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What is agriculture teacher certification? |
What do agriculture teachers do? |
Why are agriculture teachers important? |
Career prospects... |
Find Schools offering teaching certification programs |
It might come as a surprise, but agriculture education is necessary now more than ever. Our population is growing and with an estimated 9 billion people to feed in 2050, the agriculture industry needs gifted and hardworking youth to be committed to agriculture. Many of these individuals will have their first opportunity to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of agriculture in school.
What is agriculture teacher certification? |
What do agriculture teachers do? |
Why are agriculture teachers important? |
Career prospects... |
Find Schools offering teaching certification programs |
The love of this in-depth industry starts with agriculture teachers. They teach students how to use the newest techniques to become environmental stewards and effectively use resources to sustain life without destroying those resources. Teaching agriculture is also more broad and diverse than most people realize. Agriculture is more than just farming; it’s a sustainable way of life and includes teaching students about:
Agriculture teachers must integrate all of this knowledge, and much more, into their education curricula, making agriculture teaching a dynamic and interdisciplinary field.
Agriculture teachers must be certified in order to teach in public schools and many private schools. Certification is issued on the state level, usually following the completion of an approved state Board of Education exam or college program. In some fields, aspiring teachers can earn bachelor’s degrees in many different subjects. For example, social science teachers can major in history, political science, sociology, geography, etc. However, agriculture teaching is unlike those fields. To become an agriculture teacher, you must have a bachelor’s degree in agriculture or agriculture science.
Bachelor’s degree programs in agriculture and agriculture science are very broad and thorough. In addition to biology and plant science courses, aspiring teachers need to understand and later teach students how to grow farm products, and the animal science courses that involve dairy management and food production. It is also important to study chemistry for use in pest control and horticulture. Those who wish to teach agriculture also need to complete a teacher training program that includes courses in subjects such as pedagogy and educational psychology.
One of the benefits of certification is that it provides professional credibility that is transferrable to other states if an agriculture teacher decides to move. Many states have entered into reciprocity agreements with other states, and will honor a teaching certification from one of those states. This provides significant flexibility and multiple career options for agriculture teachers. Use the teaching certification requirements map to learn more about certification requirements in your state.
Agriculture teachers are unique in that, unlike most teachers, they work in many environments outside the traditional classroom. In a sense, the world truly does become their classroom, as they lead students through hands on activities in greenhouses, at farms and in science labs to teach them the basic principles of topics such as animal husbandry and land management.
The following are some interesting activities that creative agriculture teachers provide to their students:
In addition, unlike most of their colleagues who teach other subjects, agriculture teachers also need to manage a wide array of equipment and supervise special programs, specifically the Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE), an integral component of all agriculture education. This involves experiential education, in which students learn important concepts by working through them. For example, an SAE might take the shape of a small business venture, with students growing and selling a product. It could also mean an internship at a ranch, dairy, or other agriculture-based business, or working with a government agency such as the United States Forest Service. An agriculture teacher must manage all such different student endeavors along with their regular teaching responsibilities.
Finally, agriculture teachers must also perform their share of traditional classroom responsibilities, such as creating lesson plans that fulfill curriculum goals, evaluating student work, participating in school activities, and working with fellow teachers to create a safe and productive school environment. All in all, the different responsibilities keep the job of being an agriculture teacher both lively and interesting.
Agriculture teachers open many possible doors for their students because of the diversity of the subject. They teach skills that are necessary to human development, including food production, environmental preservation, and resource management. In addition to the valuable vocation of farming, agriculture teachers can inspire their students to pursue many different possible careers.
Vocational, technical and skills-based education teachers are integral components of any K-12 education program, and agriculture teaching positions are often available. In 2010, some areas of the nation actually experienced a shortage of qualified agriculture teachers. While the federal government does not project much substantial growth in the field, there will continue to be a steady need for agriculture teachers to maintain current levels of agriculture instruction. It is important to remember that agriculture teachers can be hired for many different teaching positions, including home economics and to keep an open mind about the kind of teaching position you wish to pursue.