What did NAAE do at the National FFA Convention? 

Here's how NAAE participated:

At the Teach Ag Booth in the Career Show

Forty FFA chapters rode the Cash Bus and answered tough agriculture-related questions--everything from what type of greenhouse do you grow tropical plants in to name three breeds of dairy cows--for a chance to win a Teach Ag water bottle or our 2011 Teach Ag T-shirt. Hundreds of students signed up for the Teach Ag Campaign and are looking forward to receiving  monthly Teach Updates in their e-mail inboxes. Students also participated in our first photo caption contest, providing a set of inspiring and clever captions for our photographs. One lucky student won a prize package with a Teach Ag backpack, water bottle, and T-shirt. Over two-hundred students attended our Teach Ag Student workshops to learn more about the profession. 

At the NAAE booth, teachers and students dropped by to share their completed Teach Ag posters to enter our Poster Build Contest. Annette Weeks from Washington won the drawing for a $350 Classroom Supplies Grant, and Jamie Renier from Wisconsin won the $100 Student Scholarship. 

National Teach Ag Campaign Coordinator Ellen Thompson was on hand at the 40th Annual Meeting of the FFA Alumni held in conjunction with the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.  Ellen addressed the over 200 Alumni members and delegates from across the US on ways to get involved in the Teach Ag Campaign and increase the recruitment and retention of agriculture teachers.

If you couldn't make it to the convention, but you'd like to sign up for the campaign, they can sign up at www.naae.org/teachag.

At Teachers' World

NAAE also managed the Teachers World workshops and Internet Café as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. Teachers spent time connecting at the Teachers Internet Cafe sponsored by Monsanto and attending workshops designed to enhance their knowledge and classrooms. Over 30 workshops were available for teachers along with the DuPont Agriscience Institute and the Pfizer Animal Heath workshops. Two lucky teachers attended multiple workshops and won our drawing for free iPad2s. Congratulations to Wes Crawford from Oregon and Patrick O'Keefe from Connecticut. Between workshops, educators tweeted up on our #ffatw11 hashtag thread and won other giveaways. 

At the ATA Conclave

At the ATA Conclave conference during the 2011 National FFA Convention, National Teach Ag Campaign Coordinator Ellen Thompson and NAAE President Greg Curlin addressed the 150+ attendees.  Greg shared some of the benefits of NAAE membership and presented awards to 100% membership organizations.  In addition Ellen updated the group on current Teach Ag initiatives and encouraged the future teachers to start brainstorming some ways to celebrate National Teach Ag Day.