N.D.

Agricultural EducationTeacherHandbook

A tool to assist you in your journey as an Agricultural Educator.

This is not a comprehensive guide. It is meant to give you starting points and ideas of upcoming items to think about.

July, 2016

Table of Contents

Helpful Hints to Ponder ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Professional Organizations…………………………………………………………………………………………………...………………4

Event List Calendar……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...……………....5

District Map……………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………….…………………….5

July…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...………………....6

August…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………………….8

September……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………..10

October………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..11

November………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12

December…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12

January…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………………13

February………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………….14

March……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………15

April………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………..……………..16

May…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………….……………16

June………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..……………17

Resource Links…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………19

CTE Reimbursement items needed

Example travel form

Welcome to the world of Agricultural Education! It is a career that will take you on many paths that include learning opportunities, adventure, and countless rewards, along with struggles and stress! The document that follows is meant to assist you with this endeavor. It is not an all-inclusive guide, however it is a starting point with basic items to consider on a monthly basis. Happy Teaching!

Helpful Hints to Ponder

1. Build relationships early and often: janitor, secretary, cooks, administration, faculty, students, and parents. Work with your athletic director and coaches in an attempt to mesh schedules so members can make the most of all opportunities.

2. Communicate: Parents, students, supporters, administration, and faculty.

3. Ask questions, find a mentor, get peer support and utilize your fellow ag teachers. Find a person in a similar situation who can talk you through the event, vent to them, and celebrate with them!

4. Be intentional with your room layout and take charge of your space.

5. Set expectations high for work and behavior. Provide examples.

6. Find a place for some personal items that show who you are, hidden space for items for your comfort (medicine, extra clothes, shoes), and snacks.

7. Be flexible.

8. Hold onto your lesson plans. Make notes on them of items you liked/disliked or ideas on how to change for next time. Back up materials in multiple locations!

9. Have a file of agricultural filler activities in case a lesson doesn’t go as planned.

10. Keep students busy and engaged.

11. Prepare to be overwhelmed and to work overtime your first year. And probably every year after!

12. Delegate tasks to volunteers, advisory committee, and students. Use your community!

13. Have fun and laugh with your students.

14. Learn the word ‘no’. You do not have to do it all and cannot do everything.

15. You will make mistakes, admit them, learn from them, and move on.

16. Celebrate often.

17. Don’t vent on social media. Stay positive.

18. Make lists of details, contacts, timelines, and logistics for FFA events. Next year you can refer to these and make your work a little easier.

19. Take your work for a joyride and leave it in the car when you get home. You need to have a break too.

20. Keep going…. You know this isn’t going to be easy but the rewards are worth it.

21. Set boundaries. For example: “I will leave at 6 pm everyday”. “I will stay at school until my work is done and not bring it home”. “I will leave at 3:30 pm on Fridays.”

22. Focus on 1 or 2 classes a year, rather than trying to recreate all of the wheels at once. That way, your classes get updated every 3 to 4 years in an organized fashion. This method is not as overwhelming as thinking you need to recreate your entire curriculum every year.

23. STEAL stuff from other people. N.D. Ag Ed is very willing to share.

Professional Organizations:

N.D. Agricultural Teachers have a unified dues package that includes the NAAE, NDAAE, ACTE, and NDACTE (details below). Annual membership signup takes place at the CTE Professional Development Conference in Bismarck in August, however membership can be started at any time by contacting the executive team of the NDDAE whose information can be found at

Membership in these organizations is typically paid for by oneself, however ask your administration they may have a professional development policy and assist in payment.

1. NAAE: National Association of Agricultural Educators

The National Association of Agricultural Educators is a federation of state agricultural educators associations with more than 7,800 members. Our members are involved in school-based agricultural education at any level, from middle school through postsecondary, and state and national agricultural education leaders. We advocate for agricultural education, provide professional development for agricultural educators, and work to recruit and retain agricultural educators in the profession. We offer a variety of programs and services to support this three-pronged mission.

The following link will take you to the NAAE Membership Benefits, Service, & Programs.

2. NDAAE: North Dakota Association of Agricultural Educators

The NDAAE is a great way to stay in touch with what is happening state-wide and nationally in Agricultural Education. The state association offers workshops, grants, and award opportunities as well as camaraderie among the family of agricultural educators in N.D.

3. ACTE: Association for Career & Technical Education

The Association for Career & Technical Education is the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers. It is their mission to provide educational leadership in developing a competitive workforce. ACTE is committed to enhancing the job performance and satisfaction of its members; to increasing public awareness and appreciation for career and technical programs; and to assuring growth in local, state and federal funding for these programs by communicating and working with legislators and government leaders.

4. NDACTE: North Dakota Association for Career & Technical Education

NDACTE is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and improving career and technical education in North Dakota.

For member benefits follow

ND Agricultural Education/FFA Calendar of Events

Month / Event / Location / Audience / Participation
August / CTE Professional Development Conference / Bismarck / Teacher / Highly Recommended
August / Land Judging CDE / TBD / Members/Advisor / Optional
September / District FFA Advisor Meeting / TBD / Teacher / Highly Recommended
September / Range Judging CDE / TBD / Members/Advisor / Optional
September / District Leadership Event / TBD / Members/Advisor / Highly Recommended
October / State Parliamentary Procedure CDE / Bismarck / Members/Advisor / District Qualification
October / National FFA Convention / Indianapolis, IN / Members/Advisor / Optional
January / Winter Leadership Conferences / Bismarck / Members/Advisor / Highly Recommended
January / Midwinter Conference / Bismarck / Teacher / Recommended
Feb-March / Winter CDEs (Agronomy, Ag Sales, Livestock) / Varies / Members/Advisor / Optional
March / State Winter CDEs (Agronomy, Ag Sales, Livestock) / Minot / Members/Advisor / Recommended
March / State FFA Crops Show-Valley City Winter Show / Valley City / None / Optional
April / Proficiency Judging / Bismarck / Teacher / Recommended
June / State FFA Convention / NDSU-Fargo / Members/Advisor / Highly Recommended
June/July / Washington Leadership Conference / Washington D.C. / Members/Advisor / Optional
July / N.D. State Fair / Minot / Teacher / Highly recommended
July / State Tractor Driving / Minot / Members/Advisor / District Qualification
July / Chapter Presidents Conference / Carrington / Members/Advisor / Optional
July / Maddock Officer Retreat / Maddock / Members/Advisor / Optional

July

General School:

1.Have you visited with administration?

  1. What are their expectations for your program? Class content, lab activities, FFA?
  2. Summer schedule, SAE Visits.
  3. Procedures for travel, transportation requests, students being gone during the school day, social media policy/pictures.
  4. Advisory Committee information. They should have documents with past advisory committee minutes and members names. Information about an Advisory Committee can be found at under Advisory Committee.

2.School Office Staff

  1. Who does which duty?
  2. Who do you give your FFA events to to put on the school website/calendar?
  3. Who manages the money, receipts, reimbursements, purchase orders?

3.Career & Technical Education (CTE) Professional Development Conference—Bismarck ND

  1. This is a conference that includes all Career and Technical Education departments. It contains general sessions that apply to all areas, as well as specific sessions designed just for Agricultural Education.
  2. Held in August. Headquarters at the Ramkota Hotel. You can find specific dates at
  3. Registration for Conference is due in July. Found on website.
  4. Ramadahotel is the headquarters for Agricultural Education Sessions.
  5. Block of hotel rooms under NDAAE at Ramada (258.7000).
  6. All general sessions are at the Ramkota hotel.
  7. Schedule can be found on website.
  8. We strongly encourage participation in this conference. Reimbursement for expenses can be put on your travel reimbursement forms. This conference usually has specific workshops for 1st and 2nd year teachers.

Classroom/Lab:

  1. Organization/clean out of drawers, cupboards, file cabinets.
  2. Organization and inventory of lab equipment, tools.
  3. Do you have safety equipment?
  4. Safety Glasses.
  5. Face shields.
  6. Welding helmets.
  7. Eye wash station/first aid kit.
  8. Flammable liquids storage unit.
  9. Chemical storage.
  10. New bulliten board displays, wall decorations?
  11. New set up of desks/chairs/tables (of course only after cleaning has been done by custodians!).
  12. Can you see projects/activity examples that have been done before?
  13. Are you allowed to put items on your walls?

Curriculum:

  1. What classes are on your schedule to teach?
  2. What units are included in those classes? Have you looked at the course frameworks? (link for frameworks
  3. Have you found class content from the previous teacher?
  4. Do you have textbooks? Workbooks?

FFA:

  1. Contact the state Agricultural Education Office with your contact information (if you are a new teacher)and get added to the AgEd Listserv for all agricultural education related announcements.
  2. Aaron Anderson, Agricultural Education Supervisor. 328.3179
  3. JoDee Free, Agricultural Education Assistant Supervisor. 328.3162
  4. Jaden Schmidt, Agricultural Education Administrative Assistant. 328.3185
  5. Annual Chapter Report is Due July 1st. If you are a first year teacher this should have been completed by the previous year’s teacher. Link to the online form can be found at
  6. Have you found a roster of members, officer names, and alumni?
  7. Officer executive meeting?
  8. Chapter Officer Retreat? You do not need to travel anywhere to do this. This is a time to get to know your students, plan the calendar of events, Program of Activities, and set goals.
  9. FFA meeting?
  10. Do you have members attending the Chapter Presidents Conference in Carrington? Typically, the first week in July. It is a leadership opportunity that some chapters use.
  11. Has your chapter attended the Maddock Officer retreat in the past? Typically, the end of July or beginning of August. It is a leadership opportunity that some chapters use.
  12. Community Events
  13. County Fairs/Achievement Days.
  14. City Celebrations.
  15. These are great places for fundraisers (maybe not your first year!), service hours, networking with community and program supporters, and connecting with alumni.
  16. ND State Fair—Minot, ND
  17. Dates can be found at
  18. Are you taking projects?
  19. State Fair books/tags are mailed out to each chapter.
  20. If you cannot find them, contact the state office and check the ND State Fair Website for the book.
  21. If you are taking projects:
  22. Transportation to and from?
  23. Are the projects tagged? Fair tags are mailed to each chapter. If you cannot find any at your school contact the ND FFA Office.
  24. Registration forms filled out? Found at Under FFA Events—State Fair and under CDE Guidelines State Fair/Land/Range Judging.
  25. Projects can be brought on the Wednesday or Thursday before the fair begins. Look at the State Fair Book for specific information.
  26. Advisor’s Assignments
  27. Sent out via AgEd Listserv or can be found at
  28. Advisors are expected to assist at the State Fair. At this time, you would not have a specific assignment (first year teachers), however this is a good time to meet other advisors and see what the ND State Fair is like in the FFA division.
  29. Contact the State Office and we will connect you with a work assignment.
  30. Tractor Driving:
  31. This event is held at the ND State Fair-Minot on the first Friday of the fair.
  32. Pre-qualification from the district level is needed.
  33. Typically, there is a district event and then the top 4 from each division go to State.
  34. Do you have members who are interested or attended this event?
  35. Information can be found on under FFA Events—State Fair and under CDE Guidelines State Fair.
  36. Land Judging CDE:
  37. Location rotates around ND.
  38. Information can be found at under CDE Guidelines ND State Fair/Range/Land Judging Guidelines.
  39. If participating:
  40. Administration approval/awareness?
  41. Transportation?
  42. Hotels needed?
  43. Practice materials/schedule.
  44. Letter to parents with logistics, permission.
  45. Member medical release forms filled out. These can be found on under applications and forms.
  46. National FFA Convention Planning:
  47. Indianapolis from 2016-2024.
  48. Are you attending? Do you have members who have qualified to compete?
  49. Cost—who is paying?
  50. Have you asked your administration for approval?
  51. Letter to students/parents who are interested/qualified.
  52. How are you traveling?
  53. Bus
  54. Group Bus
  55. Van/Car
  56. Plane

August

General School:

  1. Career & Technical Education (CTE) Professional Development Conference—Bismarck ND
  2. Do I have any materials I need to bring?
  3. This is a business casual dress event. It does include a banquet for the NDAAE—banquet appropriate clothing.
  4. Class schedule/Daily Schedule
  5. Are the students signed up for your classes eligible to be in them?
  6. Do you have extra duties from the school?
  7. Hall/Lunchroom Supervision
  8. Study Hall
  9. School In-service dates—do you have the schedule, any information you need ready for the meetings?
  10. Did you receive your items requested through school requisitions?
  11. Do you need to submit lesson plans to administration?
  12. Do you have PowerSchool set up?
  13. Fundraising Calendar/Ideas
  14. Does your school have a master fundraising calendar or restrictions on what you can do?
  15. What do other organizations do in your school?
  16. How do you request vehicles for travel?
  17. How many days/weeks in advance?
  18. Do you need to find a driver?
  19. Do you know your school’s protocols?
  20. Weather issues.
  21. Lockdowns.
  22. Early dismissals/late starts and how they affect you’re class schedule.
  23. Monthly travel reimbursement forms
  24. Found at under travel (Travel Expense Report).
  25. Guidelines for reimbursement are also found there (rates, types, etc.).
  26. Ask your business manager how/when they would like these forms turned into them.
  27. Also see State Reporting on page 19 for an itemized list of what needs to be submitted with your reimbursement forms.

Classroom/Lab:

  1. Have you made your purchases you had to pick up from your school requisitions?
  2. Are your tools/lab supplies ready for the upcoming school year?
  3. Is your classroom inviting? Clean? Organized?
  4. Student safety in the lab?
  5. Emergency buckets filled? (class list, rubber gloves, bandages, lockdown, fire and tornado procedures, etc…)
  6. First Aid Kits?

Curriculum

  1. What are you doing on day one? Week 1? Plan and copy these materials before your school in-service days. This will allow you some extra time to tackle other projects and not compete for the copy machine!
  2. Class Syllabus?
  3. Class Rules? Consequences? Have you shown these to your principal for approval and awareness of your expectations and lab safety procedures? Do your rules align with the school’s rules in the Student Handbook?

FFA

  1. Land Judging CDE:
  2. Location rotates around the state.
  3. Hotels? Travel?
  4. FFA Meeting/Officer Executive meeting
  5. Activity calendar for the year.
  6. Team Building Activity.
  7. Program of Activities (POA):
  8. This is to be developed by your members.
  9. A copy of the POA needs to be turned into the state office at District Leadership.
  10. National FFA Convention Planning:
  11. Indianapolis 2016-2024.
  12. Administration approval.
  13. Members’ payment for convention.
  14. Letter to parents/members.
  15. Signed return of understanding of behavior policy/reimbursement/cancellation policy.
  16. Have members pay initial registration. This will cut down on the number of students who back out. You can always reimburse members for original cost if the Chapter ends up paying.
  17. Travel plans made (bus/plane/rented vehicle).
  18. Online Registration completed at (typically due the end of August or beginning of September).
  19. Tour setup—the earlier the better. Tours in the Indianapolis area and on the way fill up quickly.
  20. Letter to parents.
  21. Costs, expectations, consequences, contact numbers, itinerary.
  22. Returned to you signed with their understanding.
  23. Fundraisers.
  24. Range Judging Team
  25. CDE is in September and the location rotates around the state.
  26. Team sign-up.
  27. Team study materials.
  28. Do you need to reserve a hotel?
  29. Transportation.
  30. District Leadership
  31. Events and specifics can be found on under CDE Guidelines.
  32. A district map to see what chapters are in your district can be found on
  33. Location and discussions among district advisors usually takes place during the Professional Development conference in August and at the fall district meeting.
  34. Vehicle reserved with transportation person at your school.
  35. Administration have been made aware that students will be gone on that day.
  36. Sign-up sheets for events.
  37. Study materials ready for members.
  38. Practice schedule.
  39. Official dress for members.
  40. District Advisors Meeting
  41. A meeting is typically held the end of August/beginning of September.
  42. Contact advisors in your district for more information.
  43. Medical/Media Release Forms
  44. All FFA members need to have form signed.
  45. Have all members in your classes fill them out during the first week of class.
  46. Make a copy.
  47. Keep them in a binder that goes with you to all FFA Events.
  48. Found at under Applications and Forms, Medical/Media Release.
  49. A copy needs to be scanned and emailed to the state office as well.
  50. These forms cover all events for one year.

September