The National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) has honored Penn Manor High School agricultural education teacher Meagan Slates as the Outstanding Early Career Teacher for the northeastern United States. The award is given to only six agricultural educators each year. Slates was previously named Outstanding Early Career Teacher for Pennsylvania.
Slates has taught at Penn Manor for four years. She currently teaches Introduction to Ag Mechanics, Plant Science 1, and Wildlife and Natural Resources. In 2016, she was one of 36 teachers nationwide to be honored with a Teachers Turn the Key professional development scholarship from NAAE.
The Outstanding Early Career Teacher Award was established to encourage young teachers to remain in the profession and recognize participation in professional activities. It is sponsored by John Deere through the National FFA Foundation. Applicants are evaluated on their teaching philosophy, effective classroom instruction, experiential learning, and leadership development qualities. Teachers also are evaluated based on their professional growth and community engagement.
According to NAAE communications/marketing director Libby Duncan, Slates is driven by student success. She uses technology and experiential-based learning to allow her instruction to be interactive. Slates strives to prepare her students for career success. Her class sessions are engaging, rigorous, and model job expectations.
"Meagan is well deserving of this award," said Neil Fellenbaum, who heads the agricultural education department at Penn Manor. "Her passion for teaching and making students better people, along with her desire to prepare them for careers after high school, make her an outstanding educator."
Slates believes professional growth is crucial for young educators, Duncan reported. She is a part of both the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators (PAAE) and the NAAE. Through these two associations, Slates has received numerous hours of professional development, has grown as an educator, and has had the opportunity to network with other professionals in agricultural education. She currently serves on the policy committees for both NAAE and PAAE. As a member of the policy committees, she attended the National Policy Seminar in Washington, D.C., last year to advocate for career and technical education. Along with being a part of these two associations, Slates is also a fair board director, and she is a member of the Pennsylvania State FFA Foundation board.
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