Week 4 As the Intern - Mr. Kurtz Goes to ACES

 This week I attended the Pennsylvania FFA Agricultural Cooperation Establishes Success (ACES) Conference and got a new perspective on old memories

Professional Development

Pennsylvania Ag Ed is impressive because even after graduation, The Center for Professional Personnel Development and #teachagpsu continue to foster the growth of educators. I had the privilege of attending a PD workshop on greenhouse/ nursery entrepreneurial learning activities while my students rushed away to their leadership workshops. This PD was top notch and included content subject matter experts from Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.

Courtesy Corp

Thankfully I have a cooperating teacher that pushes me to do more and be better. Sherisa signed me up to help out with Courtesy Corp which means I will be staying up and making sure that no kids do anything silly. This is exciting because I remember what it was like to be a student at this conference trying to keep it down after 11 PM as to evade trouble. Now I'm the big dog keeping these kids in line which is rewarding. 

Ag Ed is A Family

The people around me have known me for about 5 years since I was a PA FFA State Officer. Even as a young buck of 18 years old, PA Ag teachers have always been a warm group of people to be around. Now I am one of those Ag teachers which means I can relate to these people on a more personal level and perhaps even address them by their name.

Overall

This week has gone well and the heat is turning up because I'm starting to teach material that requires me to allot more time for planning. Regardless, I'm enjoying the gig and look forward to even more growth.