South Central PAAE Meeting

Last week the South Central Region hosted a regional PAAE, which is typically scheduled for twice a year. This was my last professional experience with Mike and Krista as Greenwood's student teacher. I am always amazed to see so many dedicated teachers who take time outside of school, and pay for membership with their own money, all to invest in their own development as teachers to better their schools. It has been my observation, that teachers who are involved in PAAE are always involved. The same teachers I saw at this meeting, I see at nearly every other meeting or event. They aren't great teachers for being so involved, but rather, they are so involved because they are great teachers.
 
PAAE provides agriculture teachers the opportunity to communicate and connect with each other outside of the classroom. It really helps to bring the profession together, and seeing the level of involvement from these teachers really illustrates how, even in competition, we all have one common goal for bettering youth and telling the story about agriculture. During the meeting, Mike Brammer reviewed the budget and discussed some of the logistics for the state FFA convention this summer. Dr. Curry made announcements about some of the opportunities Penn State is offering as well. I appreciate the fact that the university is in good contact with the organization, as it really helps to build the connection between programs and provide a link to the university for the teachers. It was interesting to see how the news  regarding the lobbying issues was handled.

During our meeting, the FFA met in the next room over. I love that student and teacher events are almost always scheduled at the same time. Greenwood only brought one student, as it was for those who wish to become a state FFA officer. I think the students really enjoyed having a meal with the current state officers and had the chance to connect with other applicants.