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Ag Teacher Transition Guidebook

Ag Teacher Transition Guidebook to Program

Sustainability

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Table of Contents

ContentsIntroduction-What is this guidebook and why would I want to use it?..................................4

Why would I want to use this guidebook?.........................................................................4

The 4 Sections..........................................................................................................................5

List of things that will undermine an Agriculture Education program and create Turn-Over...........................................................................................................................................5

New Teacher Section- Section 2.............................................................................................6

What if the previous teacher leaves nothing behind?..........................................................8

Best Practices of a Successful Agriculture Educator..........................................................9

Mentor/Mentee Program Information...................................................................................10

Survey for Student Perception of the Program...................................................................12

List of Strengths/Weaknesses..............................................................................................16

State/District/Chapter Due Dates..........................................................................................17

List of Important District Personnel (Modified from the Ag Teacher’s Manual)..............18

Know Your Program; key questions to ask stakeholders.................................................19

Tour Your Community...........................................................................................................20

The Three Main Components of Agriculture Education...........................................................23

What is FFA?..........................................................................................................................24

The Agriculture Educator Community.................................................................................28

Extra support and key state personnel to help you with various aspects of the program.................................................................................................................................................29

Section 3: Superintendents Section........................................................................................30

Administrator Letter..................................................................................................................30

Survey for the superintendent to complete about expectations of the program............31

Must know about New Ag Teachers.....................................................................................33

Best Practices for Supporting your Ag Teacher.................................................................34

Retiring/Leaving Teacher Letter...............................................................................................37

Special Note to Retiring/Leaving Teacher.......................................................................37

List of Important People in the Community and their Role/Expertise..............................38

State Specific Reporting System..........................................................................................39

List of the 10 favorite activities of the FFA..........................................................................40

Survey of the Current Program and Future goals..............................................................42

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Table of Contents

Officer Election.......................................................................................................................43

Fundraising.............................................................................................................................44

List of Advisory Board Members..........................................................................................45

List of Community Activities performed by the teacher/program.....................................46

FFA Alumni Roster.................................................................................................................49

Important Contact Information.............................................................................................50

Important Passwords/Login Information.............................................................................51

List of Binder Materials to be left behind............................................................................52

Best Practices for Teacher Transition.................................................................................53

List of Student SAE’s............................................................................................................54

Section 5: Community Section.................................................................................................55

Community Letter.....................................................................................................................55

Pre-Survey before Interview.................................................................................................56

Introductory Survey of Program/Community Important Events.......................................59

What were your favorite projects/activities the FFA did for the community?.................60

Program Vision.......................................................................................................................61

FFA Alumni/Supporters Roster............................................................................................64

List of Ways to make your new Ag Teacher feel welcome and supported......................65

Reflection Worksheet............................................................................................................67

Advisory Board Worksheet...................................................................................................69

Community Extension Activities..........................................................................................70

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Introduction

Introduction-What is this guidebook and why would I want to use it?

This guidebook is designed to help create sustainability in agriculture education programs across the nation, by facilitating the use of worksheets for the new teacher, the retiring teacher, the community, and the administration. The goal is to create a seamless transition between teachers to sustain program success and sustainability. In this book you will find several worksheets that will help with the communication between all parties to help the process of teachers coming into and out of programs to create a smoother transition and continued program success. By using the table of contents you will be able to easily locate the area of the guidebook that most pertains to your specific group and will easily be able to find helpful information to help aide everyone's transition process, which will help maintain student, teacher, and program success. It is vital to program success that you have good communication between all parties and this resource should help provide guides for that process.

Why would I want to use this guidebook?

Change is never easy for anyone and it is especially hard when the change is under strained relationships or the loss of charismatic leader. However, transition of teachers does occur and is necessary throughout a program's longevity so, therefore this guidebook will help with this challenging process. It will help to guide the transition process and hopefully if used correctly will facilitate new teacher longevity. This guidebook is made for all different stakeholders in the agriculture education program as it is a complex system that holds the program together. This book should help with the change process while maintaining valuable program aspects that may otherwise be lost without this type of communication. If you value your agriculture education program and its success you will want to aide in the transition process and make it a positive experience for all for the betterment of your students. Add statistics of teacher turnover here to reiterate the need for teacher sustainability.

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Introduction

The 4 Sections

In the guidebook you will find four sections they are; the New Teacher, Retiring Teacher, Administration, and the Community. In each section you will find helpful resources for stakeholders in each section. Section 1 the New Teacher Section has two parts; one section is for teachers graduating from the traditional agriculture education program at a University and the second section is for the non-traditional teachers that are entering the teaching profession from industry, other curricula’s, or the workforce. This distinction was made because not everyone has received the same training and information for entering into agriculture education and would like to provide additional resources for the non-traditional teacher. In the New Teacher section one will find resources on how to get involved in community, pertinent information about FFA, CDE’s, and school information, as well as survey templates in order to conduct better understand the program being entered into. The next section, Section 2 is for the retiring/leaving teacher. This section has multiple worksheets that can be added to throughout the final years of one's career or within the year if the notice to leave is short. This section is devoted to continuing the hard work these individuals have contributed to the program and to leave behind valuable information for the new teacher to help ensure the program's continued success. Following the Retiring Teacher section is Section 3, is the Administration section. This section is specifically for the principals and superintendents to ask important questions of the new teacher to ensure teacher and program fit as well as to identify ways for them to support their new teacher during the transition period. Also, found in this section are documents to help ascertain communities expectations and to educate the new teacher on their role in sustainability of the program. Finally there is Section 4, the Community Section that is devoted to surveys and worksheets pertaining to what the community would like to see their agriculture education provide. It also contains what areas they can be most supportive in, a volunteer worksheet to identify areas of strength, and a section for qualities they would like to see in the new teacher. Each section is unique to the individuals in the section and should help to facilitate discussions of what members would like to see in their agriculture education program, identify support measures, and create a sustainable program through the time of transition. I hope you find this guidebook helpful.

List of things that will undermine an Agriculture Education program and create Turn-Over

1. Saying this is not how Mr. or Mrs.______________ did it.2. Negative Comments about the program3. Joining in complaining about the new teacher4. Not preparing students for the transition5. . Leaving behind a mess6. A know it all attitude by the new teacher7. Not enough volunteers8. Too many activities for your new teacher/feeling overwhelmed9. Being unwilling to change/changing to quickly10. Not supporting the new teacher

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Don’t create a negative environment during a time of transition avoid these

pitfalls.

Section 2 New Teacher

New Teacher Section- Section 2

Dear New Ag Teacher, Welcome to a wonderful profession full of highs and lows, successes and failures, competitions,

new challenges, and traditions. This teaching profession is one of the most demanding professions you will find, but it is also one of the most rewarding. A word of caution for you as the new teacher, do not come in with an attitude of pride, you don’t know everything, you cannot change an entire program the first year, and you need to know when to say no. This job will overwhelm you if you don’t come prepared. Find support systems in your community and use them. Get out into the community where you will teach and create or reach out to a network of individuals devoted to seeing the program succeed. These individuals might be parents, administrators, advisory board members, business professionals, other teachers, and others you may not think of. Ask questions, look at the retiring teacher’s worksheets they leave behind, talk to the state coordinators, ask your mentor, but make sure you get out and introduce yourself and find your allies. This profession is very demanding and at times you may feel burnt-out. Ask for help, there are many people willing to help but most will require you to ask. Don’t be afraid to call the teacher before you and ask for advice, help, and support. If they are retired or have moved they are most likely going to sit back and let you run the program but they are there if you need help. Make sure that you have a meeting with your FFA officers and find out what they liked best about the program and what they would like to change, get them involved in the transition process. You must have community, student, and school buy-in so make sure you explain what you would like to change about the existing program and why. Have those important conversations with key stakeholders about your strengths and weaknesses, be willing to admit when you do not know something and need help. Make sure your get a keen sense of what traditions were most favored and keep doing them at least for a few years. In this process however, do not lose yourself and remember your family. You are a great trained individual with your own unique gifts and talents so bring them. You can be a great teacher but you will not get there in the first year. The first year at a new school is about failing and succeeding, learning and growing, times of trial and triumph, and getting to know your students, community, and administration. Share this book with your new community and ask them to participate in their sections, so the program can continue to be a success. Have a life outside of school and find an outlet for your stress such as a hobby or activity.

Sincerely, Life Experiences of all of those before you

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What if the previous teacher leaves nothing behind?

So you have accepted your new position and the previous teacher or the school leaves nothing behind for you as a reference of what you do? This is guide to help you survive this stressful time as well as give you a starting point for success.

-First of all don’t panic remember the agriculture teaching profession is a big community and they want to help you, so reach out by contacting some of the following people to help you gain resources.

-Contact your student teaching cooperating teacher and see what materials they have for the classes you are going to teach and make copies.

-Ask your Ag Teacher Mentor to provide you with materials they have. -Contact the State Agriculture Education coordinator for resources. -Reach out to the local Extension Agent for resources from the University as well as to gain

information about the Agriculture community you are teaching in. -Talk to your guidance counselor to get a course syllabus, course guidebook that may list what

the class entails, and a list of students in your class that you could call their parents. -Find out what your budget is from your principal or secretary and whether or not resources

have been purchased. Go onto the Communities of Practice website for great resources and lessons. Do a student survey of their favorite projects and activities taught in each class, FAD and SAE. -Contact the state FFA Advisor for CDE’s participated in and possibly a copy of the National

Chapter Award Application -Contact Area Ag Teachers for district information and local CDE’s -Talk to your FFA Alumni President about FFA information. -Contact National FFA for resources

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Best Practices of a Successful Agriculture Educator

This is a compiled list from many successful agriculture educators on what the best practices to help ensure teacher and program success.

-Be open minded and flexible. -Find a balance between your career and your family. (See the Reduce stress/burn-out page) -Remember you are professional and you should act like one in and out of the classroom. (A list

of professional standards) -Be a trusted advisor and counselor to all students, refrain from friending students on social

media and keep conversations appropriate at all times. -Be visible in your community (ex: attend sporting events, be at the fair, etc.) -Plan ahead for FFA events, lesson plans, and community events (See Calender on pg -Get to know your area teachers, by aligning yourself with an area mentor. -Attend Professional development and workshops put on by state leaders -If you are from out of state contact the land grant college and get on the list serve. -Learn the community and their wants and needs.(conduct survey’s in the new teacher section) -Identify what the previous teacher did and then start to make changes slowly if necessary. -New teachers add your favorite thing as your first change and then gradually change other

things over time and on purpose. Remembering to explain the reason for the change with stakeholders, administrators, and students.

-Find out who your college professionals are, regional coordinators, and state personal. -Enter the profession with a positive attitude and a willingness to listen and learn. -Find out who the Ag Ed leadership is and when and who to contact. -Get to know your state's record keeping system and how it can help you with SAE’s. -Contact your advisory board committee within one month of accepting the position and hold a

meeting. (See the Retiring Teacher Section or 3 ring binder left by previous teacher) -Promote your program and your students by having members and yourself attend school board

meetings. -Invite the administration to the FFA banquet, with no charge. -Keep in mind people will accuse you of not doing things the “old way”, stay focused and have a

clear vision for why you are doing the things you are doing in your program. -Be yourself and build on what the previous teacher started, you can do this by looking at what

they left behind. -Invite your administration, guidance counselor on an SAE visit. -Advocate for why you and your students miss school. -Reach out to new school personnel or those you have not met. -Find a mentor for at least your first year of teaching if not the first 3 years. (The next page) -Join your state's professional Agriculture education association and the NAAE. (www.naae.org) -Attend professional development workshops and commit to being a lifelong learner. -Have a well-respected community member introduce you to key members of the community.

(ex: Ag Advisory Board member, FFA alumni president, etc.)

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http://www.naae.org/


Mentor/Mentee Program Information

-This section is designed to outline the Mentor/Mentee Program in your particular state as well as to provide important phone for the people involved in this important process. In order to be successful in any agriculture education program you need a mentor or guide to help you through the process, you should have a mentor at your school but you should also have a fellow Ag teacher to help you through this process.

My Ag Teacher Mentor My School MentorName: ________________________________ Name: _____________________Email: ________________________________ Email: ______________________School: _______________________________ Extension: __________________Best time to reach them: __________________ Subject: ____________________

CDE Mentor FFA MentorName: ________________________________ Name: __________________________Email: ________________________________ Email: __________________________Position: ______________________________ Position: ________________________Best time to reach them: __________________ Best time to reach: _________________

What to ask you Mentor

1. Where do I find the state CDE information?

2. Who do I contact for state applications and submissions?

3. When do we hold Ag Teacher conferences?

4. How do I discipline ________________ on a field trip?

5. When is the National Chapter Award due to the state? What is the National Chapter award and do

you have a copy I can look at?

6. Where can I get some resources to help me with welding, animals, plants, my shop equipment, etc.

7. Who do you use a gas vendor, a plant distributor, welding rods, small engines, etc.

8. When should I conduct SAE visits and what should one look like?

9. What should I cover at an Ag Advisory meeting?

10. Specific mentor/mentee instructions for your state.

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Managing Stress/Reducing the Chance of Burn-OutStress and burn-out play a large part in your success and happiness in your new teaching

position. Agriculture Education is a demanding profession and therefore you must find ways to manage your stress and take time for yourself. The following is a compiled list of ways to reduce your stress and chances of burn-out. 51% of Agriculture teacher’s reported feeling moderately or more exhausted and emotionally drained by their job. So, it is not if it will occur but when so we need to be prepared with some strategies to reduce stress. (Croom, 2015) (Psychology today,

1. Work with a purpose. (What specifically are you working for? And is it necessary?)2. Perform a job analysis and eliminate or delegate any unnecessary work. 3. Give to others4. Learn to actively manage your time.5. Exercise or play a sport.6. Believe in your own ability to accomplish tasks and reach personal goals. 7. Identify what you need from your work. 8. Have creative outlets (ex: knitting, woodworking, art, etc.)9. Take care of yourself. (Eat lunch without working)10. Get support where you can find it. (Have someone to talk to about your struggles)11. Increase your positive emotions and don’t be so hard on yourself. (You will not please

everyone.)12. Identify the type of burn-out you are experiencing; Overload, Lack of development, or Neglect. 13. Know when to say “no” and mean it. (Ag teachers are typically hard workers and others will

notice and ask you to do things because they know you’ll get it done, say no sometimes.14. Have down time for yourself every day. 15. Make a daily list of goals or priorities and cross them off as you accomplish them. 16. Know when to ask for help from stakeholders and don’t try to do everything yourself.17. Avoid negative ways of coping with stress such as drinking, smoking, or excess caffeine.18. Eat a healthy diet and reduce eating in excess. 19. Develop coping mechanisms that work for you. 20. Challenge yourself but make realistic goals that are attainable. 21. Think before reacting.

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Survey for Student Perception of the Program

This survey should be conducted before you begin planning your curriculum and before you start your new Agricultural Education and FFA Program. Give this form to all students enrolled in your program to improve the program and serve student needs better. (LPS Manual)

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Agriscience Interest Survey-Ag Teacher’s Manual

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List of Strengths/Weaknesses

This is a questionnaire to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and plan for how to use these to your advantage after securing a job. You can take a free personality test at https://www.123test.com/personality-test/ or other online service to help you with this process or you can evaluate yourself by creating lists.

StrengthsWhat are 3-5 main strengths that you will add to the agriculture education program at your new school? (Ex: I am very organized)1.___________________________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________________________

4.___________________________________________________________________

5.___________________________________________________________________

WeaknessesWhat are some areas of weakness that I know I will struggle with or need help with, list them below and strategize how to overcome this weakness. (Ex: I have trouble saying no and will have more commitments than I can handle)

1.___________________________________________________________________Strategy for Improvement _________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________________________Strategy for Improvement_________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________________________Strategy for Improvement_________________________________________________

4.___________________________________________________________________Strategy for improvement__________________________________________________

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State/District/Chapter Due Dates

This is a list of important dates that you need be aware of to have applications in on time, banquet venue reserved, district due dates for degrees, state deadlines for the National chapter award, etc. You can also make this part of a calendar or attach a schedule.

Date Event/Award/Item10/11/2017_ Ex: FFA American Degree Draft Due to Region___________________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

__________ _______________________________________________

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List of Important District Personnel (Modified from the Ag Teacher’s Manual)

This is a compiled list of all important district personnel and their phone numbers for a quick reference and a guide when you need to contact these individuals. Many of these individuals provide necessary support that is a key to field trip planning and implementation, discipline problems, and general program needs. Don’t forget to thank these individuals for their help at the banquet.

High School Secretary District SecretaryName: ______________________________ Name: ________________________Phone: ______________________________ Phone: ________________________Email: ______________________________ Email: _________________________

Bus Coordinator PrincipalName ______________________________ Name:_________________________Phone: ______________________________ Phone:_________________________Email: _______________________________ Email:__________________________

Cafeteria Manager SuperintendentName: _______________________________ Name: __________________________Phone: _______________________________ Phone: __________________________Email ________________________________ Email:___________________________

Janitor Guidance Counselor Name: ______________________________ Name: ___________________________Phone: _______________________________ Phone: ___________________________Email: ________________________________ Email: ____________________________

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Know Your Program; key questions to ask stakeholders.

So what is a stakeholder? They are the key people in your community, school, and professional community that have a vested interest in you and your program and its success. They may be farmers, parents, school board members, administration, other teachers, FFA advisors, colleagues, etc. They have been in and around the program for years and are you’re key to knowledge, understanding, and success. These people want to help you but you have to ask.

1. What CDE’s are you willing to help coach? Have you helped to coach CDE’s in the past?

2. What alumni events do you host and when?

3. In your community what do you see as the vital skills that students need?

4. What are the jobs we need to be training our students for?

5. Do you attend the FFA meetings, would you be willing to provide a meal?

6. What are 3 positives you see about the Agriculture Education Program?

7. Name 3 things you would like to change in the program.

8. Is there an area of the program you are willing to work with and if so, how do you view your role?

9. If you are not from the community what 3 major pieces do I need to know about the community that will make or break my position at as the Agriculture Educator?

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10. Do you have an Agriculture Advisory Board and if so, how are your meetings run?

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Tour Your Community

This is a list of places to visit in your community that will help you gain a better understanding of the community you are entering, the people and businesses in the community, the needs of the community, and the goals of the community. Try to visit as many as possible and introduce yourself when you are there. If possible take the old Ag teacher along on a key stakeholder in your program. (Modified from the Ag Teacher’s Manual)

o -The local Elevator/Coop

o -Banks

o -Landscaping/Greenhouse businesses

o -Student SAE’s of the officer team

o -Local farms/businesses of your Ag Advisory Board

o -Agriculture Production Enterprises

o -Shadow a farmer/business for a day

o -Agriculture Sales/Services Divisions

o -School District Suppliers

o -Retail businesses

o -Local Flower Shop

o -Health Care Services

o -A tour of the shop/school building

o -Small businesses and entrepreneurs

o -Agriculture related Agencies

o -Agriculture related Organizations

o -A tour of the county/school district you will live in

o -Extension office

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Section 2b: Non-Traditional Agriculture Teacher This section is designed specifically for agriculture educators that are entering the Ag education

community through non-traditional routes such as entering from industry, Praxis exams, and transition to teaching programs. The goal of this section is to give you a little extra guidance to help prepare you for this demanding and rewarding position..

Dear Non-Traditional Agriculture Educator, Whether you are entering this profession as welding instructor with multiple years of on the job

training, a transition to teaching student or through taking and passing a Praxis exam we welcome you. We want you to know that without your dedication to teaching and your love for agriculture may programs throughout the nation would have closed their doors and we are grateful for your efforts in stepping up and taking this position. It may not be an easy road that lies ahead for you but you have chosen to accept the challenge and even if you never see the results of your efforts an impact will be made on your community.

We realize that your training may not have included the same things as a traditional Ag teacher and extra support is needed. Therefore this section is a simple guide to help with your success and to help you better understands this multi-faceted profession. Below you will find some information about the Agriculture Education model, important websites, acronyms used in the profession, SAE information, and resources to help put you on a road to success. If more support is needed please feel free to contact your State FFA advisor, the Agriculture Education community at the land grant college, or other state personnel for extra advice. We are so proud and honored that you have chosen to enter this profession and want to you help you make your career/program a success.

Sincerely,You’re Agriculture Education Community

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Acronyms Defined In Agriculture Education you will find that the profession has a lot of acronyms and, at times,

you may become confused. Therefore, the following is a list of common acronyms and their definition to help ensure you understand the professional lingo.

CTSO- Career and Technical Student Organization. Most states require CTE’s to have a CTSO or student organization where students compete in events to challenge their skills.

FFA-The FFA is agriculture educations CTSO and is a national organization that covers all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The letters FFA used to stand for Future Farmers of America but due to the changing dynamics of agriculture it is now just the National FFA Organization, to encompass all areas of agriculture not just farming.

CTE-Career and Technical Education is a term used for all career related programs in comprehensive and vocational schools. These programs focus on job placement and the building of skills to help students be successful in a certain technical field.

SAE- Supervised Agriculture Experience. An SAE is a student’s project area that may include owning some cattle, growing a garden, welding, business, sheep production, or other area of agriculture that students keep records on.

CDE- Career Development Event. CDE’s are the contests that are a component of the FFA and focus on specific careers or career skills. They include contests such as public speaking, Ag Mechanics, Livestock Judging, and Ag Business and so on.

ACTE- Association of Career and Technical Educators. ACTE is the national association of career and technical educators and includes all areas of CTE such as Agriculture, Industrial Arts, Health Care, etc.

NAAE- National Association of Agriculture Educators is the national organization of agriculture educators in the United States and under its entity each state has their organization of agriculture educators, example PAAE (Pennsylvania Association of Agriculture Educators) This group includes Ag teachers in the high school as well as the college level and associated members such as the state FFA advisor, state CTE director, etc.

AET- Agriculture Experience Tracker is an online record book that helps keep student SAE records in a website based record system where students can track their income, expenses, events, awards, and classes.

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The Three Main Components of Agriculture EducationThis is an overview of the three parts of an agriculture education program including, instruction, FFA, and SAE’s. In this section explanations will be provided with the importance of each component and how they fit together. Sources include; The Ag Teacher’s Manual

SAE

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What is FFA?

You have entered the profession of teaching agriuclture educaiton and are being introduced to the clumb known as FFA. This club is very demanding of your time but it is vital for the success of your students and program. The following is an overview of the FFA and why your students should participate.

The letters “FFA” stand for Furture Farmers of America. These letters are a part of the history and heritage that will never change. But FFA is not just for students who want to be production farmer; FFA also welcomes members who aspire to careers as teachers, doctors, scientists, business owners, and more. For this reason, the name of the organization was updated in 1988 after a vote of national convention delegates to reflect the growing diversity and new opportunities in the industry of agriculture.

Today, the National FFA Organization remains committed to the individual student, providing a path to achievement in premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

FFA continues to help the next generation rise up to meet those challenges by helping its members to develop their own unique talents and expore their interests in a braod range of agricultural career pathways. So today, we are still the Future Farmers of America, but we are the future biologists, future chemists, future veterinarians, future engineers and future Entrepreneurs of America, too. (www.ffa.org)

You and your students should participate in this valuable program as it prepares students for fture careers through CDE’s (Career Development Events), encourages and develops public speaking skills, recognizes student and chapter achievement, enlightens students invarious aspects of the agriculture industry, and prepares advisors and studentfor program success. All CTE (Career and Technical Educaiton)programs are encouraged to have a CTSO (Career and Technical Student Organization) for their Perkins funding and there is no more rewarding program as the FFA as it is the largest National Youth Organization in the United States with over 650,000 members nationwide. (www.ffa.org)

Not only does the FFA benefit your students it also has benefits for you as an advisor. It helps you network with other FFA advisors, state leaders of agriculture, and college Agriculture Education professors. It can help you secure future jobs, teach you new ascpects of agriculture through educaitonal workshops, and allows you and your students to participate in contests and award programs.

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http://www.ffa.org/

http://www.ffa.org/


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InstructionYour classroom may consist of a shop, a greenhouse, a barn, computers, a floral shop, a meat

lab, or a landscape business. The important thing to remember is no matter what the components of your program that learning should be your focus. In the classroom you may have supplies for food science or tissue culture, you may have lumber, or metal, agricultural education programs vary across states, regions and nationally. All are unique as they are tailored to the community need. Therefore what you teach in your classroom should be dictated by the community needs, the Ag advisory Board Committee, and the student interests. Throughout this guidebook there are sections on each of these items and if used as a guide, it will set you up for success in the classroom and community.

Another helpful resource for the classroom structure and policy development is the Ag Teacher’s Manual and the Local Program for Success resources found at www.ffa.org . In these resources you will find classroom policies and procedures, curriculum development guides, recommendations for classroom discipline, grading, testing, fifty ways to motivate students and much more. If you are not one to read a manual but would rather have interaction with colleagues, you can use the NAAE communities of practice website to help with lesson plans, successes and failures, or comraderies. The instruction in your program will be flexible and specifically fitted for your community. Additionally unlike the traditional classroom most of your lessons will be hands-on, life experiences. A vital component of instruction is to incorporate the SAE’s (record keeping), and FFA into your program through business essentials, CDE’s (Career Development Events/contests) and field trips.

The Agriculture Education classroom is so much more than just a teaching environment as you will notice from the information above. You have an intracurricular club that is part of your daily routine, CDE’s t participate in to test student learning, certifications in various areas, and SAE’s to drive student success and learning at home. Remember learning should be the key focus and all these areas allow students to practice their skills on a daily basis. We all know that the highest level of learning in blooms taxonomy is evaluation. If students are competing in contests and running their own business they are learning at this level.

Related to instruction you will find task management tips from the Ag Teacher’s Manual on the following page which outline specific duties that will help make your experience more successful and your daily lessons less stressful.

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http://www.ffa.org/


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The Agriculture Educator Community

Several times throughout the guidebook you will see that we have talked about the agriculture education community and you are probably wondering why is this talked about and why it is important? This section is devoted to explaining these special relationships and why it is important to your professional growth and program success.

As the Agriculture Educator you are not an island alone desiring your program success. You have many facets of your community that have a vested interest in your students, the programs, and your success. These individuals are parents, employers, school board members, FFA alumni, school administration, other teachers, and the students themselves. The program not only serves as an educational tool inside the school system but many times serves multiple roles within the community. You may provide a service or a business, volunteer hours, serve as project coordinators, be community leaders or many other roles that help a community function. Therefore, many individuals will look to your leadership and teaching skill to serve the community and drive student success. While this may seem like you are receiving additional pressure, which you are, it can also serve as a great support system that can help you sustain your career, provide volunteers, help with securing resources, etc.

Within the agricultural education professional community you will have many other individuals that help with professional and program success. These individuals have many times served as classroom teachers in the past or worked with the FFA and know the many pressures and demands placed on your time. They want to see you succeed and are vested in your success. These individuals include mentors, professional organization officers, your state Agriculture Education Program leaders, the state FFA advisor, College professors, FFA Alumni officers, industry leaders, program coordinators, and so much more. There is a community there for every aspect of the agriculture education program and the only thing keeping them from helping is YOU! They need you to ask for help/allow them to play a part.

Another person you will want to get to know in the agriculture education community is your mentor. If you have not been assigned a mentor, find someone you know to be your mentor, or ask your state coordinator to assign you one. This person can help you with FFA events local and state, discipline, student trips, applications, grants, and more. Your state may have a mentor/mentee program and if they do, be sure and identify your mentor.

A program new teacher should know about and use is the NAAE Communities of practice found at https://communities.naae.org. This site has professionals from all areas of the agriculture education community on it and is a professional networking community. It has valuable resources such as lesson plans, forums, chat rooms for questions and discipline, award applications and more.

In a special note is very important that if you did not attend the land grant college in the state you are teaching in or if you moved to the state you are teaching in from another state that you locate this individuals, join their list serves, and attend the state professional conferences to familiarize yourself with these individuals as they have valuable information for you to glean and help with your success rate.

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Extra support and key state personnel to help you with various aspects of the program

This is a list of important contact information as well as helpful websites to help you locate extra support and key state personnel in your state to help with your transition process into teaching agriculture education. It is quick list of key persons for you to contact as the need arises.

www.ffa.org (The National FFA website) https://communities.naae.org/ (Lesson Plans/Networking) https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/20805090/agriculture-teachers-manual-national-

ffa-organization (Ag Teacher’s Manual) https://www.theaet.com/ (The AET Record Book) https://www.ffa.org/participate/cdes (The National Contest Rules) https://www.ffa.org/about/agricultural-education (The three parts of an Agriculture Education

Program) https://www.ffa.org/resources/educators/lps-resources (Local Program of Success Guide to

creating a successful Agriculture Education Program) https://www.naae.org/teachag/faq.cfm (valuable resources on why to teach agriculture) https://www.acteonline.org/ (Association of Career and Technical Education) http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/education-center/Pages/education-login-or-register.aspx

(Resource for all your welding needs) http://www.hummert.com/UserFiles/PDF/2013_Hummert_Greenhouse_Short_Course.pdf (A

link to the Hummert International Short course for educators in Greenhouse Production) Need more websites I am open to suggestions…. Find out who you state FFA Advisor is. Identify the state CTE (Career and Technical Education) director for Agriculture Education.

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Section 3: Superintendent Section

Section 3: Superintendents SectionThis section is designed for administrators of new Agriculture Educators to develop a support

system for your new teacher. As well as to help you identify the needs of your educator and define the work load of this individual to better understand their positon.

Administrator Letter

Dear Administrator, I am writing to you to talk about your supportive role as the administrator of a new Agriculture Educator at your school. You are an important part of teacher and program success. If you think back to when you first entered the classroom in your chosen field of math, science, reading, industrial arts, elementary education, or whatever your classroom environment, I want you to remember what support you received. You may have had parent support, community, family, or maybe your administrator made a difference in your life, how did this person make your program/field a success? Now put yourself in the role of an agriculture educator that is a very influential member in your community, maybe they know more people than you do or are a source of inspiration, whatever the case you probably know that they are one of the hardest working people at your school. You also know that without community, family, teacher, and administrator support that this position/teacher will often experience burn-out or emotional/physical stress and could leave the profession. Sometimes it is a thankless job, sometimes they experience immense community scrutiny, but most times there simply aren’t enough of themselves to full their full job description. So what is your role in ensure your new teacher is a success and the agricultural education program is sustained? Your role is to be a supporter and an advocate for their program. Make sure you make them feel that are just as important as other teachers in the school especially when they are often separated from the school itself. Visit their classroom, find out what lessons they are teaching, offer to chaperone events, allow them to attend their mentors school for a day to job shadow, or grant that day off they need to attend a workshop for teacher networking and growth. However, in return ask them to attend school board meetings to tell others their program story and explain why students missing school frequently are beneficial instead of harmful. When looking for volunteers chose other teachers sometimes to fill this position instead of asking your Agriculture teacher whose plate is already overflowing. Be their advocate when the community puts immense pressure on them not to add that class that you know would be a huge benefit for your students. You’re a vital key to the teacher and program success so remember to support your teacher positively especially in those first few growing years.

Sincerely, A grateful Ag teacher

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Survey for the superintendent to complete about expectations of the program

Please complete the following survey to develop expectations for your Agriculture Educator and Program.

1. As the superintendent/principal of your school what are your expectations of the Agriculture Education Program? What about your expectations of the teacher?

2. How many days do you feel is too many days for your teacher/students to miss school?

3. What do you anticipate as a yearly budget for the Ag Program?

4. How many hours outside of the normal school day do you feel your teacher should work?

5. What is your experience with FFA/Agriculture Education?

6. Are you willing to attend SAE (Supervised Agriculture Education) visits to student farms with your teacher?

7. On a scale of 1 to 10 how valuable do you feel career and technical education classes are to student learning?

8. Based on your answer to question 7 why do you feel this way and what could help improve your opinion.

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9. How would you prefer the Agriculture Educator and the FFA members request a presentation to the school board? 10. Do you feel that additional equipment is needed or could be requested for the program and if so, how would we go about the process of securing the funds/paperwork to complete this process?

11. How can Ag teacher’s help defer cost of their program?

12. What skills do you think should be taught in the Agriculture Education classroom?

13. What is your opinion of class field trips and their impact on student learning?

List of Job Duties/Responsibilities for Your Ag Teacher1._________________________________________________________________

2._________________________________________________________________

3._________________________________________________________________

4._________________________________________________________________

5._________________________________________________________________

6._________________________________________________________________

7._________________________________________________________________

8._________________________________________________________________

9._________________________________________________________________

10.________________________________________________________________

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Must know about New Ag Teachers

This is just a special note outlining some of the unique features of your agriculture education teacher, so that you can better understand the dynamics of the program and your educator facilitating it. This section can be skipped if you were previously an agriculture educator however, if you are not please read it to better understand this unique position and help to provide necessary support for this demanding job.

-This person will be expected to know every aspect of agriculture from plants to animals, to welding, to wind technology, to electricity and beyond but they will most likely be a master of none or maybe a few.

-You will most likely demand less of your agriculture educator than the community does. Your support is invaluable as many times this person will hear negative parents just as loudly as

you do. If you have the time to attend a field trip as a chaperone do, as volunteers are badly needed and

who knows maybe you’ll learn something you didn’t know. -Your teacher spent 4 years learning a little bit about a lot and they will need time to develop

their skills in each agriculture area, so professional development will be on going. Help make the message clear that education is more than winning. They will most likely be the teacher missing the most days in the school year but rarely will it be

for personal reasons. They will be taking your students out of class regularly but they will push them to be

academically successful before they do, use this to your advantage. Students in their program will miss a lot of days but will gain so many more skills and

experiences than can be taught in the classroom. The teacher will most likely spend more hours at the school and in the community than you do. If you have difficult parents don’t hesitate to use the Ag Teacher for support as they may have a

connection with them. Allow them grace as many will devote more time to the school than they do their family. They may forget things as they wear a lot of hats and have many responsibilities, remind them. They teach many different subjects and curriculums throughout the day, but this is a great

opportunity for cross curricular communication and teaching. They will work with the community more than you do most likely because of the FFA, so use

them as a resource or ask them for things around the school, but give them at least a year under their belt first.

They will spend 20-25 days staying in hotel rooms a year and 30-40 nights a year away from family.

If you need something done this person most likely will get it done no matter how busy they are, but remember not to overwhelm them.

Try to schedule at least one school board meeting with the FFA program on the agenda. They will most likely have the most classroom preps of all the teachers.

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Best Practices for Supporting your Ag Teacher

This is a compiled list from superintendents/principals that were previously Ag teachers of how you can best support your Ag Teacher.

-Serve as a chaperone for one of their many events. Attend their fundraisers Chaperone an FFA Dance Provide adequate funding. Support their efforts to apply for grants and use them Allow them time to attend various professional developments Visit their classroom regularly to see what they are doing. Listen to their side of the story when dealing with a parent complaint. Ask them why they chose not to serve on a committee if they decline participation.

The List below may talk about working with counselors but administrators fits as well.

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Resources to Provide to Your Administrator

Use of FundsThis section is an account of the expenses of the Agriculture Education program and where the

funds were allocated and if the experiences were educational or productive.

Amount Used Event/Activity Student/Community Engagement1. ________________ _______________________ ___________________________2. ________________ _______________________ ___________________________3. ________________ _______________________ ___________________________4. ________________ _______________________ ___________________________5. ________________ _______________________ ___________________________

Communication Topics to Discuss Counselors and administrators need to be reminded about the solid career opportunities available in agriculture today. Before classes start in the fall, visit with your career counselors, superintendent and principal. If they hold any misconceptions about agriculture, you can share information that can help build the credibility agricultural education and FFA deserve. Comments from alumni such as parents and community members can lend strong support to your agricultural education program. Work with the alumni to help develop the best strategies for success.

Counselors and administrators need to hear these key talking points:

1. Scholarships. FFA awards more than $1.5 million in scholarships annually to its members. They can remind students about these opportunities for higher education funding.

2. Work based Experience. Related work experience—supervised agricultural experience (SAE)— is an integral part of agricultural education. Students apply the concepts they learn in a related work experience and document their progress toward individual careers.

3.Leadership Development. The national, state and local FFA officers are outstanding leaders due to their FFA preparation. Students attend workshops such as Made for Excellence, Washington Leadership Conference and the State Presidents’ Conference. More than 30,000 students participate in the national Convention held annually in Louisville KY.

4.Increased self-esteem. All FFA members have a chance to grow and experience success through competitive events.

5. Increased Career Opportunities. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there will be a ten percent shortage of college graduates in the food and agricultural sciences needed to fill positions between now and 2000.

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Eight Ways to Open Doors with Administrators Here are other activities to give counselors and administrators a better grasp of the

opportunities in agricultural education and FFA: (LPS Manual)

■ Present updates and student successes at staff or public meetings in cooperation with local alumni.

■ Invite them to join the alumni association and sponsor their membership.

■ Involve counselors or administrators in community activities that allow them to have contact with

district residents who support the local program.

■ Give each of them a complimentary subscription to the FFA New Horizons magazine.

■ Invite them to a breakfast or FFA chapter banquet where key business supporters and volunteers

present why they support FFA.

■ Invite them on a tour that highlights student agribusiness, technology or environmental projects.

■ Invite them to a chapter meeting to observe leadership in action.

■ Leave copies of the following publications: The Industry Too Big to Ignore, Open a Promising Future for

Students and Discovering an Agricultural Biotechnology Career. These excellent four-color publications

are available at minimal cost and can help grant.

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Section 4: Retiring/Leaving Teacher

Section 4: Retiring/Leaving Teacher Section

Retiring/Leaving Teacher Letter

Whether you are a teacher that is retiring after a 30 year stint or simply a teacher looking to move to a new school or enter the industry it is important that you leave supplies behind to continue the growth you have started. You do not want the hard work of you and your students to simply fade away; therefore you need to leave some resources behind.

Some key things to remember the person replacing you may or may not have taught agriculture before and they most likely have no idea what you have taught your students, unless you leave them some guidelines. You may have developed some strong community groups, or created some activities that are a huge success but unless you tell someone they won’t know. Many of you have spent years helping your students and the program become a success do you really want to see it simply die when you leave? So, make sure you leave enough behind including materials, lists of events, volunteer duties you did, student SAE’s, CDE information, etc. Below you will find a compiled list gathered from your colleagues about what would be important to leave. One thing that you should strongly consider is talking to your students about the change that is going to occur. You need to set them and the program up for success by talking about how you will no longer be there teacher and the new teacher will do things differently and that is okay. You will also want to communicate with the community this change as well. Another thing to remember is make yourself available for your successor but do not make yourself someone who stifles growth. You are retiring and leaving so, you need to allow the next person to take over. The best way you can help them to be a success is to be an advocate for them and to not say anything negative, many people still look to you as a role model and leader. Remember how you felt when you first took the job, were they supportive people or foes and how did each of those groups make you feel. If you have the time and the energy get rid of as much stuff as possible. Throw out those items you were going to use some day, trash the curriculum from the 70’s, get rid of slides, and keep what is most important to the program's success. If at all possible if you have forms, worksheets, and FFA information on your computer ask the tech personnel to keep it for your successor. Lastly, thank-you for the service you dedicated to this demanding profession and the sacrifices you made to make this agricultural education program a success, leave here thinking about all the lives you’ve impacted and the solid ground you are helping the next teacher create.

Special Note to Retiring/Leaving Teacher

It is very important that you leave behind as much information as possible for your successor to be successful and to continue the work you have started and your students have accomplished. Therefore it is suggested that you acquire a 3 ring binder for the following worksheets and information to be collected into and provided to the next teacher. Your binder can include additional information after each section as you deem necessary. It is also suggested that you collect this information over the last few years before you retire or as soon as you know you are leaving to reduce the workload. It is a lot of information but remember you did not build this agriculture program over night.

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List of Important People in the Community and their Role/Expertise

If you could list here important people and the role they play in helping the agriculture education program and the best way to contact them, your predecessor can use this information to ask the right people for help in their specific area. (Modified from the LPS Manual)

Name Role/Expertise Contact Information__________________________ ________________ __________________

__________________________ ________________ __________________

__________________________ ________________ __________________

__________________________ ________________ __________________

__________________________ ________________ __________________

__________________________ ________________ __________________

__________________________ ________________ ___________________

___________________________________________ ___________________

__________________________ ________________ ___________________

__________________________ ________________ ____________________

__________________________ ________________ ___________________

__________________________ ________________ ___________________

__________________________ ________________ ___________________

__________________________ ________________ ___________________

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Daniel Foster, 09/16/17,

Be sure to attribute any form you modify from a source. Unless you entirely create from scratch, you should indicate (modified from LPS Manual), etc

Cristen Black, 09/16/17,

I listed that it was modified form.


State Specific Reporting System

This section is to be used for your state reporting system for your career and technical education Perkins funding records. Please leave for your successor a copy of your username and password and a copy of your current report if possible.

Name of reporting system: _____________________________________

Website if applicable: _________________________________________

Username: _________________________________________________

Password: _________________________________________________

Due Date for current report: ____________________________________

Assessments: _______________________________________________

Other Items to Include:

A copy of and total of last year’s funds and purchases

Copies of the employment survey from the LPS Manual or a Survey or recent Graduates.

Copies of student and class rosters to complete completer and pathway paperwork.

A list of students and the certifications they have completed.

A list of all approved pathways and courses offered

Copy of last years approved state paperwork

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List of the 10 favorite activities of the FFA

Sit down with your FFA officers or your entire chapter and compile a list of their top 10 favorite activities. Maybe you have a work auction and they love that make sure they list them in the order of their priority. Then write the reason why this is their favorite activity.

1. __________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________________________

6. __________________________________________________________________

7. __________________________________________________________________

8. __________________________________________________________________

9. __________________________________________________________________

10. __________________________________________________________________

What Activities would students like to see change?

1.___________________________________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________________________________

4.___________________________________________________________________________

5.___________________________________________________________________________

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Survey of the Current Program and Future goals

This survey can either be the one below or it can be a full evaluation of the program from the advisory board committee, or a state evaluation guide. You may even want to include the 3-5 year goals of your committee or some recent meeting minutes, and partner concerns. (LPS)

1. Which concerns are most valuable? Where our time is best spent ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. What goals can be set from partner key concerns and needs? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3. What key activities would satisfy these needs and concerns? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4. What equipment or supplies do we need to accomplish our goals? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5. How much money do we need to accomplish our goals? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6. What contacts do we need to accomplish our goals? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7. Who do we know (within the school system, media and the business community) who has available money, equipment or relationships with needed contacts? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What would you recommend for program improvement in the next 3-5 years?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Officer Election

This worksheet is designed to leave behind valuable information about the process used to elect chapter officers. It will help with consistent processes of the FFA and help to build stronger connections with the students.

1. What is your officer election process?

2. Do you currently have officers elected for the next school year? If so, make a list of officers and student names here.

3. Do you have an officer application? If so please provide a copy or list your application process here.

4. Is there an election committee? If, so who is it comprised of?

5. Do you have an officer code of conduct? If so please provide a copy.

6. What is your process for an officer retreat or camp?

7. How many officers are usually on your team and what are the offices the chapter has?

8. What is the process for the announcing of the officer election results?

9. Any other unique officer election processes.

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Fundraising

Fundraising is a vital component of any successful Agriculture Education Program so, it is important to leave behind information about what fundraising is done and which companies are used.

1. How many fundraisers are aloud per year? ____________________

2. Below please list the fundraisers currently run and the company and time of year completed.

Fundraiser Company Time of YearA. ____________________________________________________________________________

B._____________________________________________________________________________

C._____________________________________________________________________________

D._____________________________________________________________________________

E._____________________________________________________________________________

3. Which fundraisers do you feel the community would revolt without?

4. Which fundraiser could be changed with no hard feelings?

5. Do you have a list of last year’s fundraiser sales? If so please attach it to this page.

6. List any special procedures you use for the fundraisers that would make the transition of teacher smoother. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7.Are there any community members that would be specific help with fundraisers if so, please name them and their contact information.

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List of Advisory Board Members

If you have a state reporting system for your CTE program you can print a list of these members and attach it to this paper or you can use the form below. Be sure to include each person’s area of expertise and current contact information.

Name Contact Information Area of Expertise/Community RolePresident/Chairperson___________________ ___________________ ________________________

Secretary

___________________ ____________________ ________________________

Other Members ___________________ ___________________ ________________________

___________________ ___________________ ________________________

___________________ ___________________ ________________________

___________________ ____________________ ________________________

___________________ ____________________ ________________________

___________________ ____________________ ________________________

___________________ ____________________ ________________________

___________________ ____________________ ________________________

1.The last meeting was held on ___________________________

2.Topics covered at the last meeting included:

3.Topics to be covered at the next meeting:

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4. What is your officer election process and term limits?

List of Community Activities performed by the teacher/program

This is a list of activities that the program/teacher participate in throughout the year may or may not be FFA related but are part of the community and would help to develop positive relationships. Examples of these activities could be Dairy Foods judge at the local fair or volunteers to run the junior Ag Olympics at the local fair.

Activity Person Responsible1. ______________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________________

6. ______________________________________________________________________

7. ______________________________________________________________________

8. ______________________________________________________________________

9. ______________________________________________________________________

10. ______________________________________________________________________

11. ______________________________________________________________________

12. ______________________________________________________________________

13. ______________________________________________________________________

14. ______________________________________________________________________

15. ______________________________________________________________________

16. ______________________________________________________________________

17. ______________________________________________________________________

18. ______________________________________________________________________

19. ______________________________________________________________________

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20. ______________________________________________________________________

Role of the FFA Advisor/Agriculture Educator at Community EventsEvent Role___________________________________ ______________________________

___________________________________ ______________________________

___________________________________ ______________________________

___________________________________ ______________________________

___________________________________ _____________________________

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Calendar of Events

August FebruaryDate Event Date Event____________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________

September March_____________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________

October April_____________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________

November May_____________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________

December June_____________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________

October July_____________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________

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FFA Alumni Roster

Either Attach or list here the members of your FFA Alumni including their contact information and their role if you have recent minutes from a meeting attach them to this paper or add them to the binder.

Name Role Contact InformationEx: John Smith President Email: [email protected]_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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mailto:[email protected]


Important Contact Information

This section is to be used to record the important contact information for anyone you may need to reach quickly as well as someone who would have a lot of valuable information that is needed throughout the first few years. (Ag Teacher’s Manual)

Retiring Teacher Contact Information State Coordinator Contact InformationName__________________________ Name__________________________Email__________________________ Email__________________________Phone_________________________ Phone_________________________

State FFA Advisor MentorName__________________________ Name__________________________Email___________________________ Email___________________________Phone__________________________ Phone__________________________

State Association President FFA Alumni PresidentName___________________________ Name_________________________Email___________________________ Email__________________________Phone__________________________ Phone_________________________

Local Program Specialist Name __________________________Email___________________________Phone__________________________

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Important Passwords/Login Information

It is important that you leave behind any login information that will be necessary for the new teacher to access if you have changed this information to the new teacher then simply state it in the lines below.

AET Login Username_________________________Password_________________________

Pathways LoginUsername_________________________Password_________________________

National FFA LoginUsername__________________________Password__________________________

FFA Facebook PageAdministrator________________________Username__________________________Password__________________________

FFA Computer Username__________________________Password__________________________

Other Login InformationWebsite____________________________Username__________________________Password__________________________

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List of Binder Materials to be left behind

This is a list of possible information that you could leave behind for your successor that would be helpful in propelling the agriculture education program forward. It is suggested that you put it in a binder or folder to make it easy to find and use. You may have items unique to your program that you would like to leave behind and this would be a great place to locate those items. If you are more into the technology avenue you could put this in an electronic folder on the computer as well.

- A list of unique duties you fulfill for your community- Recipes for various cooking fundraisers- An Account list for individual student accounts- Points system totals for FFA- Names of students who may be eligible to apply for their American or State Degree- A copy of last year’s state report- Copy of national chapter award application- Copies of past state degrees that are students that may go on to apply for their American- A cost list for the metal and wood in your shop that students pay for- A vendor list for supply companies- List of important phone numbers - Current calendar of FFA events (local, district, state)- List of fundraisers and the purchase company- FFA Alumni roster- FFA roster- An inventory sheet for all supplies- Any Outstanding Bills- Grant information and details for current grants you have received- FFA Banquet Details and timeline for when to reserve or order supplies- List of CDE’s students love to participate in- Local companies that donate supplies-

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Best Practices for Teacher Transition

This is a compiled list of best practices that were developed by veteran teachers, teachers that experienced transition, and various resources found in the agriculture education community that can be used for the transition process for the retiring teacher, the new teacher, the administration and the community.

o -Retiring teachers remember you have chosen to retire so don’t try to continue to run the program.

o -New Teachers make sure you ask for help and don’t assume you know everythingo -Retiring teachers if at all possible write a small letter at the end of year 1 encouraging

the new teacher and congratulating them on completing a successful year. o -Comparison is not your friend you have a new teacher with new skills work with that. o -Throw out old curriculum, supplies, and materials and leave only what is useful. o -Declutter the office, classroom, and shop area.o -Take all personal materials and supplies home. o -Repeatedly tell the students, community, and the school that you are leaving change is

going to occur and that this is a good thing. o -Communicate effectively with all parties throughout the entire transition process. o -Get out and meet the people of your community, parents, business leaders, advisory

board members, school personnel, etc. o -Attend summer events that the FFA advisor/Ag Teacher normally attends.o -Attend the Summer Ag teacher’s conferenceo -Don’t expect perfectiono -Develop a list of qualities you want to see in your next teacher and interview based on

this list. o -Make sure the new teacher has a mentor in the school and another Agriculture

Educator as mentor as well.o -Be sure the person you hire fits your future plans of the Agriculture Education Programo -Leave your contact information with the new teacher. o -Support the new teacher every day. o -Make it is a goal to support positively and reduce negativity.

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List of Student SAE’s

This is a compiled list of the students in the program and their current SAE. The list will be used for the new teacher to familiarize themselves with the student’s interests and SAE programs as well as allow them time to visit students during the summer if their schedule allows.

Name SAE___________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________

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___________________________________ ____________________________________

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Section 5: Community

Section 5: Community Section

This section is designed for any member of the community that has a vested interested in the agriculture education program and will help provide valuable information and skills to the incoming teacher to use as a resource for the transition period. Please complete all applicable worksheets and place them in the retiring teacher binder or present them to the new teacher upon arrival.

Community Letter

Dear Community Member, You may be an alumni member, an advisory board member, a parent, a supporter, or other part of your agricultural education community, but not matter what role you play you are a vital part of your agricultural education programs success. Allow me to paint for you a picture of your role in your program's success. If you think back to your previous agriculture teacher you may have spent years getting to know them or have only known them for a short while, but during this process you have noticed they have strengths and weaknesses as do you. If you're part of that program that just had their beloved 35 year veteran teacher retire you are feeling the loss of several things including a dear friend, a vital volunteer, or a trusted resource, but at some point this person was new to your community. What were those first years of teaching like for this individual? Did they have some great successes and failures? Were there times that you didn’t understand the changes that they made and maybe you didn’t like them, but after the change was implemented you saw its success? In remembering the beginning you can appreciate the end and the well-rounded individual that was a vital part of your community, now you begin again with that brand new teacher and I am asking you to remember they are new. This individual most likely just graduated from college, is in their early 20’s, and their only teaching experience was a 15 week student teaching stint with an experienced teacher, they need your grace. They need support, teaching, mentoring, volunteers, and friends. They however don’t need you to tell them how it used to be, how it's going to be, and you don’t want to see the program change and grow. They have their own experiences, their own background, and their own weaknesses and strengths, remember agriculture educators are not born perfect and all knowing, they are grown and strengthened by supportive individuals in their community, individuals like YOU! The following worksheets are a guide for you to complete questionnaires about what truly matters to you, what you liked best about the program and want to keep and what you would really like to see change. Remember change does not occur overnight, new teachers do not learn everything they need to know in their first year, and positive support is vital for program sustainability and success. You are the key to the teacher, student, and program success. You get others involved and help other accept change and if you have gifts and talents you are willing to share with your agriculture program, do.

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Cristen Black, 09/16/17,

I think I have added directions for each section let me know if I need more detail.

Daniel Foster, 09/16/17,

Go ahead and use page breaks to show how you plan on presenting this.For this type of document, I think you are going to have to frequently add "instructions/directions" at the top of every form.At times this is going to seem "repetitive" to you, but for clarity it will be critical.


Pre-Survey before Interview

This is a survey you should conduct with several key community members that are supporters of the agriculture education program to ensure you know what type of candidate you are looking for and what needs they need to be able to fulfill.

1. What are your favorite activities of your current program?

2. What would you like to see change in your current Ag Program?

3. What classes do you feel are the most valuable to your community?

4. What strengths do you want your candidate to have?

5. What weaknesses are you willing to accept in your candidate?

6. Name the weaknesses your Agriculture community has that you would like to see the new Ag teacher strengthen.

7. The qualities that you possess that you are willing to volunteer to your Ag program are:

8. Am I willing to have a female? Male? Person from out of state? Is it more important to fill the position or to find the right candidate?

9. What is the most important thing for the Agriculture education program to continue?

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Volunteer Worksheet from the FFA AlumniThis worksheet was developed by the FFA alumni to help find out what volunteers expertise

area is and which areas they are most willing to help with. This worksheet would be a valuable resource to hand out to the FFA alumni members to gather information for the incoming teacher to be able to identify volunteers for their area of interest.

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Introductory Survey of Program/Community Important Events

Name the top 10 most important community events the agriculture program or the Ag teacher participated in, in order of preference.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Identify the top 5 volunteer/activities the Ag teacher/FFA help with (What activities does your current Ag teacher help with that you would like see continue? (Ex: Vegetable Judging at the fair, parking cars at the home football game, volleyball head coach, etc.)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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What were your favorite projects/activities the FFA did for the community?

Make a list of the activities that the FFA participated in or projects they completed in the community that were your favorite or had the most impact. If your incoming teacher is not provided with a list of your activity and project history they will not know what is most important to your commuity. Therefore, if they remove your favorite activity it will not be their fault but rather yours for not educating them on your community expectations.

Activity/Project Explanation1._________________________________________ ______________________________

2._________________________________________ ______________________________

3._________________________________________ ______________________________

4._________________________________________ ______________________________

5._________________________________________ ______________________________

6._________________________________________ ______________________________

7._________________________________________ ______________________________

8._________________________________________ ______________________________

9._________________________________________ ______________________________

10._______________________________________ ______________________________

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Program Vision

Identify 3 program goals you have for the Agriculture Program in the next 3 years. List 3 goals you have for the agriculture education program, not the teacher the program and one reason why you chose this goal. Then think about your goal and say is this really want my community and the students need.

Goal #1______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal#2__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal#3__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Write a brief paragraph of where you see the Agriculture Education Program in the next 5 years.

What do you feel are the communities highest skills needed for the Agriculture employment sector?

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Agricultural Education Agricultural Education Program Goals and Evaluation Sheet

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FFA Alumni/Supporters RosterAttach or list here the members of your FFA Alumni including their contact information and their role. If you have recent minutes from a meeting attach them to this paper or add them to the binder.

Name Role Contact Information________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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List of Ways to make your new Ag Teacher feel welcome and supported

Being an agriculture teacher is extremely demanding. One key to retaining a quality agriculture teacher is helping them lighten the responsibility load. Here are some great ways to support your local agriculture teacher”: from the National Teach Ag Campaign

Chaperone school trips and take responsibility for distributing necessary forms and contact

Coach and coordinate Career Development Event (CDE) Teams. Serve as a guest speaker. Host a classroom tour. Present to the school board information about the importance of the Ag Ed program. Arrange media exposure for the Ag program. Host an FFA Chapter meeting by coordinating the food and activities. Work with the Ag teacher to create a program wish list. Distribute the wish list and help

the Ag teacher fulfill the list. Offer to cater food for late night practices or events. Coordinate shifts to help out during events or busy times (fruit delivery, clean-up days,

retreats, field trips, landscaping projects, labs, etc.) Develop promotional materials and handouts about the Ag program. Work with the students to recognize the teacher throughout the year and show

appreciation for all their hard work. Help finance professional development opportunities for the teacher. Highlight their strengths not their weaknesses. -Write them a letter of support at the end of their first year telling them it may have been

tough but it was worth it. (Write a few highlights from the year) -Hold a get to know them event before the school year begins. (Picnic, social, ice cream

party, etc.) -Call the principal and tell them when the Ag teacher has done something great. -Stop in at the school and let them know you are there if they need anything and leave

your contact information. -Invite them to picnics or social gatherings especially if they are not from your area. -Add your own ideas here

___________________________________ ______________________________

___________________________________ ______________________________

___________________________________ ______________________________

___________________________________ ______________________________

___________________________________ ______________________________

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Reflection Worksheet

This worksheet is designed for you to think back to when the retiring teacher first started in this position and what it is that helped to create them and the program into a successful and sustainable entity. Please be honest and think hard about those times that allowed for growth in the teacher and the program.

1. Name at least one failure the retiring teacher or the program went through and how was this used to help the program and teacher grow?

2. Name 3 excellent qualities of the retiring teacher.

3. Name 3 areas of improvement needed from your retiring teacher.

4. What is one way that the community helped the agriculture teacher to grow into an area of weakness? (Ex: helped with Tig welding by a guest teacher day)

5. What would you like to keep if possible about your current teacher’s personality/teaching style?

6. What is one thing you would like to change about the retiring teacher’s personality/teaching style?

7. Name something that you think would cause the agriculture education program to fail.

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8. Name 3 things that you think would help make the new teacher most successful.

9. When thinking about your retiring teacher write a timeline of when you think they developed skills in the following areas; animals, welding, mechanics, plants, FFA, leadership, etc.

10. Thinking through your current career when you first started your occupation what was most helpful to make you successful at your position? Now remember to apply this to your new teacher.

Now take the time to write a note of appreciation to your retiring teacher for their service to you students, the school, and your community.

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Advisory Board Worksheet

The following worksheet is to be used for the Agriculture advisory board to leave valuable information for the next educator as well as to evaluate program needs.

List of the Ag Advisory Board MembersPresident

What is your current election process?

Attach a current copy of the most recent Agriculture Advisory Board minutes to this worksheet.

Develop a transition formula that will help with the probability of success.

Create an expert list for your teacher for each area of your current agriculture education program.

If allowed by your school at least one member of the Advisory board should serve on the interview committee.

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Community Extension Activities

The following is a list of incomplete suggested activities that will help in the transition process of a new agriculture education teacher and sustainability of the program.

-Hold a getting to know the new teacher social -Invite them to eat a meal at your camper at the county fair -Have a meet and great meeting with the retiring teacher, the new teacher, the alumni

president, an administrator, a school board member, a parent, and an FFA officer -Invite the new teacher to attend the FFA banquet -Invite the new teacher to attend the last FFA meeting -Include the new teacher in a county fair activity -Add the new teacher to the Facebook page before they come to your community -Help the new teacher find a place to live -Help the new teacher gain confidence by highlighting an area of their interest they excel at

through an event or competition.

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Section 6: Extensions

Section 6: Possible extensions of this guidebook-Hold a key stakeholder, teacher, administrator, and alumni workshop of the program and the transition process.

a. If it would be possible to hold a key stakeholder workshop for the new teacher, retiring, teacher, an administrator, and a community member at the Summer Ag Teachers Conference, the state FFA Convention, the National FFA Convention or other event it would help add in this challenging process. You could dissect the guidebook and break into groups to talk about each area and then break into schools to help form relationships and smooth the transition.

-Hold a workshop at the superintendent's summer conference on Ag teacher support. a. This workshop could focus on how administrators could help new Ag teachers or new CTE

teachers in general with the transition process and how they could be the most supportive. It would be informational session hopefully facilitated by an Ag Teacher.

-Implement case studies at several high schools getting new teachers this fall and evaluate its successes and failures.

a. If possible implement this process at your high school for new CTE teachers and evaluate the success of the process after the 1st, 3rd, and 5th years to see if it was successful to aide in the transition process.

-List of things that will undermine your new teacher and create turn-over. a. This is was developed following the transition guidebooks from several other industry transition

suggestions to help reduce turn-over as this is a high cost for any industry including education. i. Communication is necessary and a huge key to success.

ii. All stakeholders need to be involved in the transition process. b. -Hold a key stakeholder, teacher, administrator, and alumni workshop of the program

and the transition process.

c. -Have a workshop at the superintendent's summer conference on Ag teacher supportd. -Implement case studies at several high schools getting new teachers this fall and evaluate its

successes and failures.

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References

References

Local Program Success GuideAg Teacher’s ManualTeach Ag Ed CampaignNAAE Communities of Practice

www.ffa.org

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http://www.ffa.org/

table of contents - naae.org · web viewthis guidebook is designed to help create sustainability...

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