What do you love most about being an ag teacher?  What I love most about being an ag teacher is helping students find their passion in life, whether that be agriculture related or not. Nothing is better than having a student find something they love and watch them give 110% towards their passion!

What is your biggest challenge as an ag teacher? As many say, time management is a huge challenge for teachers, and for ag teachers it is even greater.  Trying to balance teaching, department responsibilities, coaching CDEs, parent groups, personal life and the list goes on; can be a challenge. I have found it crucial to give myself a “break” by not allowing myself to work one day a week (Sundays). This gives me a little time to recoup and reflect.

What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching? As a young teacher, I wish I knew from the beginning that change happens over time (sometimes longer than we wish) and to be patient.  I am a driven person who wants the best for our program and students, with that said, I have found that the change I wanted to see was not going to come quickly.  It is one that I have to continue to work at little by little.  Having patience and trust that the hard work you are putting in will pay off is KEY.

What advice would you give a novice teacher entering this profession now? Being a novice myself, I suggest you just keep working hard and invest time into this profession.  Looking at those that are successful in our profession we see they have a true dedication to their students and the profession.  Get involved in CATA, find a mentor and actively work at being the best ag teacher you can be!

What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession?  As agriculture teachers we have to be able to “do it all” withot getting overwhelmed.  With that said, we need to be able to DELEGATE the work load amongst our departments, school sites or students.  By doing this we can then focus on what matters most….the students!  As for qualities that are important to be successful in this profession: commitment, passion, time-management.  If you constantly work towards being a better teacher, coach and person, you will get there with time.

What does a typical day look like to you?  Something great about our profession is that we NEVER have a “typical” day.  My days can range from prepping, teaching, coaching, prepping (again…always be prepared!) and end it all with some sort of event (district board meeting, fundraiser, project visit, boosters meeting, etc.).  You will never get bored in this profession!

What most prepared you for being an agriculture educator? Hands down my student teaching experience at a successful department and school.  I was lucky to student teach and long term sub at Elk Grove High School.  While there it was stressed to me to take advantage of the resources available (teaching materials, coaching materials, advice, experience, etc.).  My cooperating teacher did a great job at showing me all that our job entails and that it’s important to have a mentor in this profession.  I learned that in this profession we need to rely on each other and reach out for help/advice when we need it.

If you could relive one of your most memorable days as a teacher, which day would it be and why?  My most memorable day thus far was driving my BIG team back from the UC Davis Field Day.  After a long day (two students got sick with the stomach flu mid competition, rainy day, ag truck had a flat, and the list goes on) all my freshman could talk about was what they would do next year.  Hearing them list the possible CDE teams that they could be on for next year and naming other students that they wanted to recruit for the teams absolutely made my day.  Having students go through a rough day and at the end have a positive outlook on the experience was amazing and inspiring!

Describe Ag teaching in one to two words. Unforgettable Experience