Be prepared. I'm about to tell you the alarming story that catches up everyone at every ag ed related introduction session. It all begins with the question...
"So how did you find yourself in Ag Ed?"
About three years ago, I was still a high school student with plans of dentistry school in my distant future. Sure I grew up in a farming community. Sure my passion was horses. Sure I went line-dancing every Thursday night. But I was NOT on of those ag kids. We joked about how we were so glad that our high school was not like the other high schools around us with those goofy FFA kids. My mind was blown when the rare occurrence of one of our students transferred to a local school just for the FFA program.
"Why would they do that?! Who would want to be in FFA?! What is FFA?! ...Well that doesn't matter anyway."
"Wait, so you mean to tell me that would can combine agriculture AND education!" Coming from a school without a FFA program, I had no idea ag education even existed! With no exaggeration, it literally was a spark in the darkness of my career goal confusion. Questions piled up from there as I knew I had a love of teaching, from all the informal horseback riding lessons I had been giving for years, and I did have an appreciation for agriculture. I walked away smiling, thinking, "Not sure what this is all about, but it's good."
I have been challenged over the past two years as I try to comprehend the meaning of ag education and FFA. I have been inspired by so many from the ag ed community and given so many opportunities to understand the passion and excitement around FFA. I cannot share my excitement enough as I work towards being the best future ag educator I can be!
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| Capturing the spirit of FFA at National Convention! |
My current "superhero" challenge
To prepare myself to reach out to those high school students, like the one I once was, to get them involved with agriculture in the classroom and have access to all the benefits FFA and the SAE experience has to offer!
