UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Building community relationships is a fundamental aspect of the curriculum for future teachers majoring in agricultural and extension education. The 2023 Teach Ag student cohort in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences participated in two projects to develop their skills in this area and learn more about food insecurity across the commonwealth.
During the spring semester, the cohort completed student teaching internships while enrolled in AEE 313: School-Based Program Planning and Instructional Development.
Kevin Curry, associate professor of agricultural and extension education, explained that student teaching is an immersive experience.
“AEE 313 is designed to give the students time to reflect on everything they learned during the internship and move it forward into their working capacity as teachers,” he said. “We consider service learning to be community service with specific objectives that we make sure to accomplish.”
Bethany Mathie, program manager, agreed.
“Since our students may be moving into new communities for jobs, they’ll have to build community partnerships for their programs," Mathie said. "We try to give them experience doing that and seeing how different community organizations work together.”
During the last week of April, the cohort completed a service-learning project in partnership with the Moshannon Valley YMCA and Cen-Clear Child Services, based in Philipsburg.
The students designed and installed a children’s garden as part of the organizations' educational farm and recreation area. Earlier in the year, the they met with representatives from the YMCA and Cen-Clear to learn about the vision for the space. They also discussed food insecurity in Centre County and toured the YMCA’s food distribution warehouse and outreach vehicles.
“I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned to working with the students and [Future Farmers of America] members that I will be teaching this fall,” said cohort member Morgan Bear, of Newville. “This project’s impact on me is immeasurable, and I hope to replicate similar experiences with students in my future work.”
Partnering with Penn State Extension in Philadelphia, the cohort completed community service for the Norris Square Neighborhood Project. Norris Square blends educational offerings for children and adults, social opportunities, and urban food production and distribution.
Extension educator John Byrnes explained that their work with Norris Square is part of a long-standing Penn State Extension program called Well Connected Communities. The program aims to make community connections and improve people's lives in the neighborhood through collaboration.
“We’ve offered extension programming in horticulture, nutrition and 4-H in the community, but the main thing we’ve done is develop collaborative trust and partnerships with community members and leaders,” he said. “In the past, we’ve also had successful experiences with students from the Student Farm at Penn State. This is part of a continuing relationship and trust we build daily.”
The students assisted with preparing garden areas for spring planting and built a compost system at one of Norris Square’s seven community gardens. They also discussed the history of the area, past and present challenges, food insecurity and urban farming.
“We want our students to have the ability to network and work with partners in their communities,” Curry said. “We loved working with John because it showed our students how you can work with a community partner in many different ways.”
In addition to the practical accomplishments, Byrnes said, the experience will have long-lasting impacts on the cohort and the community.
“The community benefits because the more we infuse aspects of Penn State, the more they understand Penn State offers programs and resources to all the citizens of Pennsylvania, not just the students on campus,” he said. “These interactions allow Penn State to add its strengths to the assets already present in the community. The cohort was fantastic — they listened, were gracious and worked hard. They deserve much credit for everything they accomplished.”
Byrnes said he also hopes the experience will help the students challenge preconceived notions about living in a metropolitan area like Philadelphia. The cohort had a traditional Puerto Rican lunch cooked by a community member, and explored the city.
“The most impactful takeaway from our time at Norris Square was seeing firsthand how agriculture is transformed in urban settings and done with purpose about the community’s background,” said cohort member Jacob Turko, of Kempton. “It’s driven my passion for pushing agriculture further in urban areas and for meaningfully applying a community’s culture to that end.”