Abstract

It's 7:40 am on a Monday morning, the bell has just rung and our first period horticultural science class is about to start. As the freshman students settle down to their work on this crisp September morning, it becomes glaringly apparent that the school year is fully under way. Today's topic is an introduction to FFA, led off by the reading of the FFA Creed. As the hands of today's volunteers go up, paragraphs are assigned, we begin to absorb this timeless piece. As the first student recites the opening paragraph so eloquently written by E.M. Tiffany, our year's perspective comes into full view. I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words, but of deeds. Achievements won by present and past generations of agriculturists, in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have been brought to us through the struggles of former years. Contained in that one paragraph is the bridge of technology and science from one era to next, but also contained is the past and future of agricultural education. As class continues in our suburban classroom setting, we are reminded of how. different agricultural education is today than it has ever been in the past. We have long since passed the days of the traditional agriculture 1,2,3,4 curriculum and have moved into a world of aquaculture, natural resources, veterinary science, horticultural science, and biotechnology. A curriculum area once only offered in rural agricultural communities is now a mainstay in not only rural school districts, but suburban, and urban as well. And yet the question of our freshman students remains, how does this relate to me? Fortunately, we have curriculum that inherently offers an answer. As we continually align our curriculum with state standards, national skill standards, and maintain cross-accreditation within our school districts, the one worry we never have to entertain is the worthwhile nature of our curriculum. A plentiful food source and interest in preservation of the environment have become increasing areas of interest to all citizens, not just those involved in the field of agriculture. This interest continues into all secondary science classrooms, and the diversification continues of traditional science programs to more closely emulate the practical, hands-on characteristics of the agriculture classroom. While the traditional classes race to catch up, we continue to forge ahead into the new frontier of teaching and the fast changing field of agriculture. Whether we are working on raising native plant species in the greenhouse to help restore a native salmon run in a stream restoration project the class has undertaken, or studying the skeletal structure of a canine specimen at the local veterinary clinic, the intrigue of science is alive in our classrooms. As students come to us with an elementary knowledge of genetics and DNA, gleaned from their favorite crime fighting television show, we introduce the spooling of wheat germ DNA and the process of DNA electrophoresis into the classroom. Students are finding it easier to make the connection of chemistry and math from a theoretical approach to applying and using it first hand. As science and technology continue to advance, our curriculum stays in step by offering students current laboratory applications and insight into the changing face of the agriculture industry. As the final student volunteer recites the closing paragraph of the FFA Creed, it rings loud and clear that each student can exert influence in their home and community. It will be our mission this year to open new doors for this student in the FFA and in the classroom that allow them to reach this full potential with the skills and abilities necessary to be a skilled and knowledgeable leader for the next generation. …

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