The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) is bringing back its annual conference to an in-person format after being online for the past two years. Judy Culbertson, the Executive Director of the state organization, is excited about this year’s conference and welcomes all teachers to attend. The California AITC Conference has been held every year for the past 35 years. It has moved around California but will be held in Ventura in September. Registration for the event is open now.
The California AITC Conference is held for the purpose of conducting workshops and providing resources to teachers that will help with the methods of agriculture education that are applied in classrooms. Attendees have an opportunity to go on tours, learn about developments in educational materials, and learn from experts in education.
“It’s a great time for teachers to network and really come together,” Culbertson said. “Traditionally, we’ve had about 250 teachers. Half of the teachers are brand new and half of the teachers are seasoned.”
Teachers at the conference this year will have the opportunity to be exposed to four agricultural operations through field trips. This will be followed by a dinner at the Ag Museum in Santa Paula. At this dinner, partner organizations will be speaking about their resources and ways they can help the classrooms. The next morning a farmer panel will be held, with farmers discussing some of the challenges they’ve faced with their operations.
“The energy and the revitalization for Ag in the Classroom is amazing,” Culbertson said. “I would encourage any teacher that happens to hear about this to consider signing up.”
The conference will take place September 22-24 at the Ventura Beach Marriott. Attendance costs $275 and registration for the conference along with hotel accommodations can be made now. Culbertson encourages any and all teachers to attend the conference to take advantage of the educational opportunities that are available.