SAE is one of the most unique educational tools at our
disposal as agriscience educators. SAEs have long standing impact on the lives
of students. SAEs are not optional.
Story #12- Illinois
(Preface: This student almost didn't take an
agriculture class because she had all college prep, AP classes
and could only take ag if she refused to have a study hall for all 4 years
of high school- against the advice of the school counselor. She had no
interest in pursuing a career in agriculture, but by strong convincing by her
father and myself we got her to take an Ag Class)
I had a female student in my Intro to Ag class who came to me freshman year unsure what to do for her required, SAE Project. This student lived on a farm and was in 4-H so we naturally picked a swine production project since she already had 4-H pigs. She completed that project for freshman year, but knew she wasn't going to farm and wasn’t real interested in swine so we decided that she should expand their enterprise portfolio and start an Agricultural Communications SAE project. She was our newly elected chapter reporter and interested in public speaking and writing so we thought that would be a better fit for her than swine (we ended up keeping swine for all 4 years to make sure that she would receive her FFA degrees).
This student has been the most-goal driven, motivated student I have ever encountered. She competed in our section SAE proficiency contest that year and had gotten beaten. The student that beat her ultimately ended up winning state and then nationals in Ag Communications. That gave her even more motivation to do well. She took it upon herself to write articles and columns for 3 newspapers, complete an online blog/website, as well as complete a job shadow experience with Orion Samuelson. Two years later she ended up winning the Section, District, State, and National FFA Agricultural Communications Proficiency Award. She was also on the State Winning Agricultural Communications CDE team and placed in the top 10 as an individual in the National CDE and the team placed 6th in the Nation. She also served as the Section 3 FFA President (a minor state officer for Illinois).
Although these accomplishments are great, I am more proud for the fact that she ended up attending the University of Illinois majoring in Agricultural Communications and will graduate this year (in 3 years) with her degree in this field. She also received her American FFA degree last week. At the American degree session she came up to me and thanked me for "making her" do her SAE project and that if I didn’t push her, she wouldn’t be where she is today. That meant more to me than all the recognition our chapter received from the awards she helped the chapter receive. That is what SAEs are all about- Helping students achieve their goals and be successful in life.
I had a female student in my Intro to Ag class who came to me freshman year unsure what to do for her required, SAE Project. This student lived on a farm and was in 4-H so we naturally picked a swine production project since she already had 4-H pigs. She completed that project for freshman year, but knew she wasn't going to farm and wasn’t real interested in swine so we decided that she should expand their enterprise portfolio and start an Agricultural Communications SAE project. She was our newly elected chapter reporter and interested in public speaking and writing so we thought that would be a better fit for her than swine (we ended up keeping swine for all 4 years to make sure that she would receive her FFA degrees).
This student has been the most-goal driven, motivated student I have ever encountered. She competed in our section SAE proficiency contest that year and had gotten beaten. The student that beat her ultimately ended up winning state and then nationals in Ag Communications. That gave her even more motivation to do well. She took it upon herself to write articles and columns for 3 newspapers, complete an online blog/website, as well as complete a job shadow experience with Orion Samuelson. Two years later she ended up winning the Section, District, State, and National FFA Agricultural Communications Proficiency Award. She was also on the State Winning Agricultural Communications CDE team and placed in the top 10 as an individual in the National CDE and the team placed 6th in the Nation. She also served as the Section 3 FFA President (a minor state officer for Illinois).
Although these accomplishments are great, I am more proud for the fact that she ended up attending the University of Illinois majoring in Agricultural Communications and will graduate this year (in 3 years) with her degree in this field. She also received her American FFA degree last week. At the American degree session she came up to me and thanked me for "making her" do her SAE project and that if I didn’t push her, she wouldn’t be where she is today. That meant more to me than all the recognition our chapter received from the awards she helped the chapter receive. That is what SAEs are all about- Helping students achieve their goals and be successful in life.
Submitting Teacher: Mr. Jay Solomonson
SAE Theorem #10
(Moore, 2003, The Agricultural Education Magazine)
If a teacher has extended employment, much of this
time should be spent on SAE supervision. The Smith-Hughes Act established the
Federal Board for Vocational Education. This board established policy and
guidelines for implementation of vocational education. One of the policies
developed by the board was that agriculture teachers would have 12 months
employment to allow the teachers to supervise SAE projects. Even thought this
board no longer exists, the principle that teachers should supervise SAE during
the summer still exists. Supervision of SAE is the primary justification for
having extended contracts. It is difficult to justify an agricultural teacher
having an extended contract if there is no SAE program. Teachers must spend a
good portion of their extended time supervising students’ SAE programs.
You are a developing positive agent of change who will one
day help students explore and grow into their unlimited potential through
agricultural education!
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