Becoming a School-Based Agriculture Teacher

Introduction

This section will introduce the meaning of school-based agricultural education, indicate its scope and size, suggest who might be drawn to the profession and why, identify career opportunities beyond the classroom, and provide a list of objectives for the chapter. People who teach agriculture to students in grades K-12 in public, private, and parochial schools are commonly known as school-based agriculture teachers. Formal programs of instruction in agriculture at this level are referred to as school-based agricultural education programs. Most of the full-time school-based agriculture teachers and their programs are at the high school and middle school levels. The most recently available data (Foster et al., 2021) shows that more than 13,000 people in the United States are employed as school-based agricultural educators, and there are approximately 1500 jobs available each year. Historically the demand for school-based agriculture teachers has been equal to or greater than the number of qualified candidates. In addition, about 25% of newly qualified teachers do not immediately pursue employment in school-based agricultural education. This generally creates a shortage of teachers and makes it difficult to fill all openings. On a positive note, this demonstrates that people with a degree in Agricultural Education are in demand, and it also presents significant opportunity for those aspiring to be school-based agricultural educators.

Teaching school-based agricultural education is a fantastic occupation. People who love agriculture-related subjects and have a passion for sharing what they know with others may find that teaching is an illustrious career path. School-based agriculture teachers are primarily motivated to become teachers by intrinsic and altruistic factors. They likely have a strong interest in agriculture, enjoy learning, view teaching as a challenging profession, believe that they will find fulfillment in doing something that they enjoy, believe they have an opportunity to make a difference, and want to serve others. Agriculture teachers are also motivated by extrinsic factors such as pay and benefits, availability of resources, rewards and recognition, and job security. Extrinsic factors, however, are not as influential as intrinsic and altruistic factors. School-based agriculture teachers continue teaching because they are satisfied and fulfilled, they continue to grow in their knowledge and skills, they have an appropriate level of autonomy and decision-making authority, they have a supportive administration and community, and they have developed a satisfactory work-life balance (Ismail, 2018).

Many people start out teaching agriculture in elementary, middle, and high schools. Some remain there for their entire career and find it to be extremely rewarding. Teaching at this level is anything but boring. There is always something new to learn about agriculture and education. Technology continues to change how things are done. Teachers get a new class of students every year, and they get to see the successes of those who came through their program. The bottom line is that teachers make a positive difference for their students and community.

Some teachers move on to different roles within and outside of school-based agricultural education. They may become community college instructors or university professors. Others might pursue a position on their state staff representing agricultural education or career and technical education. At the state level, titles might include director, state supervisor, district supervisor, agricultural education consultant, FFA advisor, or FFA executive secretary. At the national level, many opportunities exist through the National FFA Organization, the National Association of Agricultural Educators, and the Association for Career and Technical Education. Roles at this level could include organizational management, curriculum development, professional development for teachers, and conference planning. Some agriculture teachers move into different roles within education such as guidance counselor, principal, or superintendent. Some pursue a path aligned with their agricultural expertise. They might work for agribusinesses in a plethora of diverse ways, they could work for state or federal government agencies, or they might become entrepreneurs. The point is teaching K-12 agricultural education is a wonderful place begin a professional career. It also opens many other doors for those who are interested in outside opportunities.