SAE Visit: Doggie Divas

Supervised Agricultural Experience, or SAE, is a crucial element of the Three Circle Model within Ag Ed. SAE allows students to explore personal interests within Ag while developing strong work ethics and independence to help through life after high school. While many students house their SAE projects at school (utilizing the aquaponics system, the barn, and many other facilities), some students have placement SAEs. Because these SAEs are in a location off of school property, advisors make visits to see what the student is gaining from the experience. 

The first SAE I visited was for a student within my Natural Resources and Ecology course. She is also taking multiple animal-focuses courses taught by the second teacher in the program. Her goal is to be a vet, so for her SAE project she is working at a pet salon and kennel called Doggie Divas. During the visit, my cooperating teacher and I went to Doggie Divas to see her in action on a Saturday morning.

Before the visit, I asked the student a bit about the placement to have some background information ahead of time. She shared with me that Doggie Divas does grooming and boarding for dogs and cats. The student also shared that she started the SAE at Doggie Divas because of her love for animals and because she gets to interact with so many while working. 

During the visit, we were given a tour of the facilities to show what the business is like and where our student works. We also were able to meet her boss and build a positive connection with her. The student shared that she has been working mainly in the grooming salon. My cooperating teacher suggested that she branch into helping with the boarding side of the business, even if just to shadow another worker for a few shifts, to see what other aspects are like. 

This student keeps track of SAE records in the AET system. She records the amount of money earned in each paycheck, journal entries of what she does each time she works, and money invested (ie. gas). The advisors then grade the SAE based on what the student enters into the AET. This system is relatively subjective however since there is no rubric for what needs to be entered into AET and how often entries should be made. If I were to evaluate an SAE of this type, I would require students to make 1 entry per week including monetary entries (income and expenditures) and one journal entry including one picture and a description of work they completed. Following this criteria makes the grading process more objective.