A EARLY CAREER PERSPECTIVE
AN AGRICULTURE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS MENTOR PROGRAM INTERVIEW M E N T E E : A S H L E Y P I E R C E , C O A H O M A H I G H S C H O O L A G R I C U LT U R E S C I E N C E T E A C H E R M E N T O R : S T E V E F O R S Y T H E , R E T I R E D H I G H S C H O O L A G R I C U LT U R E S C I E N C E T E A C H E R
What made you decide to teach ag?
I had an amazing experience in high school, I had a few amazing teachers who each taught me something different relating to this profession. One taught me the value of balancing work and home, instilling that at the end of the day, home will always be there and don’t take it for granted. Another taught me being a mother, wife, daughter, and ag teacher are all possible, you don’t have to choose just one or two. And another taught me the ropes of how to train and lead a team and how to develop a curriculum that works for all students in the classroom which really sparked my fire. Creating ways in which students learn using their hands and learn things they can actively see pertain to the real world, changes their perspective immensely. All of those things combined helped mold me into the person I am today and knowing how much impact they made in my life, made me want to do the same for someone else. 6
