JackEd Up
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JackEd Up
Agricultural Education: The Next Generation of Farming
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Questions or follow up, reach out to our guest, Ms. Smith
angayla.smith23@rcschools.net.
Resources:
Global Connections of the FFA
While rooted in the United States, the National FFA Organization actively connects students to a global network of agriculture, trade, and technology. This episode explores how FFA bridges the gap between local chapters and worldwide impact through three main pillars:
Global Corporate Partnerships: FFA collaborates with multinational giants like Cargill, PepsiCo, General Mills, and Corteva to introduce students to global food supply chains, international trade, and sustainable commercial agriculture.
International Travel & Exchange: Through programs like the International Leadership Seminar for State Officers (ILSSO), student leaders travel to countries across Europe to study foreign farming techniques and international agricultural policy firsthand.
Space & STEM Innovation: FFA partners with global scientific initiatives, including the Plant the Moon Challenge (in collaboration with NASA) and Invention Convention Worldwide, to engage students in solving global sustainability and food security challenges.
Fun Fact/Clarification: Don't confuse the student agriculture group with the other FFA! There is also the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), an intergovernmental body connected to the United Nations that manages regional deep-sea fisheries.
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#global #professionaldevelopment
Oh yeah, about education all day. Bright mind, bold moves, let's elevate. We're talking schools, we're breaking rules, we innovate.
SPEAKER_02Jacked Up, an educational podcast hosted by Jackie and Ed. Jacked Up dives headfirst into the wild world of learning with unfiltered energy, sharp insight, and a profound love of all things education. From classroom innovations and policy debates to quirky pedagogy and unexpected lessons from the trenches, this podcast breaks down complex topics with humor, heart, and a whole lot of passion. If you're an educator, lifelong learner, or just someone who believes that curiosity is a superpower, get ready to get jacked up about education. Brought to you by Alignment Consulting LLC. Intentional strategies, impactful solutions.
SPEAKER_05All right, welcome, listeners, to another exciting episode of the Jacked Up Podcast. Um, I didn't realize that uh my co-host Ed was such a performer when we collaborated on this journey. He is still rehearsing, and I think the debut is starting any day now. So he's he's out doing his thing. So stepping in for Ed today is our beloved Mrs. Pozo. If you know, you know. Um if you don't, please tune in. She is our co-host today, but she was a guest twice. Both episodes are brilliant and touching. Um, you know, and in our trailer, we talk about the passion of the show, and definitely you hear that through her episodes. And more importantly, you're gonna hear that again today as we bring a new guest to you. So, welcome, Miss Fozo. I'm so excited you're with us today, stepping in for Ed. Um, welcome.
SPEAKER_04Thank you, thank you. First of all, I just want to say that stepping in for Ed is a little intimidating because apparently he's preparing for a Grammy and not a podcast episode. But seriously, I'm so excited to be here tonight. One of the things I absolutely love about Jack Dubb is that we get to have real conversations with people who are deeply passionate about what they do. And you can always tell when someone is working from purpose and not just profession. And tonight's guest definitely embodies that. So without further ado, it's my pleasure to introduce Ms. Angela Smith, a Nashvillean, raised in South Nashville. She attended K-12 in the public school system of Rutherford County. She took agriculture in high school and was inspired by her time in a school greenhouse. We'll hear more about that. Um, she went to MTSU for plant and soil science with a minor in secondary education. She also graduated Summa Kumwadi, congrats, and performed undergraduate research on soil compactation. Currently, she teaches agriculture in the same school system where she grew up. And she is also a graduate student at Tennessee State University. Very, very, very accomplished young lady here. So, Ms. Smith, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited. We just here goes our first question. Okay. We want to know what made you want to become an agriculture teacher.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so whenever I got into high school, I had an absolutely amazing agriculture teacher, Hope Wilburn. Um, she taught for a few years and she also ran an amazing greenhouse. Um, we had so many plants, an amazing plant sale, and I really enjoyed spending time in her class. After that, I went to college and I had a really good professor, Cheney Mosley, and he told me that I could do that as a job and it would be stable and I could have insurance and all those things. So that's my decision. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04All the teacher perks, right? Like numbers all. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05That's awesome. Yeah, I'm really excited that we're talking about agricultural education today, um, you know, because our listeners are actually global, right? So we have people listening into this, um, and I would say not all of them are educators, right? But we're all touched by this topic in the sense that if we're not working necessarily with the students themselves, we're impacted by farming, right? And so I'm excited that you are here. And and I once I took a look at your information and really thought about it, I just want to start off with the basics because even I from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from the state of Wisconsin, Great Dairy State, I think I have a pretty narrow view of what agriculture all entails. So if you could just kind of give us a foundational understanding of what is it, what is agricultural education? And more importantly, I know you're involved with FFA. Yes.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so agriculture generally, we're looking at food, feed, and fiber. Um, those things are impacting all of our daily lives. And because of how much impact it has, um, the United States education system has decided to implement the career pathway of agriculture education. So, what that means is we are preparing students to practically apply like STEM and principles, leadership principles, um, in order to have students graduate and go into that career field. So, alongside agricultural education is the intra-curricular organization, FFA, which what it does is it prepares students for leadership skills mostly. There are some uh practical competitions and things like that, but it is in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, FFA. Um it's just kind of like a supplementary organization to agricultural education that teachers can use and connect with other teachers and other students. So, yeah, that's what it is.
SPEAKER_04That's amazing. You mentioned some leadership opportunities for students. I remember that I was I helped you do the interviews for the roles. Yes. Can you talk to us a little bit more about how that helps our students have some leadership gain leadership skills?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so um what you're talking about and what you helped me with is our interview process. Every school can do it differently, every teacher can do it differently depending on their students and you know what they think would be best for them. But what I found is that by implementing officers, it mimics the way that the national organization operates, where you have president, vice president, secretary, reporter, and so forth. And those um, the national FFA organization, you know, uses that, which corporations use as well. So we bring it all the way down to like the public school level where students gain those responsibilities. Like, how do you be a secretary? How do you report on things? You know, what would a vice president do and look like? And uh, so that is what we are doing at the high school level. And it really prepares students for those leadership roles outside of high school, like uh whenever they put that on their resume that they were a vice president of a club or the reporter of a club, it shows that they developed those skills.
SPEAKER_05That's awesome. Yeah, because again, transferable. If I stay in that lane of that career path or if I pivot, the skills are there. Absolutely. And they support me. Love that. In the in regards to the organization itself, is there anything that surprised you when you got involved with FFA and on the onset or as you've worked with it over time? Oh, for sure.
SPEAKER_03So one of the main things that I came across, whenever I was in high school, I didn't really get involved in the club that much because I was always in the greenhouse. Like actually getting your hands dirty. But yes, now what I realize is that it's not just, you know, the farming kids, because now that's only according to the um American Farm Bureau, only 2% of the population is actually living on traditional farms. So in the United States, that is. Um, meaning that everybody else who's involved in agriculture, they're on the business side, you know, uh doing financial uh work. So what I discovered is that FFA actually has a lot of um STEM and business in it. So, for example, there's uh collaborations with the Farm Robotics Academy, the American Rocket Re Rocketry Challenge, drone technology. Um, there's speaking competitions like the National Spanish Creed Indiv Invitational Contest. And so what I'm seeing, and uh maybe a misconception that people might have is that it's just people who are traditionally farming, but that's definitely not true. It's grown so, so much. So I would say that was one thing that surprised me whenever I got more involved. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05That's awesome.
SPEAKER_03Wow, that's surprising to me.
SPEAKER_04Like honestly, I was one of those that just thought, oh, farms, yes, you know, livestock, being out there. I had no idea.
SPEAKER_03Yes, it's much bigger.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yes, absolutely. So it sounds like the field is diverse in the way in which and it makes sense because it's connected to the change of life, globalization, what farming looks like, and so on. But let's talk about diversity, even as people within the field slash the students that you serve, right? So it's kind of a two-pronged question. Um, talk about how the student population has changed over time, has it, and then who you serve?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I would say the student population has definitely shifted. In the beginning, in 1925, the organization was the future farmers of Virginia, and it was males only. And then from then on, it uh during the civil rights movement, we moved away from segregation. And then also in 1969, women were allowed in the organization, so then we saw another jump in popularity, and then after that, um, in 2016, the official dress became ungendered. So then, you know, we're opening up to everybody. And um, aside from those basic diversity things, we also have um students who are moving out of rural areas. Uh, you know, the United the United States is becoming more and more urbanized and suburbanized. So finding, you know, where does agriculture fit into all of those things and um those different locations, those different types of students who have, of course, their own value and their own different skills to bring to agriculture. Um, so I would say that the student population is becoming more diverse in the way of where they're living. You know, we're looking at demographics, they're becoming more diverse, and the teachers who are involved in uh agricultural education are becoming more diverse as well.
SPEAKER_05That's exciting. If I could just add real quick, it made me think of this like the shift of farm to factory, farm to city kind of thing. You know, it's interesting, my own experience is like cities where people are trying to find a plot to farm, right? Again, talking about the food aspect of it, but you're seeing kind of like that urban, so I have this growth out on my terrace, if you will, in the in the city kind of thing.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I thought very interesting how you mentioned earlier only two percent of Americans now are farmers. Yeah. You know, what are the implications of what's that gonna do to the impact in our future? You know, like my daughters are very much Gen Z children and they want to eat nothing that has to do with any type of chemical or corporations for them. So, you know, it makes me wonder, you know, what kind of future are we shaping? And how how do you think FFA can have uh influence in that?
SPEAKER_03Well, I think that FFA actually provides a really good place for these uh diverse thoughts um where we're looking at um organizations becoming more localized. So national FFA is uh, of course, all across the United States, they have their own principles. But locally, um, teachers can decide to focus on uh regional specific foods and fibers. Um, and also we're looking at globally a shift in resource resource management. And um, interestingly, there are some graduate students that I personally know that are trying to kind of jumpstart some FFA similar organizations across Europe and Africa that are um looking at those individual local ingredients like olives for olive oil or uh grapes for wine. So I think that what we're seeing is because we only have 2% of the population currently living and working on traditional farms, we may be importing, you know, more goods, but that doesn't mean that you know there aren't people who are doing those local, you know, we're looking at farmers' markets, are having a big boom right now. So yeah, we're we're kind of having a yes, there's a need for you know high production agriculture, but there's also a need for that human aspect where you're having the local foods um and foods like farm to table. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, like restaurants, even. I know some of them that's their that's their pitch, if you will, right? Like that's that's a value of ours and people to seek that out. Um so diversity is what I'm hearing, and I love the global perspective of what you just touched on. Could you just talk about like if we could have a peek into your classroom? What is what does that student body look like as far as diversity, who you serve?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so personally, um at my school and my location, uh, we have a 50% of my students are Hispanic, um, which is really great because a lot of my students come from countries where they have had their own experiences, farming or just with animals. And whenever I get students from all across the world, I also get like differing perspectives. So one thing that I try to do, you know, this is just an example of what you're asking, is I do an assignment every year where I have my students pick a country and research their soil. That's one of my things is soil, because it can tell so much about human history. And I ask them to look at their conservation practices. Do they personally think that the conservation is enough? Oftentimes they pick, you know, their home country or they pick a country that they're passionate about. And so I'm really able to see like I I have gotten students from Tanzania, I've gotten students from literally all over the world. So um I really try to like highlight their strengths and their experiences and listen to them and let them use those uh experiences in their assignments. And what a way to engage.
SPEAKER_05We talk about engaging kids, right? I was gonna say Ms. Poso, like, is it relevant to them? I mean, giving that choice, A, but then being able to tap into my history and my people and the soil that reflects my culture. Right. Like something like okay, and again, it's like that's why I love what we do because I can feel your passion. And I I just like you got that too. That tapping into that and getting kids fired up.
SPEAKER_04And how much that impacts achievement. You know, if you're learning something about, you know, where you come from, your roots, you're gonna pay more attention, and those you will see it reflected. You know, we're teachers are always talking about achievement, achievement, achievement, data, data, data, data. But we have to go back. We have to go back to what motivates them to learn, and you do that beautifully.
SPEAKER_05So, in regards to the course itself, um, because again, this for us out there, we have kind of a limited view. What are some of the in the in the course subject you mentioned you do the soil project? What are some other like just content, like kind of big content topics that you tap into while on, you know, what does the course layout look like for the program?
SPEAKER_03So at our school, we focus on animal science. However, agriculture generally across the United States includes things like agricultural mechanics, plant science, natural resource management, uh, veterinary science. In my day-to-day, I teach the freshman level class, which is kind of the introduction. It's called agri science. I am trying to hit all the different areas of agriculture and allow students to kind of find what they're interested in. Um, so let's say that in the beginning of the year I'm I'm teaching them about all the careers that are possible. Then I go into seeking skills. I'm, you know, I see I'm building, and then we go into the practical skills where I'm having them, you know, test out using tools, using uh, you know, hammers and saws to build bird houses, or I'm also having them, for example, I just have my students build like a little raised bucket garden bed because I had gotten this like growing little little lights and all those things. So I'm looking at plant science, animal science, mechanics, all of those things and how they tie together along with business and speaking. It's very broad.
SPEAKER_04I love the exposure that you're giving students, right? Giving them choice as to see what what it is that will call to them. Yeah, that's really good practice.
SPEAKER_05Thank you. So I think there was a part of building the program where you are. Um I think Miss Pozo, you were looking into that.
SPEAKER_04So you had shared with us a story about a small clipboard that had a huge impact and it was tied to building your program. Can you tell us about this story of yours?
SPEAKER_03Yes. So whenever I started the uh here at Laverne High School, um the program was on a decline because there had been so many shifting of teachers, and in agriculture, um, I'm sure, as you listeners can tell, there are a vast variety of topics, a vast variety of competitions and all those things. So having a continual shift of teachers uh can sometimes cause a decline in the program. So whenever I came in, I really saw that there was a need for uh unity. So what I did was in the study hall period, I had a few students who are very passionate and they wanted to do something for the world. Uh using, you know, you mentioned your daughters are Gen Z, and I find that uh a lot of Gen Z, they see all the negativity in the news or things like that, and they really want to make an impact. So I tried to kind of capitalize on their desires in that way. And so I had them write their names on a on the clipboard and that they were the planning committee. Okay. And so um what I did was I let them decide what we were gonna do, how we were gonna impact people. Um, and so what they decided on was the SPCA of Tennessee. And the organization at the time was just one woman who had a dream of helping uh connect animals, specifically dogs in need, to foster system and resources. And so what they did was they planned an arts and crafts auction all on this one clipboard. We didn't have any resources. We were in a portable and we we didn't have a farm, nothing like that. So they had to make all of the things themselves. They made arts and crafts. We invited um Selena Battle, she's the CEO of the SPCA of Tennessee. She actually came, she met all of my students. We gave her a portion of the funds that we raised from the auctions. And now the SPCA of Tennessee is all across Tennessee, not just Middle Tennessee anymore, and they're helping dogs every single day. She even had to hire like an assistant. She might have two now. She's so busy, but I I don't know, maybe that little little boost from our organization kind of rocket ship off. You know, we got a little bit of boost for her too. So yeah, that that was really the beginning, I would say, of the club um flourishing right now. All from a clipboard. Yes.
SPEAKER_04Where is this clipboard now? I still have it. I still have it.
SPEAKER_05It needs to be like gold, bronze, or whatever they call it, right? Put in the sidewalk as like a star.
SPEAKER_03Clipboard award.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. 100%. Yeah, that's exciting. And and you know, it's interesting because I think about like the threads that go through all the different episodes that we've had. Um, and you know, like past episodes where we talk about why are we holding on to all of this? Like, hand it over to the learners. Yeah, right, like like let them own it, right? Like I think in one of ours talking about like discipline, like where do students have voice and choice? And that is such a powerful for you to be able to step back with confidence and just let kids be and do. They're so smart. So smart. I mean, we need to really allow the brilliance to come through, right?
SPEAKER_04You know, we need to give them more credit, you know, because they can't do that. Organizing, yes, they can do so much, and they organize everything from the get-go. It just shows how much passion and how much organization and ideas that they themselves can put out there. And we just need to our job is to just guide and just let them shine. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. It's and it it takes, you know, a lot to be able to just step back and take that risk. Because in a sense, it's a risk, right? Where if I design it's me, you know, but I love that.
SPEAKER_03I have to let them like learn from those risks, you know, those failures, and allowing them to make a choice, and with my guidance, of course, and you know, if they do fall, if they do fail, you can give them encouragement, and you can't really learn unless you fail, you know, like you really can't. So, yeah, as as long as there are risks, there are also like rewards in that aspect of letting them have the self motivation to continue going. Um, it's just about being a s a supportive teacher.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I love that. And so being a small program, you gave us the essence of where you started and where you've been building. Any other um like struggles. That you've worked through and or advice to our listeners out there that may be in similar positions where the funding's not there or they're coming in and kind of trying to pick up the pieces. Anything else from your experience that you can share with them?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I would say that the best thing that I've done is like we've been talking about for the past few minutes, is allowing the students to kind of look at the situation and help you get to your goal. And especially, you know, being open about that communication, like saying, you know, we may be going to this competition, you may see schools that, you know, have different things than us, but that's okay. We're going to, you know, have our own things. And uh I would say a win this year that we had on that topic is we were doing fundraisers like our mom's sale and our strawberry sale. So trying to get money to go to our competitions for transportation and such. Um, but what was one of our biggest hits this year was the bake sale where the students they decided what to bake. They decided where we were going to sell it, all of those things. So I would say if you have a program of agricultural education, FFA, or you know, any other program where you're kind of coming in on a downswing, is looking and talking with the students about what they think will, you know, help jumpstart. Uh, I I just find that the students are so creative at at this age in high school. And I think that that also exists in middle and elementary school, but however, you it at those younger ages, you would have to provide a lot more scaffolding and supports. At the high school age, they're beginning to develop their own, you know, autonomous thoughts and such. So I would say, yeah, just listening to them, using their ideas creatively, um, would be the best choice.
SPEAKER_05Great, great advice.
SPEAKER_04Okay, all right, we want to shift gears just a little bit. Um Gen Z, right? These students, they they are into the news, they know what's going on. I've had students come up and ask about, you know, the big issues of the world. And given what's happening recently with, you know, the Strait of Armoose and not being able to get the fertilizer out there on time, you know, farmers are taking a huge risk and it's getting harder for them to manage crops, the risks in the market, the weather, the politics, the rising costs of everything. You know, what what would you say to you know a teacher who's got these kiddos in them right now, and they're asking all these questions, like what kinds of um pressures our farmers and our communities are trying to navigate right now, and what could our students do to help?
SPEAKER_03Yes, I think that as much as that question might seem like it could be uh taken negatively, I've actually found it that it is a very motivating factor for me, particularly, is that I'm helping students understand that they can have an impact on these struggles. Um, so my biggest thing is you need to have the skills to have an impact, particularly. Like if you have an idea, you need to have the communication skills uh to present that to whoever, you know, especially in politics. You definitely have to have, you know, the personality and developing those characteristics is an important part of what I do. But another thing is allowing students to see that they can be optimistic about the future if they apply all of the things that we learn, we talk about in class, we talk about these issues, we talk about globalization and the market and all of those risk factors, you have to be able to be knowledgeable on those to move forward. I I want to have my students look at a problem and be innovative instead of quit under the pressure. And I think that developing strong students, knowledgeable students, motivated students is the way to do that. Also, I want to, on that topic of you know, finding all of this uh negativity in the world and the struggles and the problems that we're coming across now that our population is booming. Um, there is a writer, his name is Wendell Barry, and he talks about the union of finding the concern for the world, but also the purpose and using that, you know, to create your own purpose. My, for example, my purpose could be uh ensuring that students are prepared for the careers or ensuring my students are motivated to go into this world and make a change. That might look different for everybody, but um, one of uh his books, Worldly Atonement, talks about how we're looking at the urbanites, we're looking at religious thinkers, small farmers, environmentalists, and all kind of combining forces and working for like a common purpose, you know, bettering the world, allowing making sure that we're having and producing enough food, feed, and fiber for everyone.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, like getting back to those basic needs that unite us all as a human race. Right? Like how beautiful is that.
SPEAKER_04And again, so refreshing to hear you say this because most educators out there are scared to touch these subjects in their classrooms.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_04But like you mentioned, if you put the positive spin to it, like we can't fix the problem if we don't know about it.
SPEAKER_00True.
SPEAKER_04So it's okay to talk about these things if we shed light on it. Like what you mentioned, giving them a purpose to be able to tackle these world issues. I find that very refreshing.
SPEAKER_05Especially from someone so young. Yeah, no, a hundred percent. Yeah, you're wise beyond your years. Yes, a hundred percent. But empowering the youth, and I I to piggyback off of that, you talked about like the purpose, but like I just I keep going back to hearing you say about the skills, so that I'm developing because it's one thing for me to sit in a corner and say, I have this great idea. But if I just sit with my idea, how does that impact right? So the beauty of you is looking at it from an educator, like, what is the skill set that my students need to have to then be in front of legislature someday to speak on behalf of their community and the food loss or the fact that it's filled with chemicals. Like it's just powerful. So I like this whole topic just really jazz me when we talked about having you on because it is really such a diverse field. We've talked about the skill sets that are are required, the resilience that we need, and there's so many different tracks that you can go within the field. Um, and I this might just kind of backtrack a little bit, but do you find the kids are talking about different fields? I'm just curious about your students. Do some of them want to do the drone thing? Yeah, and some of them are like, I want to be in the financial thick of it of trading commodities. I mean, do you find that with your kids' interest?
SPEAKER_03So, um, for example, my students this year, we competed in seven different competitions uh that I advised. One of them was welding. You know, you you might not think, uh, how does welding apply to agriculture? But really, you have to be able to repair your the right to repair. You guys can look that up. That is a big deal right now. Repairing your own equipment, being, you know, able to have those tool sets. That's one. But also I have students who um want to become a veterinary tech or become a veterinarian or even work in a shelter, like those beginning things. I have students uh across the board. They are all competing in different competitions in order to prepare themselves. They're they're investing in themselves, they're spending that time uh studying. I help them study, I make sure that they have the tools to do that, and then they compete in this competition. They may not, of course, win all the time, but it's it's it's about the journey. Yeah, the experience.
SPEAKER_05Absolutely. To have the courage, right? And the preparedness, again, alone in itself is beautiful.
SPEAKER_03One of the uh competitions that I did this year was with one of my seniors, um, and she did an employment skills competition. So she had to write a resume, a cover letter, she had to do an interview, uh, write a follow-up email. Uh, those are on sometimes the more business side, but there is also a competition agricultural mechanics, which that was the welding competitions kind of like sister. And um, so what I'm finding is students are in my wheelhouse, they're very interested in veterinary science. I think that that's because mostly of the subjects that I teach here. However, um, I do know that those more scientific-based, where we're looking at natural resource management, grown technology, um, mining, uh, financial literacy. Those things are very popular among our general student body in the United States, just because that's what they're uh like calling back, that's what they're seeing in the news. They're saying, you know, where are we fracking right now? What national parks are impacted? Right. How do we preserve all of these things for you know the future generations?
SPEAKER_05AI data centers in Memphis taking water. I mean, it's real. It's real.
SPEAKER_04Yes, and and they they know about it. And what what we're impressed by you is that you're preparing them. It's not just about farming, I don't know. You are preparing them, you're giving them real skills that they can walk out of this high school and be able to walk into a workforce and be knowledgeable of what they're doing. I mean, how many adults have we met that don't even know how to write a couple letters? Right. Like that is impactful work. So before we close tonight, I just want to reflect for a moment on something that really stood out throughout this conversation. Agriculture education is so much bigger than what many people picture when they hear the word farming. Tonight we talked about diversity, we talked about leadership, rebuilding programs, supporting our students, and also the very real global pressures impacting agriculture right now, including the war, the supply chain disruptions, rising costs, and the uncertainty around the world. But you also showed and talked a lot about the hope that you're building in these students. That yes, these things are happening and it's a reality, but hope is also a reality because we're preparing them with the proper skills to be able to build a better future. And those realities may seem far away to some people, but they are absolutely, you know, reach our classrooms, our communities, and our dinner tables, y'all. Yeah. So what gives me hope is hearing educators like tonight's guests who are preparing students not just for jobs, but for adaptability, for problem solving, for leadership, and resilience. My goodness, we need this so much right now. So agricultural education is evolving, and students are learning how deeply connected our world really, really is. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05And so, you know, any before I just wrap up, any quick um kind of lesson from the trenches of like something doable that you would say to an ag teacher out there that, you know, just this could be applied tomorrow, and I think it makes impact. What's a what's something you would share?
SPEAKER_03Say for an ad teacher who might be struggling, is to save your materials from year to year, and then revise those based on the changing population and interests that you see in your current classroom students. That would be the most practical tool tip that I would give an agriculture teacher who might be struggling is to save what you're doing. Don't, you know, don't say, oh, this year was so hard. It's gonna be another year. No, say this year was hard and then next year will be easier because I've dealt with these struggles and these challenges before. Because you've grown.
SPEAKER_04Yes, absolutely. So wherever you're listening from around the world, we encourage you to continue these conversations, support educators like our beautiful Miss Smith. Our students, our communities are doing this important work. Ask questions, build connections, and help students see that they have a place in shaping this future.
SPEAKER_05I love that, Miss Ploso. I'm so glad you are here, and what a great conversation we had. So thank you all for joining us, and we look forward to coming together at another time. But thank you all for listening. Have a great night.
SPEAKER_01That brings us to the end of today's episode of Jacked Up. I hope the ideas we explored gave you something meaningful to think about, something you can apply, and something that expands the way you see the world.
SPEAKER_05If today's conversation helped you learn, grow, or understand a topic a little more deeply, make sure you follow and like. Share this episode with someone who's curious, someone who loves learning, or someone who could benefit from the insights we covered.
SPEAKER_01And if you'd like to support the work we're doing, leaving a review goes a long way in helping more listeners discover the podcast.
SPEAKER_05Until next time, stay curious, stay engaged, and keep leveling up your mind. And most importantly, stay jacked up. Signing off.
SPEAKER_06Oh yeah, about education today.
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