The weeks just keep on going and I'm not sure I can keep up!
October 22nd through the 27th were some of the most eye opening days for me as a future Agricultural Educator.
I travelled to Maryland on Monday, October 22nd to complete my life knowledge lesson (stay tuned for details on that!). Tuesday morning, bright and early we left to start out trek to Indianapolis, Indiana for the National FFA Convention and Expo.
Now I'm no stranger to this massive convention. I travelled to Louisville, Kentucky as a student for the National Convention in 2014. I also travelled to Indianapolis last year as an employee working for National FFA.
While all of these experiences required me to wear different hats much like Ag teachers do, this last one was the most memorable.
I travelled to Indianapolis with several other chapters near Boonsboro (my student teaching location). This trip was different though, there were two full coach busses full of students and teachers- something I'm not use to! (The other two trips I took were taken by vans with approximately 10 other people).
While at National Convention, we were able to experience a fascinating agritourism location- Fair Oaks Farm.
The students that we took, which were three girls who were all on the officer team, also participated in national days of service.
We jammed out to Garth Brooks and Easton Corbin and we listened to some of the National FFA Officers retiring addresses.
This trip to National Convention was one for the books. I was fortunate with three incredibly mature and responsible girls. They were able to be left alone for a majority of the time at national convention and were always on time, or even early to meet us where they needed to be.
I was able to get a glimpse of what it's like to be in charge of students in another state. Keeping track of the health forms for each student just in case something may come up. This trip really opened my eyes to how much the teachers need to be conscious of their students and their surroundings. When going to these events, you need to keep the students in mind as well as making sure that you are getting time for yourself to really dive into all of the professional development and teacher workshops that National FFA has to offer.
Kayla, so glad that the third trip to National Convention was a charm for your teacher toolbox and that you gained insight into participating in this event as an advisor! Traveling with a group of more experienced advisors is a great way to get an idea of the type of planning that goes into an overnight trip, as well as the types of activities students can participate in to make the trip meaningful, fun, and a relevant learning experience. What is the most useful takeaway that you got from this trip and how do you plan to use it with your own students?
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