Ramsey honored with Distinguished Teaching Award

Monday, November 24, 2014

Jon Ramsey, Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership assistant professor and director of student teaching, was recently recognized with the American Association for Agricultural Education Western Region Distinguished Teaching Award at the AAAE Western Region Annual Conference and Research Meeting.

Ramsey said his story is similar to most of his students. He was inspired to become a high school agricultural education teacher because he had been impacted by one himself. After transferring to OSU, Ramsey said the faculty made teaching come alive. This is when he realized that purposeful steps and planning are what make teaching a craft. He also credited his student teacher experience as enthusiastic and meaningful.

“These great experiences galvanized for me what an outstanding teacher should do and what their behaviors should be, so I patterned myself and modeled my teaching style after those individuals,” Ramsey said. “It looks like it’s paid off.”

After 14 years of teaching high school agriculture, Ramsey brought his passion for teaching and students to the university level. Ramsey said he believes teaching is one of the most important aspects of a university.

“I think it all starts and ends with teaching,” Ramsey said. “Whether it’s an outreach piece or a research component, there’s always going to be a component of education.”

Ramsey said his favorite part of his job is interacting with students and helping them achieve their personal goals. Particularly, Ramsey said he believes academic advising falls under the teaching umbrella, and he thoroughly enjoys motivating students throughout the course of their education. He said faculty advising in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources allows faculty to have interactions and strike up conversations with students whether in be on campus, in an elevator or grocery shopping at Walmart.

According to the AAAE website, the purpose of the award is to recognize and encourage individual Western Region AAAE members who are superior teachers in the field of agricultural education. Criteria evaluated for this award included: teaching methodologies, communication skills, commitment to the learning process, enthusiasm for teaching, inspiration, sense of humor, creating an interesting and enjoyable environment, student evaluations of teaching and others.

Rob Terry, AECL department head, said it was easy to fill Ramsey’s nomination packet with positive words, and he was pleased it resonated with the selection committee.

“In my mind, he fit all of the criteria very well and it was truly an honor to put together a nomination for him,” Terry said.

Terry enjoys watching the reactions of the people in the room when AAAE awards are given. He said seeing and hearing Ramsey’s peers from all over the region happy for him and congratulating him was a treat.

Likewise, it was memorable moment for Ramsey. He said although he knew his name was being considered for the award, he did not really think his name would be the one called.

“To be in front of your peers and to be recognized for your teaching in a room full of folks who are outstanding teachers in their own right, is very humbling,” Ramsey said. “This is my 27th year in education, so being honored for this particular aspect of my job as a faculty member just meant the world to me.”

Ramsey’s nomination packet will be forwarded for consideration in the national award competition in March.