The Calm Before the Snow Storm

This year the GOALs Cohort 2 has been learning how to better advocate for global agriculture within the classroom and the community. In the fall, we were able to attend the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogues in Des Moines, Iowa. Here we were able to interact with World Food Prize Laureate winners, other leaders, and advocates for issues pertaining to food insecurity. In addition, students from Penn State and the University of Idaho joined together to discuss issues with global food insecurity and how to approach these topics in lesson plans for our Spring Immersion sites. We ended up modifying four sample lessons and creating a fifth lesson entirely on our own in cross-institutional groups. This truly began my journey at Penn State. 

Now, in a little less than a week, I will be heading out for my GOALs Cohort 2 Spring Immersion to Minnesota with Paige, my GOALs partner. (So much for nice spring weather!) Minnesota will be cold and snowy! I get to teach my modified lessons to a group of 7th graders about global agriculture and food insecurity. Plus, an opportunity to potentially co-teach another class with Paige is also in the works. Meanwhile, Paige will also be teaching a group of high schoolers her modified lessons. This whole semester has been preparing our lessons for this coming week. During this week, not only will we be teaching classes, but we will also be able to help out with the Farm Bureau event for elementary schoolers, take a field trip, and go on tours to learn about Minnesota agriculture and the community. Interesting fact: For "Little House on the Prairie" fans, only a few hours away from where we will be is the town of Walnut Grove! Who knows if we will be able to make a tour fit into our schedule! 

As of now, I am in the process of packing (especially warm clothes) and making sure that I have all my lesson materials ready to go.

So, stay tuned to my blog space and social media for updates about my Spring Immersion experience! I can't wait to share with you all! Be sure to comment below to share your thoughts and support!

Keeping It Veal,

Emily Jay

Global Outreach in Agricultural Education

 A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Global Teach Ag Network's (GLAG) Kickoff Week. 

For those of you who don't know what this is, it is a social platform on Mighty Networks where people from all over the world can come together and share their passions for global agriculture. You don't even have to be an agricultural educator to join! Some are Art and English teachers while others are people in the world that have a passion for advocating about global agricultural issues, like food insecurity. The goal is centered around the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are 17 goals that deal with agriculture on a global scale and how to meet the needs of all people. Such goals include zero hunger, building relationships, and education.  

Anyhow, during this event, (as part of the GOALs cohort 2) we were able to connect with people all over the world and learn about why they joined the network and what their passions are. The guest speaker, Dr. Alexa Lamm from the University of Georgia took us further in this community by provoking thought about our action statements. Mine was: to educate all ages about agriculture, so that I can inspire others to reach their full potential and become advocates for the agricultural industry. Plus, we also learned about different groups within the #GLAG network that bring creative ways to advocate for these passions. GLAGreads is a group that is similarly set up like a book club that dives into books that entail aspects of agriculture in order to discuss these issues on a global scale. Next, GLAGcreates is a group that dives into the creativity and artistry of agriculture through poetry and other art forms. Lastly, GLAGjr is a guided curriculum for students to understand global agriculture in fun ways that include badges! Each of these groups can give vast amounts of new materials for your classroom or community while also communicating with others in a space that is welcoming and free of judgement. 

So, if you are looking for somewhere to share and get ideas about new teaching materials or wanting to join a community where your passions lie, check out the Mighty Networks GLAG space! The link to join is here: https://global-teach-ag-network.mn.co/.  

Join and you just might see some amazing upcoming posts of the GOALs cohort 2's Spring Immersions! 

Keeping It Veal,

Emily Jay