Ferguson College of Agriculture

The Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Education Communications and Leadership faculty and staff are excited to have Mason Jones as the 2023-2024 Teacher in Residence.

 

Throughout his visit as the Teacher in Residence, Jones met with professors on campus to discuss agricultural education’s role in the department and to observe and integrate himself with current students. He advised students to follow their passion for educating future agriculturalists.

 

“I love Oklahoma State, and it has been cool to come back here and be in class,” Jones said. “The teacher-in-residence program began when I was a graduate student here, and I always thought this was a great opportunity both for OSU and the agricultural education instructors.”

 

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. Jones is the second Teacher in Residence to be selected for the entire academic year. He will return in the Spring 2024 semester for an additional visit. This program was implemented through a grant from Richard Carter, an OSU agricultural education alumnus.

 

“This program allows in-service teachers to know how the OSU agricultural education program is growing and evolving to meet the needs of students, learners, and teachers,” Jones said. “The teacher prep program has changed significantly in the six years since I have been here. The department has embraced the CASE program and added new faculty who are doing great research. It is impressive how much the department has grown and what a good spot it is in.”

 

Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from OSU in 2011. Following graduation, he began his teaching career for the Edmond FFA chapter, which includes Memorial North High School and Santa Fe High School. He returned to the OSU Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership as a graduate teaching and research assistant in 2016. In 2018, he graduated with a master’s in agricultural education. He returned to Edmond and is now in his eleventh year of teaching agriculture.

 

“I am excited to return for the spring semester,” Jones said. “There is a decent amount of difference in coursework and focus of the program, so I am eager to see how the students I visited this week develop and grow over the semester. Being back here makes me reflect on my teacher preparation experience.

 

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 leadership through academic, research, extension and outreach efforts. Learn more at aged.okstate.edu.