Let the Good Times Roll {NAAE}

"Laissez les bons temps rouler" is a Cajun saying meaning: Let the Good Times Roll. This was the summary of the 2015 NAAE Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana. From the minute we stepped into the airport in State College, to the landing of the plane back in State College, the good times continually rolled. Most of these good times are accredited to the 2 travel partners I had, a fellow cohort member, Janae Herr, and our fearless leader, Dr. Foster. Additionally the PAAE members and delegates that attended conference, a PSU alumni, and many other passionate and driven Agricultural educators made good times possible.

These people, collaboratively and individually, the convention was a good time and here's why:

1. Workshops
The endless options of diverse workshops, taught by successful agricultural educators, was where I was able to connect my AEE412 base knowledge to the classroom. The workshops reminded me of the life long learning path I am on. There are always questions to be asked, updates to lessons and curriculum to make, and content to learn. Yes, teachers may not always make the best students, but they desire to be better to make their students, communities, and schools better.

2. Professional Organizations

Having a student membership for the past four years, I never fully understood NAAE's structure, opportunities, and purpose to its fullest capacity. Like most things, until you experience it you do not grasp its entirety. Hearing that professional organizations are a "great thing to be apart of" was semi-convincing, but after the full immersion I will be a self-advocate for NAAE (and of course PAAE) In looking forward to the opportunity to participate fully in NAAE and hearing about the retention concerns of agriculture education, I recognize there is opportunity for growth in the recognition, opportunities, and empowerment of students with memberships, especially preservice teachers.

3. The Opportunities
"We have jobs in (insert state), we could use you" was a consistent offering all week. It emphasized the need for agricultural, the opportunities I as a preservice teacher have to take my academic training and experiences, and go influence students and communities in any part of the nation. In saying that, it is true, people love Penn Staters, and my Penn State pride gleamed when people recognized the success of our teacher preparation program. These comments gave me a greater appreciation for the time and efforts of each of my professors and the confidence to be successful anywhere.

4. The location

Vegas next year and Nashville after that... agriculture teachers know how to pick cities! What made many good times possible was the setting of the conference. The hotel itself sat riverside to the Mississippi river as well as a few blocks from the French Quarters, which housed endless seafood restaurants. I mentioned there were some great people in this city with me and we had several cuisine experiences which made loosing the belt worth it.

5. Did I mention the people?

In case you forgot... agriculture educators are awesome people. Each person we were introduced to or met was excited to meet us, willing to share advice or resources, continually said hello through the week, and genuinely were excited to have us at the conference. Next was my partner of sass and fun. We both had aligned mentalities to maximize every experience, meet as many people as possible, and gather as many resources as we can. The PAAE gang embraced each of us with care and as mentors which made us feel comfortable, excited for future trips, and enhanced our trips more than any of them could imagine. Our professor, or crazy uncle, made this trip possible and while there help maximize the opportunities to expose us as preservice teachers and build our PLNs.

The good times did roll and the best part is that they will continually roll for me thanks to this experience as well as for upcoming cohort members who will have the NAAE experience in the future. If you are curious about the conference more, please check out the Twitter stream under #NAAE15 or at my personal account @klandrews_24!

Thank you again to : NAAE, PAAE, Penn State's Center for Professional Personnel Development, and Teach Ag! Society for your support!