Contratulations Allyson Balmer, #psuaged18 member Hired!

Ms. Allyson Balmer, recently hired by Kutztown Area High School.

Another one of our recent graduates of the Agricultural and Extension Education major at Penn State, Ms. Allyson Balmer, was recently hired by Kutztown Area High School to begin on August 27th as a long-term agricultural science substitute teacher.

During Ms. Balmer's time at Penn State, she kept herself busy in many areas of the College of Agricultural Sciences and developed a diverse skill set along the way. She took on membership in Teach Ag Society!, Collegiate FFA, and Dairy Science Club, and was even a Camp Counselor for Shaver's Creek Outdoor School, a four-day outdoor education program for elementary school students held at Shaver's Creek, Penn State's nature center. Her list of accomplishments and accolades at Penn State goes on and on, meaning Allyson is well-prepared for her new role in Kutztown.

In Allyson's new position, she will be responsible for teaching horticulture, a horticulture class for life skills students, floriculture, large animal science, wildlife and natural resources, and an SAE class. Allyson says she's excited to work with students of all backgrounds and levels of knowledge, and hopes to make them informed consumers and leaders in their communities. She's especially looking forward to the Life Skills class she has an opportunity to teach. "...they work incredibly well and partner with the life skills students in the high school to provide them a Horticulture class. It is a really unique opportunity and I am very excited to work with the life skills students and teachers for this class."

We asked Allyson if she has any advice for those preparing to student teach or those thinking about becoming a teacher. She says, "My advice is simple. Risk boldly and never be afraid to ask for help, whether from your cohort or administrator. While student-teaching try new ideas, activities, and techniques. You will never know if something is awesome if you never try." Ms. Balmer's student teaching took place at Tri-Valley High School alongside veteran teacher Ms. Gretchen Dingman. She says that the best time to experiment with new ideas and explore the unknown is while you're under the wing of a teacher with experience.

She leaves us with one last piece of encouragement about Penn State's Agricultural and Extension Education program:

"Penn State has an incredible Agricultural Education Program in the rigorous coursework and rewarding experiences you are able to have as a pre-service teacher. I am thankful to have a very strong foundation in planning and preparation, meaning developing curriculum and creating intellectually engaging lessons. We are all educators first, so I believe this to be something Penn State really prepares its agriculture teachers for."

We wish Ms. Allyson Balmer the best of luck as she steps into her new role at Kutztown Area High School!

#psuaged18 Final Presentations Schedule

What an exciting time of the year! As the fall semester winds down and comes to an end, it's time for the final presentations from our outstanding #psuaged18 members! 

You're welcome to join in watch their presentations via Zoom connection as they show what they learned through their past three and a half years at Penn State!

Our 11 members of #psuaged18 standing at the Nittany Lion Shrine.

What are the presentations about?

The presentations are meant to be a holistic overview of total preparation expiring, but they also represent the final for the following 13 credits of courses:

·        AEE 295 (3) – Early Field Experiences in Agricultural Education

·        AEE 350 (3) – Teaching Methods in Agricultural Education Laboratories

·        AEE 412 (4) – Teaching Methods in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

·        AEE 413 (3) – Program Planning in Agricultural Education

Each candidate is allocated 1 hour. Of that one hour, 30 minutes is provided for public presentation and the 30 minutes is utilized for individual consultation/discussion with the agricultural teacher education panel. Time will be provided for questions and answers as part of the public presentation. Questions are accepted from both the face-to-face audience as well as the virtual audience.

The candidates have been asked to answer the following three essential questions as part of their public presentation:

Question I – Who do I aspire to be as a teacher? 

Description: The teacher candidate will present an overview of the type of teacher they aspire to be. Teacher candidate will share their fundamental beliefs and philosophy as well as evidencing their comprehension and integration of a total agricultural education program.

Question II – What experiential education opportunities have I engaged in to become a better agricultural educator?

Description: The teacher candidate will present relative coursework, internships, study abroad experiences, and life experiences that helped prepare them to be an agricultural educator. The key for the candidate to draw the connections from the experiences to how it will help them succeed in the agricultural education profession.

Question III- How am I prepared to maximize my student teaching internship opportunity?

Description The teacher candidate will show evidence of planning completed to be prepared to best serve the secondary students of the cooperating center.

#psuaged18 Final Presentation Schedule

Wednesday, December 13th

9:00am         Rose Cowan, @Cowan_Rosalind

Professional Blog: Grace & Growth 

Internship Location:            Penn Manor HS (Millersville, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:          Neil Fellenbaum, @NeilFell

Zoom Connection:              https://psu.zoom.us/j/406185396 [+1 669 900 6833 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 406 185 396]

10:15am       Angela Becker, @BeckerAngelaM

Professional Blog: Inches to Acres: Teaching to Grow 

Internship Location:            Manheim Central HS (Manheim, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:          Deb Seibert

Zoom Connection:              https://psu.zoom.us/j/278828215 [+1 646 876 9923 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 278 828 215]

11:30am       Karlie Wright, @Wright_KarlieM

Professional Blog: Karlie Writes

Internship Location:            Fort Cherry HS (McDonald, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:         Jodie Hoover, @HGParkinsonFFA

Zoom Connection:              https://psu.zoom.us/j/294109116 [+1 669 900 6833 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 294 109 116]

1:15pm         Macy Fisher, @Macy_Fisher

Professional Blog: Macy's Moments

Internship Location:            Selinsgrove HS (Selinsgrove, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:          Valerie Fry, @ValSFry

Zoom Connection:               https://psu.zoom.us/j/603171146 [+1 408 638 0968 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 603 171 146]

2:30pm         Allyson Balmer, @Allyson_Balmer

Professional Blog: The Agrication Station

Internship Location:            Tri-Valley HS (Hegins, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:         Gretchen Dingman

Zoom Connection:              https://psu.zoom.us/j/733802451; [+1 669 900 6833 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 733 802 451]

3:45pm         Michala Kuhlman, @Kuhlman_M40

Professional Blog: The Chronicles of Becoming an Ag Teacher

Internship Location:           Central Columbia HS (Danville, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:         Curt Turner

Zoom Connection:             https://psu.zoom.us/j/350629115 [+1 408 638 0968 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 350 629 115]

Thursday, December 14^th

9:00am         Heather Wasson, @heatwasson

Professional Blog:  From the Plow to the Owl

Internship Location:            Cowanesque Valley HS (Westfield, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:          Marty Heyler

Zoom Connection:              https://psu.zoom.us/j/979627927 [+1 646 876 9923 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 979 627 927]

10:15am       Halee Wasson, @Wasson_Halee

Professional Blog:  Rooted in Agriculture

Internship Location:             Derry Area HS (Derry, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:           Roy Campbell

Zoom Connection:               https://psu.zoom.us/j/497123380 [+1 646 876 9923 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 497 123 380]

11:30am       Katie Smith, @KatieLady1995

Professional Blog: Emu's in Pre-K! My Ag Ed Adventure

Internship Location:            Northwest HS (Shickshinny, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:          Anthony Honeycutt, @thehoneyowl

Zoom Connection:              https://psu.zoom.us/j/434509673 [+1 408 638 0968 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 434 509 673]

1:15pm         Cheyenne Myers, @MyersCheyenneN

Professional Blog: Galloping Into Ag Ed

Internship Location:            Kennard Dale HS (Fawn Grove, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:          Abigail Cornett, @AbigailSSmith

Zoom Connection:              https://psu.zoom.us/j/189541741   [+1 646 876 9923 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 189 541 741]

3:45pm         George Dietrich, @TheGeorge4H

Professional Blog: From Green Blazers To Blue Corduroys

Internship Location:            Cumberland Valley HS (Mechanicsburg, PA);

Cooperating Teacher:          Darla Romberger, @DJR_131

Zoom Connection:              https://psu.zoom.us/j/864454949 [+1 408 638 0968 (US Toll); Meeting ID: 864 454 949]

Hunter Kauffman, Student Blogger

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

College of Agricultural Sciences

Email: hlk5120@psu.edu

Instagram: kauffman_hunter

Penn State's 2017 NAAE Upper Division Scholarship Winners

Angela Becker

22 students from across the United States had received the Upper Division Scholarship from the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE). Their efforts in academic performance, leadership, service, and passion to become an agricultural educator has allowed them to qualify for this scholarship. Penn State has three students that were selected to receive this scholarship Angela Becker, Allyson Balmer, and Rosalind Cowan. Each of them will receive $1,500 to offset their expenses during their student teaching experience this spring.

Allyson Balmer

Rosalind Cowan

Angela will be student teaching at Manheim Central High School in Manheim, PA, and she plans to use the scholarship to help with finances including teaching supplies and rent for her apartment. Allyson plans to use the scholarship for living expenses and supplies as well while she is student teaching at Tri-Valley High School in Hegins, PA. Rosalind will be student teaching at Penn Manor High School in Millersville, PA, and she plans to use the scholarship to offset living expenses during her student teaching experience.

The funding for this scholarship came from Growth Energy, National Geographic Learning | Delmar Cengage Learning, and donations from Herman and Bobbie Wilson. Growth Energy as stated in their mission statement, "represents the producers and supporters of ethanol, who feed the world and fuel America in ways that achieve energy independence, improve economic well-being, and create a healthier environment for all Americans now." National Geographic Learning is a part of Cengage Learning and they, "believe that an engaged and motivated learner will be a successful one, and they design our materials with a highly interactive storytelling approach which is a great way to invoke these connections." 

The NAAE is a professional organization in mission to provide advancements to agricultural education, grow agricultural educators, recruit and prepare future agricultural educators that have a passion to teach. They provide their 7,800 members with resources that can be used inside the classroom as well as professional development through conferences and conventions. The mission of the NAAE is, "Professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service."

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!

Luke Kerstetter

Communications Team Member

Twitter Handle: @lmkerstetter96

2020 Agricultural Education Student Teacher

September and October 2017 Students of the Month: Allyson Balmer (@allyson_balmer) and Macy Fisher (@macy_fisher)

Every month, we like to highlight students that have gone above and beyond in the Agriculture Education department! We are excited to announce that Allyson Balmer (@allyson_balmer) was selected as the student of the month for September, and Macy Fisher (@macy_fisher) was selected for the month of October. Let's learn about their accomplishments so far:

Allyson Balmer (@allyson_balmer)

Allyson is currently a senior majoring in Agriculture and Extension Education. She plans to graduate in the spring of 2018. Her interest came from growing up on her family's dairy farm, where she says she has been instilled with the desire to teach others about agriculture. Being an agricultural educator is a great passion of hers. "Today's society is so far removed from the farm and it is my responsibility, as a future educator, to develop well-informed consumers." 

Allyson is pretty busy outside of the classroom, being the reporter for Collegiate FFA, as well as a member of Teach Ag! Society, the Dairy Chairman and Livestock Committee member of the Manheim Community Farm Show, and a 4-H Leader for the Lebanon County Cedar Crest 4-H Dairy Club. 

Fun Facts about Allyson:
Hometown: Manheim, PA
Birthday: July 10th
Favorite PSU Class: AEE Classes and AGECO 154
Favorite Place to Eat in State College: Hands-down, Panda Express and Chick-fil-A
Favorite Athletic Team/Sport: Penn State and the New England Patriots
Favorite Thing about PSU: "The one aspect about Penn State that I really like and think is unique is how much EVERY student shows pride in the university. Whether there is a home football game or the middle of the week, Penn State students create a great atmosphere of camaraderie and school spirit."  

Macy Fisher (@macy_fisher)

Macy Fisher is currently a senior majoring in Agriculture and Extension Education, also graduating in the spring of 2018. Her passion for agriculture stemmed from her upbringing on her family's dairy farm. By the time she entered high school, she instantly became dedicated to her agriculture program and the FFA. Ms. Fisher says that she was inspired by her agriculture teacher, and she motivated her to want to teach agriculture. "Knowing that I not only wanted to be an Ag teacher, but to be the best Ag teacher I could be, I knew that I had to come to Penn State." She also speaks of Penn State's AEE department, saying, "I knew that they would prepare me in the best ways possible to go out and cultivate the young minds of future leaders." 

Outside of classes, Macy is currently the Jr. Adviser of Collegiate FFA, a member of Teach Ag! Society and Dairy Science Club, as well as an assistant leader for Beyond the Barn 4-H Club and Coach for the Captain Jack FFA Square Dance. 

Fun Facts about Macy:
Hometown: McVeytown, PA
Birthday: February 14th
Favorite PSU Class: AEE 350 and ANSC 225
Favorite Place to Eat in State College: Wings Over and Texas Roadhouse
Favorite Thing about PSU: "I love how the staff and professors in our department are so dedicated to student success.  Not only are they helping us to strive academically but they are also always there to help us with stress, worries, concerns; they really listen to us!"

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

Guest Blog @allyson_balmer: CASE Institute 2017 - Welcome to Professional Development

My name is Allyson Balmer and I am a rising senior at Penn State University majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education. I am a member of the 2018 cohort and will be student teaching this spring with Gretchen Dingman at Tri-Valley High School.

A few weeks ago I had the incredible opportunity to attend a CASE (Curriculum in Agricultural Science Education) Institute and get certified in the Natural Resources and Ecology curriculum in Pontiac, Illinois.

The institute lasted 10 days, where the class of agriculture teachers, from various states, went through the entire course in that amount of time. As I went through the course, I played the role of a student and filled out the entire student binder and all the worksheets. My lead teachers would check certain lessons that had to be done proficiently and at the end of the 10 days, I was certified. This certification will always stay with me, as I now have the entire teacher and student curriculum.

Here are a few things I learned while at my CASE Institute:

1. Agriculture Teachers ARE Science Teachers.

In every agriculture class there is some aspect of biology, chemistry, etc. that is reiterated and brought to life at a hands-on level. Thus, we, as agriculture educators, need to take that seriously so that we can continue to be respected among academia.

For example, if there is a lab activity for students to conduct, we need to make the experience as "real-life" as possible. This means using glass beakers, flasks, graduated cylinders, pipette droppers, microscopes, and other scientific lab equipment whenever possible. Enough with using Dixie cups. Let's show the other academic areas that we too can put science literacy and skills into our agriculture curriculum.

By doing this, students feel more valued, that their work is important, and that their development in all STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics) fields is a priority to agriculture education.

2. Inquiry-Based Instruction/Self-Directed Learning

Throughout my collegiate career, the topics of self-directed learning, growth mindset, and inquiry-based instruction have been the focus of a variety of classes. There is a central theme, a shift to student-centered learning where the teacher is a guide/mentor/facilitator. Students are encouraged and challenged to ask why, think at a deeper level, and become less dependent on the teacher.

In CASE, this is a highly important component to both understand and practice in the classroom. This curriculum is designed for student discovery by following the step-by-step procedures provided in their student binders. This means less spoon-feeding, developing students who can problem-solve on their feet, and creating hands-on and real-world application even in a classroom setting.

This experience was an opportunity of a lifetime for a pre-service agriculture teacher as I made new connections, gathered ideas from other agriculture teachers nationwide, and now have an incredible curriculum to use while student teaching and beyond.

Allyson Balmer
Penn State University
Agricultural and Extension Education
2018 Student-Teaching Cohort at Tri-Valley High School
Twitter: @allyson_balmer

Guest Blog: 5th Annual Domestic Study Away Day Four: "Cultivating Knowledge, Connections, and Inclusion"

Editor's Note:
What is a Domestic Study Away? A Domestic Study Away (DSA) is a non-credit experience that is 100% Student-Developed and Student-led. The Penn State Teach Ag! Society runs where a group of students travel to a State to explore the following: 

1. What does #AgEdu look like in other states? How is the total model of school-based agricultural education (Classroom Instruction, Youth Leadership Development <FFA> and Work-based learning <SAE>) uniquely provided? 
2. Who are the #AgEdu Stakeholders in the state? Specifically, what agricultural industry is being served? 
3. A unique yearly selected professional development topic! For #psuaged2WI, it is "Gender in the Agriculture Industry, Agricultural Classroom and Agricultural Education Profession. 

You can virtually-engage with this experience by reading and commenting on the daily blogs and following the experience on Twitter and Facebook with our hashtag #PSUAgEd2WI. We could not complete this transformative learning experience with out the incredible support of our partners including: The Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators, The Wisconsin Team Ag Ed, The Penn State Center for Professional and Personnel Development and the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Student Activities Fund.

This is a series of blogs capturing reflections from each day of the experience by one of the participants. The goal is to post the daily reflection 24 hours after completion of activity. Below is the fourth day reflection prepared by Allyson Balmer (@allyson_balmer), a member of the #psuaged18 cohort. The reflection focus is on the fourth official day of DSA in Sauk City visiting the Culver's Headquarters, Wollersheim Winery and Distillery, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, an LGBTQ Perspectives in Agriculture Panel at Madison Area Technical College, and attending the Kewaskum FFA Banquet. 

On Thursday, May 11th, Penn State Teach Ag had the opportunity to visit the Culver’s Headquarters, Wollersheim Winery, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, and LGBTQ Perspectives of Agriculture Panel, and the Kewaskum FFA banquet. It was an incredible day filled with eye-opening experiences, new knowledge, and a re-energizing of our passions for agriculture.

The "Thank You Farmers" campaign was
started by Culver's and is dedicated to
promoting agriculture and appreciating
farmers. 

In the morning, we began our day’s adventure at the Culver’s Headquarters where we met the CEO, were given a tour of their facilities, and learned how they support agriculture. Culver’s is an incredible supporter of Wisconsin agriculture, FFA, and farmers. Whether it is sharing the story of how cheese curds are made from the grower to the guest or financially supporting FFA chapters, Culver’s is a true friend of agriculture. Additionally, they support the National FFA Convention and the Dairy Foods CDE. Penn State Teach Ag! learned so much from Culver’s about seeking supporters of our future chapters. Whether we ask a different food restaurant to partner with us in a fundraiser or have them promote agriculture, we have to be willing to ask, accept rejection, change our proposal, and ask again. 

This is the aging cave for the wine
at Wollersheim Winery. 

Upon departing 
Culver’s, we made a very quick and impromptu stop at the Wollersheim Winery and Distillery where we were given a short tour of the vineyard, fermentation vats, and the aging caves. What was really neat about this experience was the fact that the owner, Philippe Conquard was a former FFA member who came to the USA on an agricultural exchange program, married into the winery business, and is now the wine maker. This is just one more story of how the FFA can take a person to incredible places and change their life. 

Pictures of Wisconsin FFA Advisor Jeff Hicken and other
Farm Bureau members and officers during out visit. 

After our incredibly quick trip to Wollersheim Winery, we went to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and had the opportunity to interact with the current president and other integral individuals to the bureau. Here, the group was able to learn a lot about how to incorporate our state Farm Bureau into our future agriculture classrooms and FFA. 




Some ways we could do this is by inviting
Farm Bureau members to the FFA banquet or having them serve as judges for CDE competitions or at the county fair. Nonetheless, it is an opportunity for us to learn that we need to involve these organizations in our agriculture programs because they can provide resources, financial assistance, and expertise of different aspects of the organizations. 

Madison Area Technical College

The next item on our itinerary was attending an LGBTQ Perspectives in Agriculture panel discussion at the Madison Area Technical College. At this discussion, five panelists volunteered their time to comes and discuss with us how LGBTQ individuals are perceived in the agricultural industry. This event was incredibly impactful because of the really great feedback we received on how to make our classrooms inclusive for every student. This feedback ranged from making sure our students do not use derogatory terms in our classroom, putting up a sign that all students are welcome, and trying not to label certain assumed male and female activities as such. This was really important for us to hear because, as future agricultural educators, we have to be dedicated to help every student reach their highest potential and to achieve all that they set their minds to. It is imperative to be inclusive of all, to not tolerate discrimination, and to be a good role model for other students to follow. 

Picture of our panelists for the LGBTQ Perspectives
in Agriculture discussion

Day 4 was filled with a lot of learning, networking with industry professionals, and finding new tactics on how to better manage our classroom. All are immensely important to the success of our program, the students, and the advancement of agriculture education in the high school setting. 

Make sure to look out for the Day 4 video by Katie Smith (@kadylady1995) and keep following us at the #psuaged2WI

TO READ MORE ABOUT OUR #PSUAGED2WI ADVENTURES, SEE:

• Day 1 - We are going on an #AgEdu Adventure by @TheGeorge4H 
• Day 2 - Student Ownership by @BeckerAngelaM
• Day 3 - Classrooms, Cranberries and Connections by @Memyselfandlkb (Lisa Boltz)

Allyson Balmer

2018 Student-Teaching Cohort 

@allyson_balmer