Rain Rain, Go Away...

I was so thankful for the chance to make it home this past weekend. However, the dreary gray skies were only a reminder that it is May 15th and my Dad has yet to put one corn or soybean seed in the ground. I like to think of farming as a game of risk. A farmer buys land, takes out loans to purchase machinery, chemicals, nitrogen, and seeds with the hope that the harvest will pay enough to cover costs as well as provide enough money to survive for the next year.

People who don't have that direct connection to farming don't realize the risk farmers take everyday. One day could be the difference of a successful crop. Spraying too close to rain could end up costing the farmer twice as much, therefore cutting into profits.

And beginning to plant almost 500 acres during the middle of May... that's risky business. Not only does that signal numerous late nights (or nights with NO sleep) but it could also signal ruts in the ground causing erosion as well as many other detrimental facts. On a video I recently saw on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joUggaD6Mr0 highlights that farmers have to be "Part agronomist, conservationist, meteorologist, economist and ALL optimist." It also highlights, "To succeed at farming, a thousand things have to go right. Failure usually requires only one thing to go wrong."

Pretty interesting thought, eh?


I'm thankful that I have been privileged enough to grow up and have a deep appreciation and passion for farming and the agricultural industry.

Technology and Teaching

Throughout the last 8 weeks, we have been writing lesson plans. We've also heard the phrase, "Work smarter not harder," numerous times. I'm not sure what it was like to be a teacher back before the convenience of the internet. I do know now, that sharing lesson plans and ideas falls perfectly into the "work smarter not harder" phrase. Just last night while working on a lesson plan for today, I stumbled upon numerous web sites like www.ideas4ag-ed.com. This site has many lesson plans, ideas, units, quizzes, all that agricultural educators have developed or compiled.

What a GREAT resource! I'm thankful that technology has allowed us to have resources at our fingertips!

E-Moments

Last week in Methods of Teaching, we learned about engaging moments or E-Moments. Engaging moments provide students a way to learn and engage in the material. My partner Beth and I had "Bob the Weatherman." During our E-moment, students worked in groups to develop an idea and then presented their idea to the class as a "Weather Report." They highlighted the "affected areas," (who would be affected by their idea) showed the "Doppler Radar," (the long term effects) and overall just had fun with it.

Probably one of my favorite E-moments is the "Bob Dylan Moment." During this, Matt Elsass and Meghan McHenry created a song to remember parts of the engine. It was priceless. To make this come to life, they changed the words of "Wild Thing..." At a wedding reception this past weekend, the song "Wild Thing" came on, and I sang "Valve Spring... you make my engine sing, you make everything run smooooothly."

One more credential to E-Moments and that they DO work!

Random Conversations

Saturday morning I took my little sisters to swim lessons at the YMCA. I wasn't allowed to swim, so I went to the hot tub and struck up a random conversation with a guy named Brian. He told me about his family and throughout our conversation, I learned that his son has a learning disability. The education system has failed his son. He has refused to allow his son to have an IEP. When an IEP was written up, it wanted to curve his grades, not make him do better. He struggles with reading, therefore struggles in every other subject.

While hearing this story, I became very upset. How can we, as educators, ensure this does not happen? They are looking to put him in a co-op program in a construction area. I tried to get my foot in the door and tell him about agricultural education and how the hands on learning could be a benefit for his son. I hope he looks into it.

While I am passionate and believe in education, I realize that the system has flaws. What can I do to  help every student succeed? This the question I intend to have posted in my classroom one day to remind me of my career. It's not just teaching students about agriculture, it's pushing them to succeed and learn on their own. It's about giving them the tools they need to accomplish their goals.

State FFA Convention

Tomorrow marks the start of the 83rd Ohio FFA Convention. I had the opportunity to attend convention every year with my chapter. I enjoyed listening to the speakers, staying in hotels and all of the fun activities we would do while in Columbus. However the year that sticks out the most, is my senior year convention in 2008.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was the only senior on the trip and I was running for state office. The first session was fine, I listened and  was attentive but the only thing I could think about was what would happen when they announced the ballot. At the end of that session, they announced the ballot. I was a nervous wreck. My name was announced as a candidate for State FFA Treasurer! I was so excited!
I don't remember the question I answered, I don't remember much of being backstage, but what I do remember is that level of excitement.

The rest of the day and the next day were a blur. I was just going through the motions. When it came time for the last session, I was losing it. My stomach was churning and in my throat. I've never had those same emotions since. I was sitting between my parents, holding my Mom's hand.
Then, it came time to announce the new officers. I had to tell myself to breathe. I was sitting there. I can close my eyes and I'm right back in that situation. I'm sitting there, eyes closed, leaning over. I was so nervous.

They called my name as State FFA Treasurer! I jumped up, hugged my parents, breathed a sigh of relief, hugged my advisor and headed to the stage.

Friday evening, there will be 16 members sitting in the audience at convention waiting to hear their names called. They will have the same feelings of relief as I did. I can't wait to see the excitement on their faces!

Watering Plants

Today at work, Trina asked me to water the large plant in her office. What should have been a five minute watering job turned into a 25 minute cleaning job. Things learned today:

• Don't put more than one full container of water into the plant barrel. 
• The bottom pan has a crack (or more) somewhere. 
• Recycling bins make great water catchers. 
• Waterfall sounds are relaxing. 
• Too much water makes Trina's office smell like a forest. 
• Don't waste time getting paper towels, just pop the whole roll out of the dispenser and bring to the office. Much more efficient. 

I think it's going to be one of those days!

Inspiration

Albert Einstein said, "Everybody is a genius. But if you only judge a fish by his ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it's stupid."

This quote, the more I think about it, applies to nearly every aspect of life. Whether in the classroom, meeting someone new, or encouraging someone to accomplish their goals, it still applies.

My first thought when I read this quote was how can I apply this in the classroom. When thinking about my future, I will have lots of different kinds of students. I will have students with different, backgrounds, home life, experiences, interests, ethnicities, IQ levels, motivation levels, learning styles... the list goes on and on. I HAVE to look at each student and tell them that they are special and they will make a difference, they will be successful! I can't judge their ability to climb trees, I have to look at their strengths and judge them on what they can do.

In thinking about this quote, it applies to meeting someone new. If we assume that they are a genius in something, and our conversation is like a game to discover their sweet spot, find out what makes them move, I think that we would have much more meaningful conversations.

Can anyone else think of ways that this quote might apply to other areas of life?

Sara