How to Manage SAE for every student
Supervised Agricultural Experiences are a part of the three-circle model for Agriculture Education. Meaning, they are really important!
Sometimes I think about my time learning what an SAE was (spoiler alert: I was an uber confused college aged student when I learned what agriculture education was). It seemed like a really cool concept, that every student got to dive deeply into a content area of their choosing in order to gain vital skills for that career path.
But, the question that came up was…”How the heck do I manage all of these projects?”
And if you have every thought the same thing, just know we are in the same boat.
Having a personalized project for every student, that takes place outside of school hours in a range of agriculture areas that you probably aren’t specialized in can seem unsurmountable.
But, never fear there is a way for you to manage individual projects with ease and excitement!
If you are more of a listener of content, check out the podcast episode that dives deep into this right here.
Here are three ways to get kids excited about SAEs, manage them well and organize it all!
Find their fun
Take a step back from proficencies for a minute. And realize NOT EVERY STUDENT’S SAE is not going to be a proficiency award. We know that every student has an SAE, but not every SAE is a proficency award level.
And just ask yourself, “Is this student engaging in activities that step toward the mission on agriculture education?” And you may be saying this is controversial because this might mean that you allow students SAEs to be outside of the “agriculture” realm. Maybe it is babysitting, maybe it is working at a restaurant, maybe it is interning at an office.
Will all of those activities allow students to engage in premier leadership, personal growth and career success? HECK YES they will. Because let’s be honest: Is the purpose of an educator to get an award. Is the purpose of the student to get on stage? NO! The purpose is to grow and develop. Time to step back and lean into our students fun and MEET THEM THERE!
Stay connected
100 kids SAE visits, 1 a day, that is HALF a year. I find that PRETTY impossible with the other requirements as an ag teacher. And I get it, some SAEs need the observation (like But there is a way for you to stay connected with every single students SAE on a consistent basis.
And it is as easy as having more converstations with them throughout the year.
Think about SAE management as a unit. You wouldn’t assume a student understand the entire photosynthesis process in one class period. We cannot assume the same with SAEs. We cannot teach them once about SAE and then have them present at the end of the year/semester. Have you ever been the victim of doing a beginning of the year SAE unit, saying “you have 20 hours to complete by the end of the semster” and then the end of the semester rolls around and kids are looking at you like you have 7 heads when you say “SAE”?? Yeah, me too!
There needs to be check points throughout the year that you check in on them. See what is going how, how are they progressing, are they doing some amazing things that warrant a proficency? You won’t know if you don’t ASK THE QUESTIONS. One way to do this is to have a monthly teacher conference with each student. This can be as simple as a few minute conversation. Asking questions like “How is your SAE going?” “What has been going well?” “What hasn’t been working well?” “What can I do to help you ?” Make sure you are doing a consistent schedule because consistency in our communication provides clarity to the students.
If you are thinking “I don’t have the time to do that?” Ask yourself “would I rather have the fight at the end of the semester every year? Be forced to fail students because I didn’t give them enough support?”
Stay organized
Have you ever heard the quote “systems create freedom?” SAEs need systems so you and your students know what is happening and what to expect next. One thing that I cannot get out of my mind is SAE Folders from Jacklyn Bond (you can grab this session SOON in a Starter Pack). This is a simple folder where students add data about their SAE records in the AET. You can choose what is important (ex. Pictures, Hours, Money earned etc.). This allowed me to see exactly where every student was at WEEKLY, see where students were confused, and able to have a quick conversation with them every week.
I hope this can help you reframe your thoughts from “SAEs are just one more thing on my to-do list” to “SAEs are a major highlight of my career and turns students into passionate adults.”
