How to Become a Teacher

1.	Spend a day or two job shadowing an agriculture teacher to find out more about the career.
2.	Research the post secondary school that will best fit your goals and ideals about pursuing your degree in agricultural education. Illinois State University Southern Illinois University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Western Illinois University Community Colleges with Agriculture Programs
3.	Attending an Elite Conference in your area will help you meet up with the schools in Illinois who offer agricultural education degrees.
4.	Get some early field experience during your coursework in college and find out if teaching is right for you.
5.	While you are student teaching, during your senior year of college, check out Job Listings on AgriculturalEducation.org to see the openings throughout the state of Illinois and start applying.
6.	Embrace your new career as an agriculture teacher in Illinois. There are many who will assist you in getting established. Contact your District FCAE Program Advisor for their services.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10am–4pm 2012 Elite Conference Registration for the 2012 Elite Conference is now closed as we have reached the maximum capacity of 50 students. Please consider attending the 2013 Elite Conference. Elite Conference Information Elite Conference Registration Form If you are going to be a Junior or Senior in high school and you are interested in teaching agriculture – this conference is for you! The Elite Conference is hands-on, packed with activities and is designed to get you off the right start in your future in agricultural education. During the Elite Conference you will learn about the ag teaching profession, talk with university representatives, current ag teachers, plus more! Students who attended in the Elite Conference had this to say: “Everything was amazing; it really continued to give me the punch to keep going; the teacher panel was the best – to see real life situations.” “I love teaching lesson to others, so my favorite part was getting in groups and teaching. This is an excellent conference! I enjoyed it immensely because all the opportunities that were here for us.”