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| Jonathon and his sister, Renee, stripping tobacco. |
Jonathan is an active FFA member and will complete Penn Manor's Ag Production program when he graduates this year. He has been developing his Placement and Entrepreneurship Specialty Crop SAE projects since he was in middle school, and currently has his Keystone Degree. We went to visit his SAE project on his family's farm, where they grow 26 acres of tobacco every year in addition to other crops. It was easy to see how much Jonathon has learned over the years. He talked me through the entire process of producing tobacco including pest management, why you have to top the tobacco plants before they flower (the plant can focus its energy on growing the leaves instead of a flower), cutting and drying the plants, and finally stripping the leaves. I also got to see how the leaves are graded and sorted as they are stripped. Producing quality tobacco is both a science and an art, according to Jonathon and his dad, and it also takes a lot of time and hard work.
Before the visit, we planned the date with Jonathon and Mr. Fellenbaum and I talked about how he has grown his SAE over the years. I would evaluate Jonathon's SAE project based on learning that is evidenced both during the visit and through his AET record books. At one point during the visit, I asked Jonathon what is the most important quality/characteristic he's developed by producing tobacco. He immediately answered, "taking the time to do things right the first time." Jonathon keeps records on his project in AET and will be applying for a proficiency award this year. In the Penn Manor ag program, SAE's are a part of the class grade. In addition, students earn 1 SAE credit per year by investing at least 120 hours into their project and keeping record of it. SAE visits also make up a part of students' evaluations, and the four ag teachers here at Penn Manor divide and conquer SAE visits over the summer.
I really enjoyed visiting Jonathon and learning all about his SAE project. It's truly awesome to see students get excited and teach you something they love learning about!
It is great to see that there is planning with the students prior to the visit. It is important for everyone to know the objectives and expectations for the visit. Do you have any type of structured follow-up with student following the visit, or is all feedback provided during the visit?
ReplyDeleteRose, what a cool SAE to see in action! It is good that you made the visit both planned and purposeful, and allowed your student to demonstrate what he has learned and how he has grown his SAE. How often do you visit your students' SAEs in action, and do they have to complete paperwork in advance or after the visit to put in their record books?
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