Why are Farmers( Agriculturists) considered Professionals? … Because they are experts in their field!!!
Spending three days at FSR being immersed in conversation and natural resource practices, led me to new and adventurous avenue that I want to become proficient in. Having the tools and resources at FSR to become proficient in this new avenue was just something that I could not just ignore. I had the pleasure of attending three expert sessions at FSR to contribute to my expertise. The three sessions that I had the opportunity to attend were; Tick ID and Bite Prevention Techniques, Pond Safety Kits, and The Hungry Caterpillar. These are all great topics that can be incorporated into the classroom, or curriculum, whether that be formal or informal.
In the Tick Expert session they presenter expressed the importance of preventing and treating yourself if you happen to come into contact with ticks and their diseases. Some ways of preventing yourself from tick bites, is simply proper attire for the situation. If proper attire is wore then it really reduced the risks of having a tick attach itself to you. If a tick does attach itself to you, there are proper ways of removing and disposing of it. This information is extremely important because of all the diseases that ticks could potentially carry. Considering a lot of time could potentially be spent outside the classroom in an Agricultural Program, this is good information to relay to students. Tick ID and Prevention would be most valuable when you have group of students in field identifying different species of weeds, or if you are doing a forestry unit that requires you to be nestled in the woods for extended amounts of time.
Another Expert Session that I attended was Pond Safety Kits. Pond Safety is something that not everyone thinks about when around ponds. We learned how to make inexpensive Safety Kits. If every pond has access to safety kits around ponds then there would be less deaths related to drowning. The beauty of these pond safety kits other than being inexpensive, is that if your school has a pond for learning purposes your students can practice skills while making these kits. The kit consisted of very simple ideas that could be made very easily, and still be functional. These kits would come very handy if you are testing water quality or cleaning out your educational pond and their is an accident. The tools in the kit would allow someone to be able to help the person in the water to safety.
The last session I attended was The Hungry Caterpillar. As disappointing as it sounds we did not even get to read the best children’s book of all time. However I did get to experience with my fellow classmates the impacts of a gypsy moth. Along with the impacts of the gypsy moth I we also had the opportunity to learn about the moth life cycle, its host preference and how to manage this invasive species. When we thing of moths we typically don’t associate them with destroying trees. The most desirable tree for gypsy moths are oaks. Although the caterpillar mainly target the leaves of the oak trees, it can still be very detrimental for the tree. Knowing what the life cycle of this little pest is it makes it easier for us to manage the problem, and keep our trees healthy. There are many invasive species in Ohio, that are killing and weakening our tree. Its very important that we know how to manage these pest and spread the word on how to prevent and manage them to our students and community so that future generations can enjoy the beauty of Oak trees.
There is no end to education. Everyday and everything we do has the potential to teach something that we might have known before jumping in. I continue to be a life long learner by always trying keeping an open mind in every situation,, and don’t be afraid to take risks. Participating in continuing education is something that everyone can benefit from. It’s especially important for me in the profession that I have chose to be a life long learner because agriculture is constantly changing. Just as the first line of our FFA Creed states “I believe in the Future of Agriculture…” If we don’t believe in the future and continue to educate ourselves and our students, then will there really be a future of Agriculture?? Ponder this , are we still teaching/learning the same thing in our classrooms/programs now as they did 10 years ago?? I say that the answer is no, that’s because we know more things than we did previous. We wouldn’t know those things unless we were up to date on our education and those advancements. The world is around us moving fast and we better try and keep up!!
IPDP
Goal 1: I will learn and develop methods for delivering instruction to all learners in the classroom.
Teacher Standard(s): Standard 4-Teachers plan and deliver effective instruction that advances the learning of each individual student. Standard 1- Teachers understand student learning and development and respect the diversity of the students they teach.
Goal 2: I will develop relationships with my students, parents and community members to gain better understanding of the area, and the interest and needs of the area are.
Teacher Standards(s) : Standard 6- Teachers collaborate and communicate with students, parents, other educators, administrators and the community to support student learning.
Goal 3: I will keep up to date on all new agriculture content and technologies , so that I can teach my students and community the most recents advances in our industry.
Teacher Standard(s): Standard 2- Teachers know and understand the content area for which they have instructional responsibility.