WAHPETON, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and school districts across the state are working to address a worsening shortage of agriculture education teachers.
Some school officials have been scrambling to fill openings in their ag programs, the Daily News (https://bit.ly/1PmJSS1 ) in Wahpeton reported. Four out of 79 programs across the state were without instructors and Future Farmers of America advisers at the beginning of the school year.
Complicating matters is the fact that about 16 percent of the state’s educators teaching ag education are eligible for retirement, and there are fewer teachers studying the topic in college. The state Department of Public Instruction hopes to change that by offering a Teacher Shortage Loan Forgiveness Program.
North Dakota State University currently is the only college in the state offering a degree in agriculture education.
Several groups are working to find new ag teachers, including the North Dakota Ag Teacher Association.
Desi Severance, ag teacher and Future Farmers of America adviser at Wyndmere Public School, keeps an eye out for students who might like to follow a similar path as hers. She didn’t initially consider becoming an ag teacher, describing herself as a “biology nerd,” but considered the field when a friend mentioned it.
“I sat there and thought that could work, so I majored in it and it was a really good fit,” she said.
Severance thinks there are a few reasons why there’s a shortage of ag educators in North Dakota and across the country: retirements and schedules.
Teachers are getting close to retiring, and some programs are expanding beyond how many teachers are available, Severance said. At the same time, the hours can be harsh. Severance doesn’t get a summer vacation, with ag educators often having to do prep work for contests and projects, as well as attending conferences and fairs.
Severance said it’s important to find a work-life balance, with burnout an easy possibility for ag teachers.
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Information from: Wahpeton Daily News, https://www.wahpetondailynews.com
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