Checking in with 2012 PSU AEE graduate and Maryland Agriscience Teacher Brittany Arnold!

Mrs. Lenzo (past high school teacher),
Brittany Arnold,
Mr. Harrington (Past Region
 IV Vice President NAAE)

In a previous blog post we introduced Brittany Arnold, a graduate from Penn State in 2012, who won the CTE Outstanding New Teacher Award her very first year teaching at Oakdale High School in Maryland!  With a degree in Agricultural Extension and Education and an emphasis in Dairy Science, she has come a long way but she says she is learning every day! We wanted to see how she has been since we last interviewed her and what she is has been up to in Maryland!

Since her graduation in 2012, teaching for Brittany has been great! She has learned how to develop patience and tough skin to help with her students in all of their tasks every day! In the beginning she states that it was very hard disciplining her students and when they would speak out of frustration and she would have to act calm and keep her head. Right now, she is busy working on helping her students maintain being one of the biggest FFA chapters in Maryland! They have already had a team compete on the national level within the first year of being a chartered school. She has really developed the school to an amazing level but still has a long way to go.

This is Brittany and her students
working at their annual Ag Day! 

Advice never hurt anyone right? Well Brittany wanted to make sure that we received good advice. She says that as a new teacher never settle! What she means by that is that once you settle, you become comfortable with what you and your students are doing you closed a door of opportunity. Challenge yourself and do things you’re not comfortable with. It will pay off. She also states that the NAAE Communities of Practice is a great opportunity to learn new lessons, facts, and subject matter. Her last piece of advice was to listen to Dr. Foster and Dr. Ewing. When times get tough and we question them, we should all know that they are looking out for                                                          our best interests!

Overall, Brittany is doing great things for her school and her chapter. If you want any advice, lessons, or have any questions, feel free to contact her at bna5032@gmail.com. 

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! 

Olivia Murphy-Sweet

Student Blogger

Teach Ag! Avenger

Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

Penn State CFFA hosts a Career Development Event Day for High School Students

Here are some of the Penn State  student helpers

On September 28, 2013 Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences lead by the PSU CFFA hosted the first ever Career Development Event (CDE) Day.  A CDE is a competition that connects to various careers and strengthens student’s skills to provide them with both experience and knowledge.  There are 24 CDE’s listed at the national level and 8 of those were offered at the CDE Day at PSU.  The goal of this event was to provide Pennsylvania FFA members a glimpse of the diversity of competitions within the FFA.  An additional benefit was to attract younger agriculturalists to Penn State University.

FFA members and Penn State students conversing together

The CDE Day was organized by Penn State’s Collegiate FFA as a result of a delegate issue “To have a Practice CDE Day” discussed by FFA members at the State Convention in 2012.  During the week’s delegation process, the FFA members decided that they would be appreciative if Penn State’s Collegiate FFA would create and host the event.  The information was passed on to the Collegiate FFA Chapter and the members began to plan.  There were members who reached out to all of the agriculture educators across the commonwealth, and members who communicated with the different agriculture clubs on campus to encourage involvement.  CFFA wanted this event to not just be about Penn State’s FFA program, instead they wanted to emphasize the importance how FFA can connect and relate to any organization.  This event became a tool that helped to mold a stronger sense of community within the College of Agricultural Sciences. 

Students learn more about livestock judging from Block and Bridle

The following clubs played an essential role in the success of the day’s events: The Dairy Science Club who facilitated the Dairy Judging CDE, Tau Phi Delta running the Forestry CDE, Block and Bridle who facilitated both Horse and Livestock Judging, The Teach Ag Society who organized the Parliamentary Procedure and Public Speaking Events, The Small and Exotic Animal Club who ran the Vet Skills CDE, and The Wildlife Society who organized the Wildlife CDE.  There were over 100 students who participated in these events and they came from eleven different FFA chapters throughout Pennsylvania.  The students certainly had a blast and learned a lot.  One student on a response card said, “The people were nice, I learned a lot, I met a lot of new people.”  This response signified to the members of CFFA that they were doing great for the first ever CDE Day.  Throughout the day CFFA members sought feedback from the different clubs, teachers, and students that participated to ensure that the events to follow will only be greater! 

There is a sincere thank you to all of the volunteers, participants and supporters of this event.  Without their faith and encouragement it would not have been possible.  The first line of the FFA Creed states “I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds.”  Well the people, who showed up with their heart of service on September 28^th, demonstrated that the future of agriculture is certainly in good hands!

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!

Jenna Moser

Guest Student Blogger

2015 Teacher Candidate

Twitter: @JennaLeeMoser