A F.A.I.R Leadership Approach to Engage Underrepresented Youth in Agricultural Education

Non-traditional. Alternative. Atypical. These words are tossed about somewhat cavalierly in agricultural education to describe those students who are from non-farm, non-rural, low socioeconomic, and ethnically diverse backgrounds. So: Who really is the "non-traditional, alternative, atypical" agricultural education student today? Many agriculture teachers pursue teaching because they themselves enjoyed the events and activities in which they participated as high school agriculture students. The g fond memory of traveling down the road to Career Development Events (contests to the more seasoned teacher) or stock shows in dual-wheeled trucks with overloaded trailers, influenced many teenagers to consider teaching. After all, who wouldn't want to have that much fun in their career? What so many future teachers, at that stage, fail to consider is the abundance of students left at home, under the guidance of a substitute, who did not choose to participate, travel, or compete. So: In their teacher preparation program and in-service experiences, have they learned to be inclusive of those "non-traditional, alternative, atypical" students? Every state faces the dilemma of ensuring that agricultural education program enrollments mirror the overall makeup of the state's student population. Texas is no exception! In a state known for its participation in stock shows, even those "traditional" events are taking baby steps toward helping agricultural science teachers provide experiences that are inclusive of all students. This past fall, Leadership F.A.I.R. was implemented to appeal to a diverse range of students; 100 students from a rainbow of ethnic backgrounds, males and females, worked together at the State Fair of Texas, in Dallas, to develop a better understanding of their place in agricultural education. Yes, it was held at the fairgrounds during the annual stock show, but this fair was all about students "Finding Agriculture Interesting and Rewarding" in a leadership atmosphere. Kady Mayfield and Dana Neal, Delta Conference graduates, escorted two schools to the Leadership F.A.I.R. Each of these teachers realizes that they teach entire classes of students - not simply a team of four or five. To their credit, they continually focus on improving their teaching skills, so that their students are best served at all levels of the educational accountability game, inclusive and respectful of all abilities, colors, and cultures. These teachers seek to use their students' differences to build strength inside their classrooms and programs. Mayfield's North Crowley students came away from Leadership F.A.I.R. with some interesting experiences and reflections. According to Mayfield: "We had students of many different races and socioeconomic classes attend this conference to try and expand their horizons on what agricultural education and FFA can do for them. Richie Guerra and Bryce Groves both said that the Leadership F.A.I.R. created more of a passion and fire that made them want to be better leaders, and excel in all areas of agricultural education. This FAIR also implanted the urge for my students to become more involved in the chapter and in any opportunity given to them. " As a suburb of Fort Worth, North Crowley students also discussed how they learned that they can help their teachers out in many ways by stepping-up and being leaders. During the conference, the students realized there were many different types of facilitators putting on the conference, which made them feel comfortable and able to excel. Students indicated that seeing successful former students from varying socioeconomic standards and races, and hearing their firsthand stories, opened their eyes at what they can offer the FFA, and what the FFA can offer them. "Our chapter works very hard to try and break the 'stereotype' through recruitment, and diverse activities, but even though we are very active on our campus, and our organization is multicultural, we still have trouble breaking through," said Kady. …