A Note from Our Director

Roland Tiangco said, “The future belongs to the few of us still willing to get our hands dirty. “ This has been brought home to many of us because of the drastic changes to our lifestyles as a result of Covid-19. The classroom experiences our students have enjoyed in the past may look different in the coming months. “Getting our hands dirty” or hands-on experience in learning may become even more critical as we move into an uncertain future. As Agricultural instructors, we will be called upon to enhance every learning experience our students will encounter. We will need to find ways to ensure that every student gets the most out of their agricultural education experience. In the upcoming months, we will need to raise the bar of learning. We will need to make every lesson have meaning, be memorable, and be fun. Nothing does this more than hands-on experiences. Hands-on learning prepares students for careers. It promotes teamwork while requiring critical thinking and problem solving. It can benefit both teachers and students and still be fun. Finding inventive ways to include this in our lessons will be a challenge, especially if those lessons are ones they are doing from home. My challenge to educators is to step up and think outside of the educational box that we have gotten so used to using. Find that way to challenge your students with lessons they can grasp and get up and do at home. Finds ways to get them out from in front of a computer and “do.” Challenge them to “get their hands dirty” and learn. Leon Busdieker

Leon Busdieker

Director, Agricultural Education Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education