University of Idaho Agricultural Education, Leadership, and Communications

Trent Van Leuven, Ag Instructor at Mackay High  School,  shares how he engages students in a diverse array of  diciplines with a hands-on learning enviroment       I changed my major at the University of Idaho from Ag Econ to Ag Ed after Mr. Pratt at Nezperce High School told me that I did a great job on a workshop and that I should consider teaching agriculture.  I had over 700 miles to think about it and had my decision by the time I made it home for Thanksgiving.      Teaching provides many fulfilling moments.  In one class I had a student who never spoke outside of his home present the FFA Creed (to the astonishment of his peers) which began a cascade of speaking in public.  Last year I worked on a surprise for a student as she won the Culver’s Essay competition.  Each year I enjoy seeing students marvel at the size of the FFA membership in the opening session at the National FFA Convention—in which I get to remark “this is only one of three opening sessions because we

Education specialist and vandal alumni Casey Zufelt describes the  career opportunities available through the National FFA "Everything speaks. Everything, always.”   I first heard this saying during my first National FFA leadership conference training. Our trainer was instilling in us that every word we speak, every action we took, every song we played set a learning environment that we could control for our students. Our job was it to make it matter. Always.   This idea has stuck with me, and is one I try to live myself – and pass on to those I train. My role at National FFA is to ensure that the over 8,500 members and 16 facilitators involved in 212°/360° conferences, 50 participants and 5 staff a part of New Century Farmer and over 12,000 attendees of student leadership workshops at the National FFA Convention & Expo get the best experience possible. It’s such an incredibly fulfilling feeling know that the work we do ever