What do you love most about being an ag educator?  I love engaging in conversations with kids.  It is so rewarding to have that kind of trust and connectivity with students.  It may seem like an insignificant use of time but in reality you are showing students that you are invested in them.  This comes full circle when students voluntarily stay late to help you clean up your classroom, or finish a tedious project.

What is your biggest challenge as an ag educator?  Program management.  Learning the in’s and out’s of paperwork.  If your college offers an agriculture course on program management, take it and pay attention! 

What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching?  Well, I technically officially began teaching about six months ago, so my learning curve is steep.  I wish I would have known that the Chico State FFA Field Day registration for some contests can fill up in what seems like 48 hours.  So, know your registration deadlines and stay on top of the process so your students can benefit from the experiences each field day has to offer.

What advice would you give a novice teacher entering this profession in 2015?  Real world experiences are ten times more valuable than a fact pulled out of a book.  I think some people are deterred from teaching because they don’t have a background in education.  That is such a misconception.  Real world industry experience will make you even more credible with your students and make you an authority on the subject matter you teach.  So, get a job!  Find an internship! Have a variety of experiences to back up your teaching!   

What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession?  Patience.  Patience will allow you to evolve in this profession and in your program.  It will allow you to be adaptable and bend rather than break.  Everyone has to start from square one sometimes.  You won’t make your program “your own” overnight, but be patient, it will happen!

What specific skills are important to being successful in this profession?  Organization.  Time management.  Asking questions.    

What most prepared you for being an agriculture educator?  Student teaching.  Not having to recreate the wheel.  The willingness to learn from my cooperating teacher.

Describe ag teaching in one to two words.  Timeless. This profession has been around for decades, but we have an incredible ability to evolve with the needs of technology and progressive agriculture.