News & Views- National Teach Ag Day!

National Teach Ag Day is September 26!

From the President ? Thanks! Thanks and Many Thanks!!!

First, I just want to say, WOW! I am humbled by the energy and willingness to help agricultural education and our programs succeed that I felt from the National FFA Alumni Development Conference in Green Bay Wisconsin. How exciting to see their focus on what they can do to help with teacher recruitment and retention issues that we are facing in agricultural education. MORE »

Teach Ag Works: Former Ambassador, Current Ag Teacher Shares her Story

Bethany Markway
Former Teach Ag Ambassador
Current Agriculture Teacher, Lebanon Technology & Career Center, Lebanon, MO

It isn't always clear what we want to do later in life, but sometimes we're presented with an opportunity that helps set our path. For Bethany Markway, the National Teach Ag Campaign helped do just that.

Before getting involved in agriculture in high school, Bethany knew she wanted to be a teacher, but teaching agriculture never crossed her mind.  As she became more involved in FFA, she saw firsthand how her own agriculture teacher impacted the lives of his students, and the spark to pursue a career in agricultural education was born.

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Promising Recruitment & Retention Practices

Check out this infographic of what other states are doing to recruit & retain agricultural educators. Click here for a larger version.

Teach Ag: Be Thinking About It

Ellen Thompson
National Teach Ag Campaign Coordinator
I've spent more hours than I care to count listening to rodeo announcers.  I dabbled a bit as a breakaway roper in high school and ultimately married a man who high school, college and now amateur rodeos.  He is a banker by day and a calf roper by night and weekend. MORE »

New! XLR8 Insititute for Agriculture Teachers in Their 7-15th Year

This year, selected mid-career agriculture teachers will have an opportunity to reinvigorate their passion for agricultural education through a new professional development program.

XLR8 is a year-long sequence of professional development for 7-15 year agricultural educators that revolves around 8 areas with which mid-career teachers commonly struggle.  The cohort will kick-off at the NAAE convention and will continue throughout the next year with virtual professional development experiences and online collaboration.  XLR8 participants will also develop state-level workshops to help colleagues address burnout.

Applications for the XLR8 program may be found on the NAAE website and are due September 1st.  The XLR8 program is an initiative of NAAE in collaboration with the National Teach Ag Campaign and is sponsored by CSX as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

In Other News...

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