Ferguson College of Agriculture

 

The Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Education, Communications, and Leadership faculty and staff are excited to have Cameron Dale as the 2022 Teacher in Residence.

 

Throughout her visit as the Teacher in Residence, Dale met with professors on campus to discuss agricultural education’s role in the department and to observe and integrate herself with current students. She was able to advise students and give them advice on following their passion for educating future agriculturists. 

 

“For someone coming into the program, it is really easy to forget why you wanted to do it,” said Dale. “Don’t think that because you are not an ag teacher yet that you can’t start being an ag teacher. Start embodying it. Just find ways to start immersing yourself.”

 

The Teacher in Residence Program allows for the selected teacher to visit the OSU campus for three days, where they can deepen their connections with current agricultural education students and have the opportunity to share their knowledge with them. This program was put into action through a grant from Richard Carter, an OSU agricultural education alumnus.

 

“I thought it was really cool to come back and see how much things have changed and to really be immersed in the department,” Dale said. “I think those connections being built and just continuing to build them every semester is really important to helping those pre-service teachers feel part of the community. It’s important for us as teachers in the field to realize we have a place in helping whenever they come into the profession of reconnecting with them and making sure they get what they need.”

 

Dale earned her agricultural education bachelor’s degree in 2011 from OSU. She then enrolled in the agricultural education master’s program at OSU, where she graduated in 2013, starting her nine-year journey to become an agricultural education teacher. 

 

Dale joined Bartlesville High School in 2021 and engrossed herself in their agriculture program, where she currently teaches introductory and explorative agricultural education classes to eighth-graders. She has helped build the foundation for their FFA program and has helped students gain agricultural experiences.

 

“Our jobs are so wide,” Dale said. “It can be so many hats, it can be everything. But you are going to make it. You are going to be okay. Keep the foundational things you learned at OSU and be open to the learning process.”

The OSU Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership in the Ferguson College of Agriculture is dedicated to developing well-rounded agricultural professionals, educators, communicators, and leaders through academic, research and extension, and outreach efforts. Learn more at aged.okstate.edu.