HAVILAND — Each year the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership (ACEL) at the Ohio State University sends students to high schools around the state for 12 weeks to gain real world experience in the classroom.

This year, the agricultural education program at Wayne Trace High School welcomed student teacher Kate (Deaton) Myers, a senior in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and agriscience education major.

While student teaching at Wayne Trace, Myers is under the guidance of agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Lori Heiby.

“Student teaching plays a key role in preparing our students to lead their own classrooms,” said Dr. Scott Scheer, professor and interim chair of the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL). “Throughout the spring semester, our student teachers experience life as an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.

“In addition to the important and engaging work in their classrooms, agriculture teachers also have many responsibilities outside of the classroom, attending meetings, conducting SAE visits, advising the FFA chapter and coaching career development event teams. These valuable hands-on activities within the student teaching experience create a real-world atmosphere that cannot be duplicated in the college classroom.

“All of this not only benefits our students, but the high school students they will be teaching in the future!”

Upon completion of her student teaching experience, Myers will earn a master of education degree in agricultural communication, education, and leadership. She is a graduate of National Trail High School in New Paris and a 2018 graduate of Ohio State with a bachelor of science in agribusiness and applied economics.

For additional information on undergraduate and graduate programs in the areas of agricultural communication, agriscience education or community leadership or how you can make a financial contribution to student scholarships, visit acel.osu.edu.