Awards

I am very fortunate to teach a subject that I am passionate about that provides students with many different opportunities to be successful and to pursue their interests. I have been a high school agricultural educator for ten years now and have had the opportunity to work at three different schools within my state. I have taught animal science, plant science and natural resources and have served as a club advisor for our intercurricular agriculture organization. Students have many opportunities for project based learning within my classes and through our club, which has allowed for some very creative projects that have even taken students to national level competitions. 

One project I have done with my students that really allowed for creativity was my farm business project. The students were tasked with creating a hypothetical business featuring at least two livestock species. Throughout the project the students had to complete a business plan, a conceptual layout of their business including a map of the property, buildings and landscaping. They had to research the ideal location of their business and do research on the population in the area and what needs the community had for an agricultural based business. The students had to decide upon what livestock would best benefit their business and what care they would need and what expenses they would incur. A budget of their anticipated start up and first year costs was also included within the project. Additionally, the students were tasked with making their business environmentally friendly and had to detail what steps they would take to do so. Their final presentation was in the form of a fictional business website. The creativity the students put into their final designs was quite impressive, many of them looked ready to actually conduct business. While the business was fictional, it did have many real world components to it and gave students the opportunity to explore a potential business venture and to see what it actually takes to plan out a successful business.  

I love that I can provide students with the opportunity to be creative and to use their imagination in a way that allows them to gain experience and develop skills such as time management, communication and teamwork, all of which will help them to be successful in the world outside of education, no matter what career path they decide to pursue.