Emily Wamsley, agricultural educator at Elma High School, was one of a select group of agriculture teachers nationwide who received the 2016 Teachers Turn the Key professional development scholarship from the National Association of Agricultural Educators.

As a scholarship recipient, Wamsley attended the NAAE annual convention in Las Vegas, Nov. 29-Dec. 3.

The Teachers Turn the Key scholarship brings together agricultural educators with four or fewer years of experience and immerses them in three days of professional development that addresses issues specific to the early years of teaching agriculture. Participants also have the opportunity to become involved in NAAE leadership and network with other NAAE convention attendees. TTTK awardees come away from the experience with a long-lasting peer cohort and tools that will help them have successful careers as agricultural educators.

Wamsley works in a three-person agriculture education team to provide students with well-rounded classroom and Supervised Agricultural Experience opportunities. SAEs are independent projects related to agriculture designed to connect classroom learning to real world experience. Her curriculum is largely lab-based and hands on, tied directly to agriculture careers and life skills such as running a floral design business, landscaping, and caring for livestock.

NAAE is the professional organization in the United States for agricultural educators. It provides its more than 8,000 members with professional networking and development opportunities, professional liability coverage, and extensive awards and recognition programs.