As a scholarship recipient, Smith attended the NAAE annual convention in Nashville, December 5-9.
The Teachers Turn the Key scholarship brings together agricultural educators with four or fewer years of experience and immerses them in three days of professional development that addresses issues specific to the early years of teaching agriculture.
Participants also have the opportunity to become involved in NAAE leadership and network with other NAAE convention attendees. TTTK awardees come away from the experience with a long-lasting peer cohort and tools that will help them have successful careers as agricultural educators.
Smith centers her educational strategy around the phrase “learn by doing.” One way she puts that philosophy into action is by co-teaching a three-tiered lesson with her school’s woodshop instructor. Students learn to identify native wood, score boards, and then build a birdhouse as a team.
Smith guides her students as they complete their Supervised Agricultural Experiences. SAEs are independent student projects that combine academic and workplace skills, preparing students for occupations or college.
One example is a local division of Anheuser-Bush, Elk Mountain Farms, that provides a student internship to research hops, record data, and identify pests. Students have received recognition through FFA at the state and national levels for their SAE projects.
Thanks to Smith’s influence, the school’s FFA Chapter has tripled in size since she become the advisor. Through FFA, Smith’s students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of career development events, including agricultural mechanics, dairy foods, and prepared public speaking.
“Julie is an alternatively certified teacher who stepped in to a program to save it from closing. Instead of just managing a program, she has thrived and expanded the program to its current capacity,” said Sue Poland, Homedale FFA Advisor and Idaho Vocational Agriculture Teacher Association President Elect.
In addition to attending professional development, each of the TTTK scholarship recipients was also recognized at a general session during the NAAE convention. RAM Trucks sponsors the TTTK program as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.
NAAE is the professional organization in the United States for agricultural educators. It provides its more than 8,000 members with professional networking and development opportunities, professional liability coverage, and extensive awards and recognition programs.
The mission of NAAE is “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.” The NAAE headquarters are in Lexington, Kentucky.