MidWinter FFA Convention with Cooperating Center:
I have attended the MidWinter FFA Convention every year for the past 5 years. This year was the first year that I was unable to attend. My cooperating center actually had a snow day and had to cancel their trip to the convention. However, one of the students traveled there anyway to receive her Kestone Degree. I had also been experiencing health concerns during this time and was unable to attend. This is a great experience for FFA members and community members alike.
CPPD Professional Development Program:
I had the opportunity to attend a teacher workshop put on by members of the National Association of Agricultural Educators at the FFA ACES Conference in February. This workshop focused on the importance of implementing Inquiry Based Learning into our classrooms. The presenters explained to us the benefits that IBL has for students. They also demonstrated the how IBL lessons can be determined or carried out on a scale that ranges from extremely teacher centered to extremely student centered. The presenters then had us participate in a lesson that was inquiry based. This was a fascinating exercise that helped me realize the importance of IBL as well as gave me great ideas to use in my own classroom.
One of my favorite aspects about this workshop was all the connections that were made and great ideas that were shared. At the end of the IBL activity, the presenters asked teachers to share other subjects or lesson plan ideas where this activity could be utilized. I was amazed to hear all of the ideas the teachers had. I wrote many of these ideas down because I knew that I could implement them into many of my classes. This workshop left me excited to return to school and test out these IBL activities. This goes to show how great and creative one Ag Teacher is and then when you put a bunch of them in a room together the results are outstanding and innovative. Being able to collaborate with other Ag teachers at this event has been rewarding for me and has helped me grow in my professional development.
Regional PAAE Meeting:
Besides that great food, there were also great people at the Eastern PAAE Meeting. I had a great time meeting new Ag teachers and catching up with the familiar ones. After our spectacular dinner, we had time to collaborate and share ideas. This was my favorite time of this meeting. I am not sure exactly how many Ag teachers were there but there were lots! Each of us was asked to bring a lesson or idea that we could share with everyone. By the end of this sharing time there flyers about greenhouses, animal facilities, pesticides, FFA banquet checklists, lesson plans and much much more being passed around. I collected a bunch of useful resources from these fellow Ag teachers that I know will be helpful in the future.
I didn't know what to expect when walking into this meeting. This was my first PAAE meeting and I didn't know how my role as student teacher would fit in. However I felt welcomed and many teachers were open to talking with me and sharing ideas. I was pleased to feel in a place where I belong. It was also a place for innovative thinking and collaboration. I challenged myself to think about how I could positively contribute to this group. I can't wait to partake in more of these types of events as an agricultural educator.
SLLC:
SLLC was a conference that I have never been to before. Therefore I was very excited to take students there and allow it to be a learning experience for both of us. I had a phenomenal time with my students. It allowed me to connect more with them and encourage them to grow through their positive experiences at SLLC.
Our couple of days at this conference were filled with numerous events. We got to tour the capitol building and meet our local House of Representatives. We participated in a community service event and as teacher par take in different teacher workshops and meetings. My favorite event was the community service event. FFA members flooded that city of Harrisburg and positively impacted the community. Our chapter spent the afternoon cleaning playgrounds for a day care center. The facility was so appreciative of our work and help. This opportunity
also helped students realize the influence they can make on their community by donating just a few hours of their time to help others. I love seeing these results. FFA is an amazing youth organization that changes lives.
On the other hand, this was a time for me to take on the teacher role at this conference. I have always attended FFA conferences as a student where I was told where I needed to be when. This time I needed to keep myself organized so that I could keep my students organized. I found through this conference that I thoroughly enjoy this role. I planning and organizing events and ensuring that they are successful. Taking on these roles has prepared me with even more professional development skills. By being exposed to these events and conferences I hope that I will be successful in taking my own student to SLLC in the future.
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