My name is Elizabeth Landis and I am a sophomore studying Agriscience Education at Ohio State. This past semester I completed my Early Field Experience at Coldwater High School under my cooperating educators, Mrs. Deanna Wenning and Mr. Mike Seibert.
The purpose of an Early Field Experience (EFE) is to give perspective agricultural educators insight to what their career could be like following graduation. It gives them the opportunity to experience their future workplace from the teacher’s perspective and to discover what the day-to-day life of an ag teacher looks like. EFE students observe the school, the educator, the classroom environment, and the students’ interaction with the educator. They are responsible for documenting information they learn about their cooperating educator, the FFA program, the staff and administration, and anything else they might want to remember as they begin their teaching career.
My EFE experience was unique in that I was able to observe three different technical education programs in one school. Mrs. Wenning taught a more traditional program, while Mr. Seibert taught a vet tech program. Coldwater also houses an ag mechanics program taught by Mr. Ken Platfoot. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Coldwater High School because I got to see different programs, different teaching styles, and different classroom environments.
I also really enjoyed speaking with the principal and high school guidance counselor at Coldwater. Another exciting part of my EFE was teaching a lesson about soil layers to Mrs. Wenning’s students. This is a very important part of the experience because it gives you the opportunity to put on your teaching hat for a while and get a feel for being in front of students.
Overall, I had an awesome experience in the agriculture programs at Coldwater. Because of this experience, I have a better understanding of my future profession, and I look forward to starting my career as an agricultural educator.
Elizabeth Landis at Coldwater High School.
Classroom set up at Coldwater.