NJAAE Vice President Reflects Upon Her @TeachAgPSU Experience!

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.

Justin Kurtz

#PSUAgEd22

Twitter Handle: @JustinDKurtz

Amanda Forstater #psuaged15 Nationally Recognized

Congratulations Amanda Forstater! A Penn State Agriculture and Extension Education alum (#psuaged15) is to receive a National Teacher Turn the Key Award from the National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAAE). She will be recognized at the NAAE Convention in San Antonio, TX in November.

Amanda is currently an agriscience teacher at Taylor M.S/H.S in Perry, Florida. She completed her student teaching internship at Tri-Valley High School with Gretchen Dingman #psuaged92. She had attended high school at W.B. Saul in Philadelphia, PA.

Amanda has kept her eyes on this award since she began teaching. She tries to take advantage of every professional development opportunity she can, and this award is an exact fit. "As agricultural educators not only does our content constantly change to keep up with technological advances but so are the strategies we need to reach our students." Along with this award, Amanda was also chosen to be in the 2018-2019 class of Florida Commissioner of Agriculture's Agricultural Education Leadership Program (AELP). She explains, "Through both of these opportunities this year I hope to expand both my agricultural and teaching method knowledge to become a more well-rounded teacher and flush out all three circles of the Taylor Agricultural Education Program." 

Her favorite experience as an agricultural educator is watching the lightbulb moments that students have. "Those lightbulb experiences also add to the bonding moments with students outside the classroom. Examples such as taking students on a week-long National Convention & Ag Industry Tour and watching kids light up when they see maple production for the first time, or milk a cow, or watch them speak to prospective colleges and employers makes those bonding experiences even more meaningful." Over the past three years her experience in teaching has helped her calm down and become more organized in her program. She is more comfortable seeking assistance and resources to better her classroom, and also offering her own thoughts and strategies. 

Her advice to those entering into the agricultural education profession find your "marigold" and take chances. "I was told both and I remind myself of this advice constantly. Finding your “marigold” refers to seeking out the person(s) who will be your positive flower...Taking chances is also important. You don’t know if it will work/if you’ll like it until you try. If something doesn’t work you can always try again or try a different method. Don’t be afraid to try; if you have built relationships with your students and community, even if it blows up they’ll understand." 

Amanda we are proud of your success so far, and we are excited to see how you continue to make a positive difference in the lives of students! Congratulations!

Luke Kerstetter

Communications Team Member

Twitter Handle: @Luke_Kerstetter

2020 Agriculture Education Student Teacher

Jillian Gordon (@jillianedu) and Clarke Central High School FFA featured in Athens, GA News Magazine

Ms. Jillian Gordon, teacher at Clarke Central
and #psuaged15 alumni, holds up her FFA jacket.
Image courtesy of Odyssey Media Group. 

Recognition of our alumni and their accomplishments is always a welcome site! We're proud to see Clarke Central High School's FFA program, headed by #psuaged15 member and 2015 Penn State alumni Jillian Gordon, featured on the cover of Odyssey NewsMagazine, Clarke Central's student-run magazine.

When Ms. Gordon was hired in the Clarke Central School District two years ago, there was no FFA program in existence. In the article published by Odyssey Media Group, she explains that one of her main goals was to build a program that provides leadership and personal growth opportunities to students that aren't already invested in other school programs. So far, she's had great success in her program and takes pride in it. Also featured in the magazine is an article about Clarke Central High School FFA's president, Jordan Butler. You can read the Odyssey article about here here.

We're proud of Ms. Gordon and all of our #TeachAg alumni and friends fostering student success across the nation!

You can follow Clarke Central FFA as they continue to do great things and build their FFA program:

via Twitter: @FFAglads

via Facebook: @clarkecentralFFA

Read about Ms. Gordon's second year of teaching here:
Second Year Check-In with #psuaged15 member Jillian Gordon (@jillianedu)

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

College of Agricultural Sciences

Instagram: kauffman_hunter

Email: hlk5120@psu.edu

Second Year Series: Laura Metrick's (@Its_LauraBeth) Experience

It has often been said that the agricultural community around us is quick in developing connections among each other as well as being a close knit group. With this in mind our featured educator Laura Metrick is using this aspect in creating a classroom environment that develops connections between students, students to community, and student to teacher. Laura is the current agricultural educator at Conneaut Area High School in Crawford County. Laura is part of the #psuaged15 cohort, and has been teaching for two full years.

Laura had started her teaching career out at Union City Area High School opening up a brand new program. She taught there for two full years, and now teaches at Conneaut Area High School where she student taught. Her most inspiring moment as a teacher was working with her two square dancing teams preparing for PA State Farm Show. In this moment there were several students from very different backgrounds, but they all communicated and worked well with each other. She stated, "It has just been so refreshing and a great reminder that in the “Ag Room” anyone is welcome no matter what and when we work together good things happen." She has changed things up in her teaching style to be more effective in the classroom. She strongly believes that getting to know the students is key and that catering lessons to their needs has helped the behavior and grades of the students. 

Laura's favorite moment as an educator was taking students to the National FFA Convention this past year. This was the first year she went as an advisor, and she enjoyed getting to plan the trip and experience. "Getting to bond with the students I took along," she exclaimed, "...witnessing them experience the convention was super rewarding!" 

In the past two years that she has been teaching she has learned more than she expected. Laura learned that some of the best lesson come from places that one would never expect. She also believes that there are not lesson fails just unexpected learning opportunities. One of the biggest struggles she has faced is replacing an agricultural education legend. "Following in the footsteps of an outstanding educator who was there for 35 years has its many benefits but also its challenges," she exclaimed. 

One piece of advice she has for incoming teachers is to not be afraid to reach out and ask for help. She is not sure how she would have made it through her first year without reaching out to local Ag teachers in her area, her student teaching cohort, and the resources at Penn State. "We all have the same goal of student success so if you are ever struggling to come up with an effective teaching method, brainstorm some new fundraising ideas, figure out tours for your next FFA trip or just need someone to talk to just reach out! We’re all in this together!" We are looking forward to see how you lead the next generation of students into understanding and developing a passion for agriculture.

Luke Kerstetter

Communications Team Member

Twitter Handle: @lmkerstetter96

2020 Agricultural Education Student Teacher

Second Year Series: Carly Rippole's (@CarlyJeanBean) Experience

Throughout our lives we find ourselves in the depths of our passion for whatever it is. In that passion we develop our minds to shape and change the future. Agricultural educators are known to have a type of passion to teach and give knowledge so that they can change the minds of our future generation. They help students find their passions and our current educator featured in the blog, Carly Rippole, is one of those educators. She is one of two educators at Derry Area High School in Westmoreland County. Carly is part of the #psuaged15 cohort, and has been teaching for two full years.

In her teaching, Carly has been most inspired by her students when they themselves find their passion. In this case their passion could be for the day or for their future career. She enjoys having students come up to her before or after class to show her something they had found or what they are excited about. "Seeing them love learning and see them get excited about different subjects or topics really helps fuel me and makes my little teacher heart so happy!" There is so much to take in during your first year of teaching, and in the second year often times teachers will change something about their strategy to become more effective. In her second year her strategy of dealing with discipline has been more consistent than her first year. "It is hard to keep track of everything your first year teaching but as you move through the year you find what you need to prioritize in your classroom. That can differ between one class and another."

Agricultural educators often have favorite or most memorable moments about their students. Carly's favorite moment was when several 8th grade students who had earned their Discovery Degree had ran for officer positions and then were placed on the team. Those students had also talked about earning their Chapter Degree. From Carly's two years of educating she has learned something very valuable. She explains, "I am not perfect and there are times when I have to sit back and think, what went wrong and how do I fix it for next time." She has had struggles throughout her two years. Some of her struggles include taking things to heart instead of letting it go, labs falling through, copier jams, and just overall bad days. Carly states, "It can be hard to shake it off and come to school the next day with a clean slate and be ready to go.  I really try to debrief on the way to and from school, that is my time to let it go!" 

One piece of advice that she can give to those who will be starting their first year of educating is that it does get easier. She simple states, "You are more comfortable with your classroom, faculty, families and curriculum. You got all the scary transition stuff out of the way. Relax a little bit and use your time and spend it on things you wanted to get to the previous year." 

We are all excited to see where your career will take you, and how you will use your passion to help students find theirs! 

Luke Kerstetter

Communications Team Member

Twitter Handle: @lmkerstetter96

2020 Agricultural Education Student Teacher