Owl Pellets: Tips for Ag Teachers

SBAE Perspectives Roundtable - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Agriculture

Guests: Amanda Bowling and Colby Gregg from Ohio State University, Maria Boerngen and Justin Rickard from Illinois State University 

Main Points:  

• Be an ally. This is the first step in creating an inclusive classroom. Immediately address small, inappropriate comments made in your classroom. 
• Be a lifetime learner. Acknowledge that it is going to be uncomfortable to constantly engage in new resources. 
• Go the extra mile. Find examples and invite guest speakers that challenge the status quo. 

“We should be looking at inclusion more so than diversity. We need to think about including kids and not simply having diversity in our agriculture classrooms.” 

Student Stress

Guest: Megan Cantrell and Annie Muscato from the University of Florida

Main Points: Student stress falls into seven areas:

1. Academic 
2. Personal  
3. Financial 
4. Family 
5. Environmental 
6. Interpersonal 
7. School 

“Students can become overwhelmed. If the student doesn’t say ‘yes’ to participating in something enthusiastically, then they probably should not participate.” 

Connecting the Classroom to Ag Experiment and Research Stations

Guest: Gaea Hock from Kansas State University 

Main Points: 

• Research Stations were established by the Hatch Act of 1887 
• These stations and their employees are incredible resources for students wanting to participate in Agriscience Fair. 
• Ag Research Stations give students excellent exposure to cutting edge science and modern agricultural issues. 

“We must make it known that accessible people exist who enjoy scientific process. These folks are willing to help students in any way they need it.”  

How Teachers Acquire Skills

Guest: Mathew Albritton from University of Florida 

“If you’re teaching a topic that you are less familiar with, do not worry! There are so many avenues of support. Anything from family members and colleagues to publications and YouTube can help you prepare for a lesson on an unfamiliar skill.” 

Using Online Networking Platforms for Your Benefit

Guest: Kathryn Teixeira from University California, Davis 

Main Points: 

• Teachers use platforms (like Facebook Groups), to connect to other teachers, find resources, and ask pertinent questions. The presence of such groups boosts the morale of students and provide many other benefits. 
• All news breaks on social media. A social media networking platform is a great place to stay current on what works or is beneficial to teachers. 
• Find what is best for you in your specific state. This kind of networking is supposed to work for you. 

Student Teachers Accommodating Students with Special Needs

Guest: Raegan Rampage and Richie Roberts from Louisiana State University 

“We need to encourage teachers, no matter what career stage they are in, to engage in trainings and meetings to really learn about individual students. This way they can tailor their class to that student.” 

Recognizing the Value in All Students

Guest: Kirby Schmidt from Oregon State University 

Main Points: 

• There is so much we can do to help. Something as simple as having a routine in your classroom provides stability to students. 
• Notice the good and positive things all students do. Make a point to spread positivity in your classroom. 
•  Ask your students what you can do to create an environment conducive to learning. 

Teaching Ag? Or Teaching STEM?

Guest: Nicole Guise from Pennsylvania State University

Main Points:

• As a whole, ag teachers do not feel extremely confident in incorporating STEM content into their lessons. Even though the two subjects parallel.
• Teachers must be intentional to draw connections to STEM in their programs.
• Some focus on STEM during preservice training could increase teachers’ confidence in these subject areas.

Second Generation Ag Teachers

Guests: Milan Pozderac, Ty Casey, and Tracy Kitchel from Ohio State University

Main Points:

• Ag teachers’ biological children are very aware of the teaching lifestyle. They know what they are getting into when they decide to teach.
• There is a lot of pressure to live up to the standards of their ag teacher, but that pressure is almost entirely internal.
• These kids grow up and decide to teach because they saw firsthand how rewarding the profession is.

Winning When You‘re Losing - CDEs and their Impact on Our Students

Here's this week's Best of the Best Rewind!

Are the winning CDE teams the only students really winning? How does losing, and how we treat losing, shape our students? Listen in as the Owl Pellets team talks about getting the most out of being losers (a topic Brian, Marshall, Kate, and Mike know all too much about)!