#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

Guest Blog: 5th Annual Domestic Study Away Reflection: “A Journey of Growth and Cheese Curds”

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 without 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 final reflection prepared by Rosalind Cowan (@cowan_rosalind), a member of the #psuaged18 cohort and the 2017 Domestic Study Away Chair.

As I sit on campus in Happy Valley, my mind and heart are just overflowing with newfound knowledge and gratitude. For the past 9 days, we have been traveling all over the state of Wisconsin engaging with rock star Ag Ed programs and agriculture industry partners. We grew both personally and professionally as we explored our professional development focus of Gender in the agriculture industry, secondary Agricultural Education programs, and the Agricultural Education profession. It has been a whirlwind of a trip, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say that this year’s Domestic Study Away to Wisconsin has been full of inspiration, new friends, impactful growth, and last but not least, a ton of cheese curds.

#PSUAgEd2WI Fast Facts!

1. 9 days

2. 8 students (7 students from #psuaged18, 1 student from #psuaged19)

3. 1 van

4. 6 states (PA, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN)

We reached America's Dairyland

5. 8 primary/secondary Agricultural Education Programs: East Tech HS, Holmen HS, New Richmond HS, School for Agricultural and Environmental Studies, Randolph HS, Kewaskum HS, Big Foot Union HS, and Pontiac Township HS.

6. 11 Teach Ag Stars with OVER 220 YEARS OF COMBINED TEACH AG EXPERIENCE: Jeremy Grove, Roger King, Rachel Sauvola, Sheri Hicken, Keith Gundlach, Dave Rizzardi, Jeanne Case, Lori Schmitz, Jesse Faber, Parker Bane, and Linda Sattler.

7. 10 Ag Ed Related Partners: University Wisconsin – River Falls, Wisconsin Farm Bureau, Madison College, Holyland Food Pantry, St. Paul's Church, Pens for Hens, iCEV, Stewart-Peterson AgEd.net, Wisconsin FFA Foundation, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

8. 11 Industry Partners: Wetherby Cranberry Co., Accelerated Genetics, Foremost Farms, Culver’s, Jung Seed, Mackinson Dairy, LaClare Farms, Bluestream Bison Farm, Second Look Holsteins, and Bonlander Furs Mink Ranch.

While reflecting on our adventures and reflections we had each day, I am overwhelmed by how much we experienced and learned. The impact of this year’s Domestic Study Away extends far beyond the opportunity to experience Agricultural Education and the agriculture industry in another state. Take a look at our other blogs from this week to gain even more insight on our day-to-day experiences. Overall, here are four important themes from this year’s Domestic Study Away that will hopefully help you understand the power of #PSUAgEd2WI.

Four Important Take Aways from #PSUAgEd2WI

1. Ag Ed is for EVERYONE, and as teachers, we are responsible for creating that culture and environment for our students. 

Learning about urban culture at East Tech HS

Whether we are talking about gender, race, or religion, we learned on this trip that the Agricultural Education teacher plays a central role in developing and maintaining a learning environment that is welcoming and supportive to all. At East Tech FFA with Jeremy Grove and his students, we learned about cultural differences and how to make FFA cool for everyone! One quote really stuck out when discussing minority and urban populations in FFA: “Instead of trying to always immerse us in your culture, immerse yourself in ours”.

Discussing gender in Ag during our LGBTQ Panel

Then, at Madison College, we had the chance to have a respectful, honest, and insightful panel discussion with five LGBTQ+ individuals. They volunteered their time to come and discuss their experiences being an LGBTQ+ individual, both in their careers in the agriculture industry and their experiences in secondary classrooms. We learned the importance of recognizing all students as individuals, not tolerating any derogatory comments between students, and not gender labeling activities (such as having only boys do jobs that involve lifting). Here are some wise non-negotiable rules for our future classrooms: “As a student, you can’t: Risk Lives, Risk Grades, or Risk self-esteem/self-worth”.

2. Community is INVALUABLE, just ASK.

Culver's supports agriculture and local FFA chapters

As new and upcoming teachers, I think sometimes we feel like we have to do it all, whether it is because we feel like we have something to prove or aren’t sure how to get help. However, there is simply no reason to feel this way! Every teacher we visited told us how they created relationships and engaged their community around the Ag Ed program: Be INVOLVED both in and outside of the Ag Ed program and JUST ASK. A secondary Agricultural Educator only has so much time and energy, which is where community involvement plays a huge role. We got to meet with community members and FFA Alumni chapters at many of the programs we visited, as well as engage with Ag Ed related partners, and it was both inspiring and touching to see the relationships between the Ag teacher and their community. 

3. Student Ownership, Student Voice, and Autonomy are Key to Student Success 

Students rock their lesson at their Food for America event

From the beginning to the very end of our trip, we witnessed the value of students having ownership in their work at every place we visited. We learned the importance of each student having a niche or area within the program that they managed, instead of being involved with everything. This way, students made these projects or events their own and took pride in the work that they did. In the classroom, learning was inquiry based and promoted intrinsic motivation as well as confidence. We even got to try our hand at facilitating an inquiry based lesson! It was a great opportunity and we gained a lot from the students’ feedback.

We even got to experience the benefits of giving students ownership personally. We participated in service learning by helping Lori Schmitz and her husband restore and clean headstones at a local cemetery. Lori was an excellent educator; her passion combined with giving us ownership in the work that we accomplished made us passionate and excited about the work we were doing. 

4. #TeachAg is one big Family 

Learning how to clean and restore a cemetery

There are no words to express just how thankful we are for everyone we met and engaged with in WI. It seemed like the whole state welcomed us all week long! The kindness and hospitality we experienced throughout our trip was out-of-this-world and we enjoyed being able to get to know everyone. Windshield time turned into an opportunity for participants to talk one-on-one with our hosts for each day, and I know that we all made connections that will last much longer than those 9 days we were in WI.

Hanging out with our Ag Ed friends at UW River Falls!

Last but not least are the close bonds that you form with your fellow Ag Ed majors when you spend 9 days straight together in hotels and 1 van. You grow, learn, and laugh together, and by the end of the trip you feel like family. DSA helps you realize how thankful you are to have each and every participant be part of your #TeachAg journey.

Ag Ed students who travel together, stay together

Our 5th annual DSA trip to Wisconsin was definitely one to be remembered. Once again, thank you to all of our partners for helping make this trip such a success: 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. The future of Agricultural Education is bright! 

If you are interested in partnering with us in 2018, or would like to be considered as a 2019 destination, please contact me at rvc5334@psu.edu or our advisor, Dr. Daniel Foster at foster@psu.edu

TO READ MORE ABOUT OUR #PSUAGED2WI ADVENTURES, SEE:

• 5th Annual Domestic Study Away: Day One- "We are Going on an #AgEdu Adventure" by @TheGeorge4H (George Dietrich)
• 5th Annual Domestic Study Away: Day Two- "Student Ownership" by @BeckerAngelaM
• 5th Annual Domestic Study Away: Day Three - "Classrooms, Cranberries, and Connections" by @BoltzLisa
• 5th Annual Domestic Study Away Day Four: "Cultivating Knowledge, Connections, and Inclusion" by @allyson_balmer
• 5th Annual Domestic Study Away Day Five: "Community is Key to Success" by @Kuhlman_m40 (Michala Kuhlman)
• 5th Annual Domestic Study Away Day Six: "Seeking through Service" by @Macy_Fisher
• 5th Annual Domestic Study Away Day Seven: "Meet the Millers" by @KatieLady1995 (Katie Smith)
• 5th Annual Domestic Study Away Day Eight: "Success State to State" by @TheGeorge4H (George Dietrich)

CHECK OUT OUR #PSUAGED2WI PLAYLIST (20+ awesome videos)!

Rosalind Cowan

2018 Student Teacher

@cowan_rosalind

February 2016 Student of the Month: Rose Cowan (@cowan_rosalind)

Every month we like to highlight students that have gone above and beyond in the Agriculture Education department! February we are proud to share some stories and accomplishments of Ms. Rosalind Cowan!

Why Agricultural & Extension Education for Rose?  Well, because it is  "A Perfect Combination." Rose is a sophomore at Penn State.  Her plan was to become an animal science major when she arrived at PSU, but it's didn't take her long to realize it wasn't for her.  "In high school, I had three teachers who were extraordinary and really influenced my life.  I remembered how much I learned from them and realized that I want more students to be able to have teachers like that.  It was then that I discovered the AEE major." The combination of agriculture and teaching is exactly what Rose was looking for.  She does not take a moment in AEE for granted, and will definitely pass that onto her students an agricultural science teacher some day!  

Rose is a familiar face in our major, always willing to offer a helping hand.  She has been an active member of Teach Ag! Society, serving as this year the Vice President of Program Development.  Rose is the chair of the Essay contest committee, where she is able to challenge other students to pursue the "perfect combination" of a major that she chose!  She is a participant on Penn State Equine Research Team or PSERT.  PSERT is dedicated to giving undergraduates an opportunity to do equine research, and provides a space for equine science discussions.  Outside the College of Agriculture, Rose is involved with CRU a Christian ministry on campus.  

Want to know some fun facts about Rose? Check them out below!

Through her involvement in PSERT, Rose has had various
equine experiences that will assist her when she teaches!

Hometown: Julian, PA

Favorite PSU Class: BIOL 110

Favorite place to eat in State College: Baby's  (We couldn't agree more- burgers, fries and shakes, Yum!) 

Favorite Penn State Athletic Team: Women's Soccer

Favorite Hangout on Campus: HUB

If you would like to read more about Rose, connect with her via Twitter: @cowan_rosalind.