Why Agricultural Education?
Why agricultural education? This is a question that I have been asked quite a few times already and I know I will be asked again. As I mentioned in a previous post I did not grow up with an agricultural background. I have always been interested in animals, plants and the world around me in general but I didn’t take part in agriculture-related activities growing up. This is due to myself and my family being misinformed on what different programs, such as 4-H, involved. As I’ve continued on through school I have learned more about the different forms of agricultural education and I have come to the conclusion that this is what I want to do.
While I have not always known what I wanted to do there were two things that I knew for sure. I wanted to do something that in some way involves animals and I wanted to help people. At first, I had thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, as I’d thought this would be the best way to accomplish these goals. And while it is true that I would be working with animals and helping people in this career path I soon decided that this wasn’t for me as I knew I did not have the ability to do so. After that, I’d thought of different careers within which I could work to help others in some way while also doing something related to animals. During high school, I decided that I also wanted to do something related to environmental science as I rediscovered my own desire to learn about the world around me. Due to this desire and my genuine love of nature, I decided to go to Penn State DuBois and major in Wildlife Technology. With this degree, I had hoped to gain the content knowledge that I would need to determine a career path in the natural resources field. As I progressed through my education, I discovered a desire to teach and share my knowledge and what I learn with others.
Knowing that I wanted to do something with environmental education was only the first step as there are many different career paths within education that an individual could take. The main areas that I am interested in are extension education and formal education. As these areas focus on educating either youth and/or the general public on the importance of environmental issues I feel that they are key to promoting environmental literacy. This also goes hand in hand with agricultural education as the two are closely related, with similar topics being found within the two subject areas. Upon learning about the Agricultural and Extension Education major at The Pennsylvania State University I knew that it was what I wanted to pursue. Through this major, I can hope to gain the skills that I need in order to become the best teacher that I can be. By learning how to become a good teacher I hope to help increase agricultural and environmental literacy within the general population. By doing so I can hopefully make even a small impact on the spread of agricultural literacy through future generations.
While I am still not sure of which area, extension or formal education, I want to focus on, I know that I want to work in education. I do not know what the future holds, but so long as I am able to live a life where I make a positive impact on other people I think that I will feel fulfilled.
While I have not always known what I wanted to do there were two things that I knew for sure. I wanted to do something that in some way involves animals and I wanted to help people. At first, I had thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, as I’d thought this would be the best way to accomplish these goals. And while it is true that I would be working with animals and helping people in this career path I soon decided that this wasn’t for me as I knew I did not have the ability to do so. After that, I’d thought of different careers within which I could work to help others in some way while also doing something related to animals. During high school, I decided that I also wanted to do something related to environmental science as I rediscovered my own desire to learn about the world around me. Due to this desire and my genuine love of nature, I decided to go to Penn State DuBois and major in Wildlife Technology. With this degree, I had hoped to gain the content knowledge that I would need to determine a career path in the natural resources field. As I progressed through my education, I discovered a desire to teach and share my knowledge and what I learn with others.
Knowing that I wanted to do something with environmental education was only the first step as there are many different career paths within education that an individual could take. The main areas that I am interested in are extension education and formal education. As these areas focus on educating either youth and/or the general public on the importance of environmental issues I feel that they are key to promoting environmental literacy. This also goes hand in hand with agricultural education as the two are closely related, with similar topics being found within the two subject areas. Upon learning about the Agricultural and Extension Education major at The Pennsylvania State University I knew that it was what I wanted to pursue. Through this major, I can hope to gain the skills that I need in order to become the best teacher that I can be. By learning how to become a good teacher I hope to help increase agricultural and environmental literacy within the general population. By doing so I can hopefully make even a small impact on the spread of agricultural literacy through future generations.
While I am still not sure of which area, extension or formal education, I want to focus on, I know that I want to work in education. I do not know what the future holds, but so long as I am able to live a life where I make a positive impact on other people I think that I will feel fulfilled.
Comments
Post a Comment