News & Views- February 2014

Blog Post created by Christi Chadwell on Feb 5, 2014

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From the President- You're Only as Good as Your Last Task

Kevin Stacy
NAAE President 2013-2014

Hello NAAE members, I enjoyed seeing old friends at national conference. It is always the best part of attending regional and national conferences. My NAAE friends are quick to help out when needed, but also will put me in my place when needed. I want to thank the NAAE board, staff, interns, and members for their efforts that made the conference run smoothly. I heard plenty of positive comments and a few suggestions to make it even better in the future.

Teacher Feature: Craig Kohn

Growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, young Craig Kohn had no intention of ever teaching agriculture. Instead, he wanted to become a doctor. Today, Kohn has just completed his sixth year teaching agricultural education at Waterford Union High School, and is completely devoted to his job and making his program better every year.

2014 NAAE Advocacy Video Challenge

Thanks to a great response to last year's contest, we've decided to once again challenge high school and middle school agriculture teachers to create videos showcasing the great things their agricultural education programs do.

This year's advocacy video challenge theme is "How is your agricultural education program preparing you (students) for a bright future?"

Enlist your students, community and supporters to tell your program's story in 2 minutes or less. You could win recognition for your program and a registration to attend next year's ACTE National Policy Seminar.

Entry deadline - February 24, 2014

Follow this link for complete challenge details.

In Other News...

Teach Ag Update
2014...Off to the Races!

It's been an exciting and productive fall and winter for Teach Ag. The months ahead will be no different. I would like to take a moment and bring you up to speed on a few things.

Washington Beat
Advocate to Educate

Are you doing amazing things in your program? Are you proud of your student's achievements inside and outside the classroom? Do you believe in the future of agricultural education? If you answered yes to ANY of these questions then you need to be sharing your ag ed story.

CASE
Iowa Scale-Up Program

With school budgets getting ever tighter, professional development for teachers may seem like an expensive luxury item - falling far down the long list of things a school needs. However, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad realized in 2009 that paying to develop teachers wasn't nearly as expensive as having to hire and train new ones every year

Ideas Unlimited
Bale Hauler

Feeding their school's commercial ewe operation was taking a lot of time. Ag Teacher Dan Stehlik and his advanced welding students solved the problem by creating a simple bale feeder.

Award Winner Soundbite

Get a snapshot of Keith Scheibel's unique agriculture program in upstate New York where the focus on diversified agriculture has led him and his students in directions they never imagined.

Communities of Practice
Social Groups

Communities of Practice is a great tool to find and share information, but did you know that as a registered user, you have the ability to create your own space within the site? These areas are called social groups, and they're one of the best kept secrets of CoP.