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Everything related to STEM can be found in agricultural education. When you consider the math that is involved, forestry, ag mechanics, geometry, and technology that is used in precision farming, such as drones, there is no greater course of STEM study than agriculture. — John “Chip” Bridges
According to John “Chip” Bridges, agriculture education program manager with the Georgia Department of Education, the key is to get middle and high school students interested in agriculture.
The challenge? Supplying Georgia’s middle and high schools with enough quali ed agricultural education teachers to meet current and future demands.
Currently, there are more than 68,000 students enrolled in 310 middle and high school agricultural education programs across the state, and programs are growing.
The responsibility to educate and encourage future agricultural professions currently rests on the shoulders of 441 agricultural education teachers throughout Georgia.
“We are averaging the need for 40 to 50 ag teachers each year, this includes teachers for new programs and replacing those who retire,” said Bridges. “I do not see this number changing in the near future. Actually, our projections are going up.”
During the past ve years, there
has been a 14 percent increase in agricultural education programs and a
10 percent increase in the number of agricultural teachers hired.
“Ag education is very popular, and many schools are adding programs
at both the middle and high school levels,” said Bridges. “The requests from schools to add agriculture programs are coming on a daily basis.”
Bridges attributes the national focus on increasing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses as a leading reason for the interest in agricultural education.
“Everything related to STEM can
be found in agricultural education,” Bridges explained. “When you consider the math that is involved, forestry, ag mechanics, geometry, and technology that is used in precision farming, such as drones, there is no greater course of STEM study than agriculture.”
Bridges said increasing the number of agricultural teachers and programs at the middle and high school levels will help build a strong agricultural workforce for the future.
“Our ag teachers do so much...
they spend a lot of time and energy teaching classes and helping with ag projects,” Bridges said. “It requires a lot of dedication and hard work.”
36 SG MAGAZINE | SPRING 2017
PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED