Welcome to teaching in Area II. We are glad to have you here, helping Area II be the best place to be - for students as well as teachers. Whether you are new to teaching or just new to Area II, we know that starting out can be daunting. Hopefully this page will begin to point you in the right direction. If you aren't new to the area, but you are feeling a little lost in everything going on, this page could certainly help you out as well.
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1. The most important thing you can do is make sure you have shared your contact information with Frank Hermesmeyer and make sure he adds you to his email list. It is your job to make sure you read your email. Frank does an excellent job making sure that we have all of the information we need as teachers in a timely manner. However, if you do not read your email then it does not do any good. Frank will answer any question you can send his way, but he will certainly be frustrated if it is a question about something he explained in an email. Read your email first.
2. Make sure to update your information in the Texas FFA Roster / Ag Teachers Association of Texas systems. If you do not know what these are, you can visit each of those websites and contact their offices. They will be able to set up your login information so that you can access those sites. The Texas FFA Roster is where you will be able to submit your student membership roster each year, as well as see what your total for FFA Dues will be at each level. Texas FFA Roster is also where you will register for State Convention each year. You need to make sure your account balance is paid in order for your chapter to be in Good Standing. This is required to enter many contests and events. The ATAT system is where you can sign up to be a member of the Ag Teachers Association of Texas. Most Ag Science Teachers are members, and there are many benefits to joining the association. For more information on the association, visit the ATAT website.
3. Become familiar with JudgingCard. JudgingCard is where many different contest and event registrations will take place for CDEs, LDEs and SDEs. It is also where you can access results for previous contests that used JudgingCard. The results remain online for many years, allowing you to easily look back on past contests when completing things like record books.
4. Explore TheAET. This is where students can keep a record of their Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, though it is not required for an SAE. It is, however, the required location for keeping records when applying for many scholarships, degrees and proficiency awards. For that reason, it is advised that students update their SAE records in TheAET as they occur. This will save a lot of headache and hassle down the road.
5. Make sure to update your contact information on the Update Teacher Contact page. This information is shared among Area II teachers, and will allow them to get into contact with you if they need to. It is extremely important that you provide the most up-to-date contact information possible. In the area, many people will try to check on you if you are running late for a contest or coming up on a deadline, but if they do not have your information, there is nothing they can do to help you. Contact information does not get shared outside of the area.
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This list is far from exhaustive, and it will be updated as more advice is provided. However, there is always someone who is willing to help you when you need help. Area II prides itself on being extremely friendly between the chapters in the area. Any teacher you reach out to will likely be more than willing to help you as best as they can, or at least point you toward someone else who will.
If you feel lost and do not know who to contact, start with someone in your district. If you don't know anyone there or if it is a larger issue, contact Frank Hermesmeyer, our Area Coordinator. He will be able to point you in the right direction.
Welcome to Area II,
Garrett Scitern (Anson FFA)
Website Manager