SAE for All

 May 22, 2023

Before diving deeper into my SAE journey, I wanted to explore the foundation of this experience and its relevance to FFA and the agricultural classroom. Within the agriculture learning industry, the three-circle model serves to represent the three coexisting parties of agricultural education that allow students to thrive in their future careers and lives. The three circle model consists of the FFA, the agriculture classroom, and the SAE. Within this post, I will discuss the "SAE for All" Program and the effectiveness of SAEs among FFA members and agriculture students nationwide.

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THE BIG QUESTION: What is an SAE?

An SAE is a Supervised Agriculture Experience that students immerse themselves in to develop their agriculture knowledge and workforce skills. As students are heavily surrounded by agriculture in both the classroom and the FFA, SAEs give students the opportunities to introduce their agricultural knowledge and interests into their lives outside of school. SAEs range in topics from Goat Production to Environmental Sciences to Entrepreneurship. In sum, SAEs give students the opportunities to further discover their identities within the agriculture industry while utilizing their specific skillset and abilities to establish innovative projects. 

How do SAEs correlate with the agriculture classroom and the FFA?

As the three-circle model serves to illustrate the connection between SAEs, the agriculture classroom, and the FFA, it is evident that each element has a vital role in preparing students for vocational success. As students learn the fundamentals of agriculture within the classroom, compete at FFA events, and develop their SAEs, students gain career-preparational skills. Ultimately, SAEs begin within the agriculture classroom. As students are taught about agricultural ideals and their relevance in their everyday lives, students are able to discover their personal interests in agriculture and later develop their own SAEs. On the other hand, as students begin to dedicate their time and abilities toward their SAEs, the FFA awards students through proficiencies. Through this "balance of power", each element of agriculture education serves as motivation for students to develop their skills while preparing for future careers within the agriculture industry. 

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SAE FOR ALL

In 2015, SAE for All was launched as a renewal of SAEs to become essential components of student learning.

The SAE for All program makes it possible for 100 percent of ag education students to complete Supervised Agricultural Experiences.

Within recent years, many students faced difficulty in efficiently creating and developing their owns SAEs. Recent problems include a lack of resources, limited student-teaching time, a lack of understanding of the importance of SAEs, & fewer students coming from agricultural backgrounds. 

To combat these problems, the SAE for All initiative has established different types of SAEs to provide students with a variety of opportunities. Among SAE for All, SAEs being as foundational SAEs and later transition into immersion SAEs as students implement their studies into vocational abilities and opportunities. 

Foundational SAE

• Career Exploration and Planning
• Personal Finance Management
• Workplace Safety
• Employment skills for college and career
• Ag literacy

Immersion SAE

• Entrepreneurship / Ownership
• Placement / Internships
• Research
• School Business Enterprises
• Service Learning

SAEs will help you explore careers, refine your career choice, meet real-world career expectations, and develop specific skills to be successful in the agricultural industry. 

Sources

https://saeforall.org/educator-resources/

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/ccte/ag/cte_std_sae.pdf