Dr. Hanagriff Round Two!

AET: Round 2

This is the second time that AEE 311 has had a chance to talk with Dr. Hanagriff. Earlier in the year Dr. Hanagriff spoke with AEE 311 about what AET was, why it was developed, and the basis of how it works. This time they have worked with the system and have come back with questions. Here are some points:

• Calendar leads into:
• National Chapter Award
• POA
• Website
• Reports
• AET is used to save the Ag teacher money and keep them organized.
• American Degree is a summary of what you've done.
• AET can be used to input all students in an agriculture, then place certain ones in FFA (PA is inclusive)
• Experience Manager is a great over view of all projects.
• New grading tools (because SAE is a crucial part of the program that should be weighted with a grade.)
• SAE Assessment tab
• Gives feedback for students and builds a teacher's journal (which helps build teacher contracts)

Video chat from today's talk with Dr. Hanagriff.

SAE Student Success Story #14 - Texas

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 #14 - Texas

Tim and his family lived just outside town in a semi-rural area. Like so many young men his age his main interest seem to revolve around getting a drivers license and owning a pick-up truck.  There were times when Tim struggled to meet the minimum requirements which we had set for our program. He made it clear that if and when he ever graduated from high school he had no desire or intention to continue his formal education. 

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers announced that they were planning to construct a dam and create a new lake in an area just east of where Tim and his family were living at the time.  I remember reading an announcement in class one day which offering interested individuals the opportunity to cut firewood in the area which would soon be underwater.  A couple of days later Tim came and asked me how much it would cost him to purchase a chain saw.  After a lot of safety coaching and a conversation with his parents Tim did get a chain saw and some helpers.  Together they spent the next two years cutting firewood from the soon to be lake bed and selling it to suburban homeowners throughout the area.  During his senior year in high school the lake started filling and the opportunity to cut and sell firewood was drying up as the remaining trees were going underwater.  This just meant that Tim and his hired crew, mostly other high school ag students, had to change their business plan.

Soon Tim was operating a tree service.  When he graduated from high school Tim’s operation included two full service crews and two trucks.  I used Tim’s company many times to do work at my own home.  His business expanded into septic tank service as well.  By the time most of his high school classmates had earned a college degree Tim was building, installing and servicing septic tanks throughout the region in addition to his very successful tree service business. 

Tim continues to own and operate his business.  He now has an entire fleet of septic service trucks with a sign on the back of each that reads “Think of us when you flush”.   

Submitting Teacher: Mr. Ron Whitson

SAE Theorem #12 (Moore, 2003, The Agricultural Education Magazine)

FFA proficiency awards should be given at the local level. The National FFA is willing to provide proficiency award medals and certificates free of charge to local FFA Chapters. Therefore, the agriculture teacher should be lavish in promoting quality SAE programs by giving these awards at the local level for quality SAE programs. This ill further motivate the students.

You are a developing positive agent of change who will one day help students explore and grow into their unlimited potential through agricultural education!

In your Corner,

Dr. Foster

SAE Student Success Story - Story #9 - Texas

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 #10- Texas

Dawn was a bright and outgoing young lady even when she first entered high school in the early 1990’s.  She had spent her early years in a rural area of Ohio.  Her family had relocated to our area while she was in middle school.  Her father worked for a national banking firm and her mother taught elementary school.  In those days much of the emphasis in Texas was still focused on directing students toward SAE projects that related to either plants or animals.  Dawn did start with an animal project but was always looking for ways to expand her opportunity to serve.  It was clear to see that she was a leader, but difficult at that time, even a veteran teacher, to understand how that talent could be transformed into her supervised agriculture experience program. 

Dawn was selected to attend the National FFA Convention in the fall of her sophomore year.  There she discovered that students from other parts of the country were incorporating community service and community development into their SAE program.  She became very excited at this prospect and began to look for opportunities to serve that included the connection to agriculture.  Throughout the remaining years in high school she was able to have a major impact on projects and programs throughout the community as well as into the larger cities of Dallas and Fort Worth which were nearby.  It was not unusual to have community leaders call and ask me to put her in contact with them or to praise some role that she had taken in their community efforts.

Dawn, of course, graduated and went on the college and the life beyond that.  We have continued to keep in touch over the years, now days as ‘friends’ on Facebook. She is now a director of emergency preparedness in Anchorage, Alaska where she now lives.  Almost every week I will see a Facebook post from her detailing some cause or program that she is involved in.  Still serving people as her main goal.

Submitting Teacher: Mr. Ron Whitson

SAE Theorem #7 (Moore, 2003, The Agricultural Education Magazine)

Time should be allowed in class for record keeping. If students are to take record keeping seriously, the teacher should take it seriously.  To show the importance of record keeping, time should be allotted during the agricultural class for students to update their records. Some teachers have a set time every month or two weeks. Students should bring all receipts, pay stubs, bills, etc to class to update.

You are a developing positive agent of change who will one day help students explore and grow into their unlimited potential through agricultural education!