Each year the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership (ACEL) at the Ohio State University sends students to high schools around the state for 12 weeks to gain real world experience in the classroom.
This year, the agricultural education program at Pettisville High School welcomed student teacher Paige Schaffter, a senior in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and an agriscience education major.
While student teaching at Pettisville High School, Schaffter is under the guidance of agriculture teacher and FFA advisor John Poulson.
“’Doing to learn’ is a key part of the motto for the National FFA Organization, so it only makes sense for our agriscience education student teachers to be in the classroom environment getting hands on experience,” said Dr. Shannon Washburn, professor of agriscience education and chair of ACEL.
“Student teaching prepares our students for their future roles in the classroom by allowing them to lead an agriscience education program with the aid of experienced agriscience teachers.
Aside from carrying out lesson plans in a classroom, agriculture teachers serve as FFA advisors where they host chapter meetings, help students with career development events, and coach competition teams. This experience allows them to see into their future and get excited for the next step in their career.”
Agriscience education is one of three undergraduate majors within ACEL. This major prepares students to acquire a license to teach agricultural science in secondary high schools through extensive training in agriculture science, educational psychology, instructional methods and youth development. For additional information on the agriscience education major or how you can make a financial contribution to student scholarships, visit acel.osu.edu.