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School: Sobrato High School
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Region: South Coast
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Education and/or industry experience: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – M.S. Agricultural Education, B.S. Agriculture Science, Concentration: Ag Sales and Service. Modesto Junior College – A.S. Animal Science and A.S. Agriculture Science.
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Years teaching ag: 2
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Subjects you teach: Ag Biology, Ag Geology, and Ag Leadership
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Hobbies and interests outside of teaching: Outside of teaching, I enjoy traveling, spending time with friends and family, listening to music and going to concerts.
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What do you love most about being an ag educator? I love that I love my job! I look forward to going to school every day to work with students. I enjoy taking students to competitions and conferences. I love teaching students new concepts, in and out of the classroom.
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What is your biggest challenge as an ag educator? Not having enough time in the day to get everything done. It takes careful time management and organization.
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What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching? Most things aren’t going to go just as you planned them. Whether it is in the classroom or at an FFA event, you have to be ready to adapt your plan as needed.
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What advice would you give a novice teacher entering this profession in 2015? It may not seem like you have time for everything. Just take it day by day, do what you can and do it well!
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What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession? I think to be successful in this profession you have to love what you do, and have a good work ethic. We, as agriculture teachers, spend countless hours outside of the classroom with students at various activities. You have to want to be there, and want to work hard to be successful.
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What specific skills are important to being successful in this profession? Communication, time management, classroom management, ability to connect with students, organization, and passion, are the needed skills.
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What most prepared you for being an agriculture educator? Because my dad is an ag teacher, I have always had an idea of what ag teaching is like, but you never truly know until you are in it. My student teaching prepared me the most. My master teachers really pushed me to participate in, and learn everything I could, while I was student teaching. I learned how to manage a classroom, coach a judging team, supervise projects, as well as manage my time. They really prepared me for the lifestyle that is ag teaching.
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Describe ag teaching in one to two words. Fun Lifestyle