Finding a True Passion: SAE Visit #2

It still amazes me how vast the concept of Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) can be. From the traditional animal production project, to an innovative research idea, SAE's encompass literally every aspect of agriculture. For this reason, their is an SAE for everyone. Sometimes it is just a matter of sparking a students' interest... and that's exactly what happened for one of my student's.

This particular student started Ag his freshman year. According to Mrs. Spurrier, he often seemed uninterested and fidgety during class. He didn't seem to have a "niche" here... he explored shop, took animal science courses and finally found his "home" in the greenhouse. He loved plants, and often would opt for a day in the greenhouse over a day in the classroom or shop. Looking at this student and meeting him for the first time, you would never guess that this is what he is interested in, and I certainly was taken back when I learned this my first week here.

Because of his interest in plants and the greenhouse, Mrs. Spurrier helped him start a Supplemental SAE record on AET during his sophomore year. He records the time that he works in the greenhouse during lunch, study period, after school and on the weekends. He keeps a schedule with Mrs. Spurrier, who assigns him jobs that need completed.

I observed this student working in the ag department greenhouse for my second SAE visit on March 18th. Because of the location of the visit, I did not have to make many preparations, just set up a time to observe him during study period. This student showed me what he does on a daily basis, which includes watering the plants, transplanting, picking tomatoes, and general maintenance and clean-up. This student also said that he will be coming in on the weekends and over the summer to help clean and maintain the greenhouse.

After I observed the student I looked over his AET book. I was impressed with how complete it was. He had lots of information recorded about his future career, descriptions of his project, journal entries, and financial entries. This past weekend, we evaluated students' AET books, using a rubric and this student scored quite well.

I am really glad that this student has found his niche in agriculture, and I am looking forward to seeing where this student ends up in the future. He has found his true passion in the greenhouse, and his SAE project reflects this quite well.