New and Beginning Teacher Dinner: Professionally Developed

When it comes to professional development, I still have quite a long way to go. So in the meantime, I am happy to take advantage of the opportunities to engage with other professionals and learn more about how to perfect my trade (a.k.a. teaching).

I participated in the New and Beginning Teacher Dinner held at the Capitol Diner in Harrisburg. I joined other teachers from the South Central/Eastern region who are only a few years into their teaching. 

Everyone rocking the PSU sunglasses we got!

Even though I felt I didn't have much to offer based on my more limited experience teaching, it was still neat to share ideas and hear what the other teachers had to say. I loved hearing how they implemented things in their programs. What's great about these type of professional development events is that people share information that you didn't even know you wanted to know about until they showed you. It's like getting a deal at the store; you just wanted to purchase the item because you liked it, so it's a bonus to get the discount!

New teachers and mentors

Something unique that I also took away was that a few of the teachers shared things that they found or got from someone else. This is not a bad thing at all! It comforts me that we are a community of agricultural teachers who can share the wealth. We've been told throughout our AEE courses that we don't have to reinvent the wheel; we can beg, borrow, and steal. It's about sharing the knowledge and resources. Not keeping it secret. We don't withhold knowledge from our students so why would we do it with our colleagues? 

I enjoyed my time at this dinner event and hope to engage in more activities like this to better connect with those who are learning and growing in their career like myself. It's events like these that drew me into this profession to begin with. I love that ag teachers are eager to connect, share, and support others across the state, country, and world!

PAAE in the South Central Region

I had the opportunity to attend the South Central Regional PAAE meeting. It was held at Cumberland Valley and many of the teachers across the region attended. During this time, students participated in the SOCS meeting (State Officer Candidacy School). We had several Greenwood students interested in running for state office or applying for the nominating committee that wanted to join. 

Being involved with the FFA and familiar with some of the PAAE tasks helped understanding the objectives of the meeting much easier. However, there were still a lot of things said that I felt I couldn't form an opinion on because of not having my own classroom or participating in certain events or discussions prior to the regional meeting. Despite this, it was still nice to sit and listen to the ag teachers and follow along with their concerns, questions, and discussion. I have an insider's view on what I might be doing in a few months!

Overall, it just reaffirmed my feelings on ag education and why ag teachers are amazing. Though there may be some disagreements or differing opinions, ag teachers care about the program and their students and work hard to make sure students, families, teachers, FFA staff, and community members are well taken care of. It makes me proud to be a part of Pennsylvania ag education and to see the great things teachers and students are doing.