Letter From the Editor: Spring 2018

Let’s Hear it for the Ag Educators!
For many teachers, the first year commanding a class-room is daunting. They are responsible for providing student dynamics, clubs and other activities – they have to figure it all out. Many variables contribute to – or prevent – success, but so many teachers find a way to succeed. Cole Ramsey is in his second year as an agriculture teacher at Nelson County High School in Virginia. While these pressures surely face him, he has found ways to rise to the challenge.

Spring 2018 Cover

“My first day of school was really nerve-racking,” Ramsey says. “I was fortunate to student-teach where I now work, but there was a whole new group of kids I didn’t know. We were able to connect over our similar FFA experiences and time spent on the farm since I work in a rural area.”

Read about the tips that have made Ramsey’s classroom time a success in “First Class.”

As a parent and an FFA alumni member, one area you can assist your local agriculture educator is through your FFA alumni chapter. “A Class on Collaboration” details the work of the Miller County FFA Alumni Chapter in Georgia, which was honored by the National FFA Alumni Association as the 2017 Outstanding Alumni Chapter. I hope you are encouraged by their efforts and inspired to engage with your local program.

In this issue, you’ll find articles [this and this] about the 2017-18 National FFA Officers, universities and colleges with areas of study for some specialized agriculture, an Oregon chapter’s successful Agriculture in the Classroom Literacy Project, the benefits of a memorandum of understanding, and more.

Enjoy and have a happy spring!