NAAE Connect

The 2020-2021 school year has taught us the importance of practicing self-care and stress management as agricultural educators. In this episode, we're interviewing Dan Tricarico. Dan is an educator, consultant, and author of two books; The Zen Teacher: Creating Focus, Simplicity, and Focus in the Classroom and Sanctuaries: Self Care Secrets for Stressed-Out Teachers, which is the book that the NAAE Virtual Book Club is focusing on this summer. In this episode, Dan shares words about helping you create focus, simplicity, and tranquility to help you take better care of yourself and better serve your students. 

NAAE maintains an extensive awards program to recognize the accomplishments of our many talented and dedicated members. We are proud to offer awards and scholarships for agricultural educators in every stage of their careers, from scholarships to lifetime achievement. In this episode, we're chatting with Mrs. Melanie Block, agricultural educator at Ravenna High School in Ravenna, Michigan, and Mr. Darren Swartz, agricultural educator at Bloomer High School in Bloomer, Wisconsin. Melanie and Darren have both been able to successfully grow their agricultural education programs through the years, and have both taken advantage of the many awards and programs that NAAE has to offer. 

Ahh, middle schoolers. If you’ve worked with middle school students before, you probably know that they can be some of the most excited and engaged students to work with, but at times, some of the most difficult to work with too. Middle school learners find themselves in a unique stage of their lives filled with new opportunities, peer pressure, insecurities, and both emotional and physical changes. As agricultural educators, what can you do to capitalize on middle schoolers’ unique qualities? What “ground rules” can you set to ensure a captivating, fun, yet professional classroom environment for middle school learners? In this episode, we’re joined by two NAAE members who have vast experience working with this age group; Dr. Jessica Jones of Tunstall High School of Virginia and Mr. Matthew Detloff of Chiefland Middle High School of Florida. Jessica and Matthew share a variety of information about working with middle school learners and what you can do to feel successful when it comes to working with this unique age group.

The 2021 NAAE Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education Institutes are going virtual! With this new transition comes a lot of questions. What will institutes look and feel like this summer? What will be expected from participants? What is the time commitment? For this episode, we’re joined by two of this year’s course lead teachers, John Hammond, agricultural educator at Thomas Nelson High School in Kentucky, and Brianne McCauley, agricultural educator at Liberty High School in West Virginia, who share more about what participants can expect from the 2021 CASE Institutes.

Agricultural educators across the United States are in the midst of a challenging school year. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many teachers are finding themselves teaching entirely remotely, following a hybrid model, or teaching in-person while following social distancing standards. In this podcast, we’re focusing on what agricultural educators can do to make online and hybrid learning more successful for themselves and their students. For this episode, we’re joined by Ms. Kim O’Byrne of Hatch Valley Middle School in New Mexico and Mr. Jesse Faber of Pontiac Township High School in Illinois. Kim and Jesse provide valuable information about what has been working for them and what they’ve learned as they navigate this new world of online and hybrid learning.

In the sixth episode of Connect, we're having an open conversation about the importance of creating a safe and inclusive classroom learning environment for all students, and more specifically in agricultural education. Our host is joined by two agricultural educators: Mr. Riley Hintzche, an agricultural educator at Streator Township High School in Illinois, and Ms. Sabrina Stearns-Davis, an agricultural educator at Arabia Mountain High School Academy of Engineering Medicine and Environmental Studies in Georgia. Riley and Sabrina share their knowledge and experiences as it relates to making their classrooms and programs more inclusive, diverse, and equitable for all students.

In this podcast, our host is joined by two NAAE staff members, Ms. Jessie Lumpkins and Ms. Sara Cobb, who provide updates related to Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE). Jessie and Sara provide information related to the new CASE website, Thrive (the CASE Educational Technology Summit coming January 2021), as well as how their team has and will continue to respond to COVID-19.     

In this episode, we're keeping the conversation going with the second part of our two part series related to nutrition, energy, and ag teacher wellness. Our host is joined by our guest co-host and current NAAE President, Mr. Parker Bane, as they meet with Virginia (Ginny) Reddick, a nutrition and wellness coach. Ginny shares practical ways that can help you make a difference in your diet and lifestyle, such as eating consistently throughout the day, and carrying a water bottle, along with other ways to help you take care of your body, mind, soul, and spirit.  

NAAE is excited to kick off Part One of a two part series related to nutrition, energy, and ag teacher wellness. Our host is joined by our guest co-host and current NAAE President, Mr. Parker Bane, as they explore how proper nutrition and living an active lifestyle can help boost our energy so that agricultural educators can be their best for themselves, their students, and their friends and family at home. Parker and Alan are joined by two agricultural educators, Mrs. Amanda Twenter of Missouri and Mr. Melvin Phelps of New York, who share personal experiences they've encountered along with tangible steps that you can take to help boost and maintain your energy throughout the day. 

For the second episode of Connect, a podcast by the National Association of Agricultural Educators, we're digging deep into Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE). CASE is one of the most powerful tools available for the advancements of agricultural education and the enhancement of student learning in our profession. Our host is joined by two CASE Master Teachers, Ms. Karen Van De Walle of Iowa and Mr. Carroll Mercer of Arkansas, who share their passion for CASE and how it's transformed not only their classroom but their personal and professional lives as well. 

In this episode, listeners can learn more about one of NAAE's newest initiatives called My Local Cooperative. Our host is joined by Mr. Wes Crawford, an NAAE member and agricultural educator from Oregon, and Ms. Nanci Lilja, the President of the CHS Foundation, to discuss the importance of incorporating cooperative education into your curriculum. The episode digs into the three My Local Cooperative Instructional Modules and discusses CHS Foundation resources and tools available to agricultural educators and agricultural education students.

Connections are powerful, and that’s exactly why we’re here. Welcome to Connect, a podcast by the National Association of Agricultural Educators. Connect is a podcast for current and future agricultural educators, and works to educate listeners about NAAE resources, inform them of new and innovative practices, and connect current and future agricultural educators and supporters.