Kendall Mallory and Courtney Crume’s old Kentucky homes are far away but they are loving their time on agricultural placement in Bathurst.
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During their eight-week placement at The Scots School the two budding high school agriculture teachers will be hands-on in the school’s steer program.
They are in their final months of study at the University of Kentucky and are part of a pilot program between their university, Charles Sturt University (CSU) and The Scots School, Bathurst.
“So far we’ve had so many wonderful experiences,” Ms Crume said.
“It’s nice to see how different classrooms are,” Ms Mallory said.
“They [students] say thanks here, you never get that in our schools.”
Ms Crume said students at The Scots School have an amazing opportunity to learn from and work with animals.
“We don’t have very many schools that have a farm on their complex,” she said.
“A lot of work is done in the classroom and a lot of the time you have to arrange time at a farm.”
During their time in Bathurst the women have taken part in a field trip with CSU’s Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management students and CSU’s social programs.
They also also visited the Blayney Show on March 22 where Ms Crume took out first place in the steer parade for 18 to 25-year-old leaders.
CSU Global manager Dr Shevahn Telfser said the eight-week honours placement is for high-achieving students from the University of Kentucky.
“The students, who have come to Australia through the CSU Global exchange program, will have the opportunity to teach students from Years 7 to 12 at an Australian school,” she said.
“This will be their last placement before graduating upon their return to the US in May.”
The US students’ main responsibility will be teaching and learning about the Australian curriculum, along with teaching methods and practices.
During the trip the women will also assist with The Scots School steer entries at Sydney Royal Easter Show next month.
Dr Telfser said CSU hope to expand the student placement program in the future to include other disciplines and international universities.
A reciprocal visit for CSU students to Kentucky later is planned later this year.