington D.C. to advocate for career and technical education. 

Janae McMichael is a strong supporter of the three-circle model for Agricultural Education, she actively searches for ways to incorporate the three components in a way to create contextual, inquiry-based, and engaging learning experiences for her students. Janae is devoted to be a lifelong learner and does her best to seek out opportunities to grow as an educator, advisor, team member, and industry representative.

Penn State University also had members from #PSUAgEd19 cohort at the convention to experience professional development at the national level as well as network with future colleagues. Three Penn State students received the Upper Division Scholarship from the NAAE, Victoria Herr, Ryan Rupert, and Lisa Boltz. Penn State University was also named Region VI Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program. The faculty at Penn State, Dr. Daniel Foster, Dr. John Ewing, and Dr. Kevin Curry, provide their students with current methods and how to effectively use them. The curriculum utilizes eight core courses to prepare teacher candidates for their future career.

Congratulations to all award recipients, and we hope that the convention provided you with many new and innovative ways to lead your classroom and exceed expectations.

Luke Kerstetter

Communications Team Member

Twitter Handle: Luke_Kerstetter

Agricultural Education Student Teacher 2020