Second Year Series: Check-In with Hannah Harris (@han_lou93) of #psuaged15

It's great to keep in touch with our past #TeachAgPSU graduates! By reaching out, we get to learn from the struggles and successes of past #psuaged members, and see what kinds of awesome things they're up to in the classroom and beyond!

Ms. Hannah Harris, #psuaged15 member, with the Nittany Lion Shrine.

In the first post of our Second Year Series for this year, we had the opportunity to catch up with #psuaged15 member, and 2015 Penn State graduate Hannah Harris. 

Ms. Harris was hired in 2016 as the Agriculture Teacher of Troy Area High School, located in Bradford County, PA, where she teaches a wide variety of classes ranging from Animal and Plant production, to Forestry and Power Machine Technology.

We asked Ms. Harris what her most inspiring moment as an agricultural educator has been the past two years, and she says, " It's hard to narrow it down to one event." She goes on to say that one of her best moments was a visit from the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Mr. Pedro Rivera. Rivera came to tour Troy Area High School during a visit of several STEM education programs throughout the Commonwealth this fall. Speaking of that visit, she says, "...the best moment was when my perpetually shy student stood right up and volunteered to show him around. She talked his ear off about what we do and showed him out metal shop and I couldn't have been more proud." 

Ms. Hannah Harris (L), alongside some of her students and Mr. Pedro Rivera (R).

A large part of teaching is about adaptability; finding what works and what doesn't within your program and your district. She quickly found that it was important for her, as a teacher, to get others involved in her program. We asked Ms. Harris what she is doing differently compared to her first year teaching, and she says, "...It takes a little extra time to communicate with my officers but it's extremely important that I have learned to delegate certain task for them to complete." 

Ms. Harris's dedication to her students and Troy's Ag program is paying off; not only in these seemingly large breakthroughs, but in small ways as well. Harris stresses the importance of promoting your program, and recommends to ensure that proper time is given to reach out to the community. "I moved to a place that I didn't know and didn't have any friends or family around but that was okay! Go out, meet people, meet teachers, farmers, stakeholders, parents, anyone one that you can. You will never guess how essential those relationships are." She also says to follow through; be sure articles are written, posts are being made, and to get your program out there. "PR is always worth the time." 

We thank Ms. Harris for the wisdom, and wish her the best of luck in continuing her teaching career while making an impact on the students and community of Troy Area High School!

Hunter Kauffman, Student Blogger
Wildlife and Fisheries Science
The Pennsylvania State University
Email: hlk5120@psu.edu
Instagram: kauffman_hunter

Hired! Teacher Candidate Hannah Harris hired at Troy Area High School #psuaged16

In some places tradition is rich, and is woven into the fabric of a place.  In Troy, PA, tradition of an agriculture program dates back to before the FFA Organization began.  The tradition at Troy Area High School will continue with 2015 Teacher Candidate Ms. Hannah Harris.  Congratulations Hannah!

Hannah will bring her Penn State tradition and pride to her classroom next year.  She was actively involved in Teach Ag! Society and was a teaching assistant for Ag Ed 311, where she assisted many other Agriculture & Extension Education majors find their passion for Ag Ed. 

The community of Troy is extremely supportive of the agriculture program. “I have only had time to visit with a few individuals so far and everyone has said how much they love our FFA and our program.”   The agriculture facilities are actually separate from the school in another building. The program runs on a block schedule with classes being one semester each. Hannah will teach a variety of classes each semester consisting of: Welding, Animal Production, Plant Production, Forestry, Power and Machine Technology, Biomechanics and Introduction to Agriculture. Hannah is really excited about the incredible welding facility she will be able to teach in. There are oxy-fuel, MIG, TIG, and stick welders all available. “The time I spent in the shop with students during student teaching is one huge thing I will bring to my classroom. Learning how to delegate, teach and keep everyone safe in the shop is no easy task!”  Troy also has a unique SAE class that meets during an activity period.  

“I was "tagged" by my own high school advisor Sarah Sparks, who now works for the PA FFA Foundation. During my high school experience she was one of the best teachers I had.” Most of the students at Troy have not attended National FFA Convention, and Hannah looks forward to taking them there some day.  “I know it would be an eye- opening experience for them. When my school traveled to Indiana it was an amazing experience that was a huge milestone in my high school career.”   Beyond welding skills and plant and animal facts Hannah hopes to leave her students with the mindset: “You can do anything if you have enough grit.” Best Wishes Hannah!

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.

Kayla Hack

Student Blogger

Twitter Handle: @hackkayla

2017 Agriculture Education Student Teacher

PAAE Meeting sparks excitement in 2015 Student Teachers! #teachag

Megan Keller 2015 Student teacher

Future teachers, and current Agriculture Education educators, all came together on Tuesday, July 8^th, for the PAAE meeting held in Western PA to learn new ways to incorporate different ideas in the classroom! They learned a variety of topics which a lot of the student teachers are going to implement in their student teaching experiences coming up in the spring! 

The PAAE & PYFA meeting was a chance for agriculture education teachers to get together and discuss about educational opportunities and different labs that teachers can incorporate in their own classrooms. Toby Neal (@tjn5065), a 2015 student teacher at Twin Valley High School, loved the conference! He stated, “One of the main things I learned at the PAAE conference is the supporting network of agriculture educators that are willing to help each other succeed and share information. It was great to be among current agriculture teachers and hear about some of their experiences before entering into my student teaching experience.” Toby was able to attend the Wildlife CDE Workshop and the Ag Ed Net information session! 

Toby Neal and Hannah Harris on the way to the meeting!

Another student Hannah Harris (@han_lou), a 2015 student teacher at Juniata High School, also shared her feelings about the conference!  She stated, “For my first seminar at the conference I was in Tractor Driving Safety. During this time our instructor went through the state CDE tractor driving event. He provided us with materials about the contest and then we set up the course and tried it out! I really hope I have some students interested in this event because I feel prepared to teach them all about it!” Toby and Hannah cannot wait to start their student teaching experience and bring what they learned and turn it into action!  

The PAAE & PYFA meeting happens every year and each student cohort has the opportunity to attend the meeting in the summer time! 2016 just wait, it will be your turn before you know it! 

To find more information about when the next meeting check out this link!  


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