SAE Visit #2

Recently, I visited a student of mine who is in my welding and electrical class.  I got to see his first ever SAE project.  Since he is a freshman, however he has been raising dairy beef for a number of years through 4-H.  Before heading out to visit, together during RTII/flex we looked at his AET record book and evaluated the overall record book.  We agreed that he needed to begin keeping more routine detailed records of what he specifically does with his dairy beef.  We talked about how if he continues with his record book keeping he could win multiple awards and money.  All for just keeping detailed records!  This intrigued him and I believe the fire is now there for him to stay on top of entering records.  

As I pulled up to the farm my student was already outside of the parlor with his calf leading it around.  He informed me prior at school that his calf was a bit rambunctious and he had a hard time leading it.  All signs were opposite while I was there.  He did a superb job leading his calf.  The cool thing about these visits is anything can happen.  Also, you should never assume anything and any moment can be a teachable moment.  Come to find out my student or his father had never used a weigh tape before.  So, I got to explain to them how to use it and we then weighed his calf.  His calf is right on track for fair in September currently weighing 325 lbs.  After weighing the calf he spoke to me about his duties on the farm and the chores he does taking care of the calves.  He said he enjoys working with the animals as long as they are bucket trained!

He then took me into their milking parlor and I got to see their facility.  I got to speak with his father a little bit more while he was milking and made somewhat of a personal connection.  I truly saw the significance of these SAE visits.  They are a very powerful tool to have in our box of things ag. teachers get to do over regular teachers. 

The banquet of the Garden Spot FFA Chapter will now come to order.

Student teaching is well past the halfway point and spring is certainly in the air!  For FFA members it is banquet season and practicing for CDE’s.  Every day I am amazed how awesome my cooperating center is.  The students I teach make what I do enjoyable not just bearable.  The faculty and staff are great and are extremely impressed in the young men and woman who come out of the ag. program.  As I said earlier banquet season is upon us.  Thursday night was the Garden Spot’s FFA banquet.

Again, I was impressed by the students’ preparation which occurred well before the banquet.  They worked diligently preparing the guest list, ordering supplies, picking up flowers, and assembling the auditorium.  It was evident this banquet was not put on by the advisors, but rather the members.  The advisors were there for well simply advice.  The members knew very well the traditions of such an event and had large shows to fill for a specific reason as well. 

The night of the banquet came and I must say the students did an excellent job!  The auditorium shined with blue and gold pride.  This year’s FFA theme is telling your story and as the night went on I think the students did just that!  Something that they did which never occurred at my FFA banquets is they recapped their year.  Many of the FFA members shared a brief overview or story of the events which the Garden Spot FFA chapter participated in.  Banquets are a time to look back on the previous year, acknowledge the accomplishments of its members, and share in good food and fellowship.  Garden Spot’s banquet encompassed all of that.

As the banquet came to a close there was still one more person to be recognized for their dedication to the program.  The Greenhand Degrees, Proficiency Award Winners, and Keystone Degree recipients had all been recognized.  The final celebration of the evening spanned a breadth of 40 years.  That is correct you heard me right 40 years!  That is going back to 1976!  Mr. Smith who is the other ag. teacher at Lampeter Strasburg is hanging it up at the end of this school year and beginning his retirement.  I cannot even describe the respect students, faculty and staff, prior students, and the community members have for this man.  Last night showed just how much an impact one person can have on the lives of others.  Sitting there in my seat as Mr. Smith was being recognized I thought just how fortunate I am to get to work with him and Mrs. Oberholtzer to learn as much as I can about agriculture education before I begin teaching my own students in my own program.  As Mr. Smith took the stage to give his remarks these words he said are the reason why I chose the profession I am in.  “I just wanted to be able to provide students with the skill sets, knowledge, and opportunities to be able to better themselves long after I have had them.” 

First Timer... SLLC 2016

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of this past week I attended The State Legislative Leadership Conference (SLLC) with my cooperating teacher and five FFA members.  This conference was just as exciting and informative for me as it was the students.  This was my first time ever attending SLLC myself.  FFA members from across Pennsylvania gathered together in Harrisburg to better understand the legislative process.  Students engaged in parliamentary procedure, learning how bills are created and passed, and reading bills being presented in the House of Senate of Pennsylvania.  From the moment students arrive they are enhancing their knowledge of public service, meeting new people, and conducting community service. 

I was excited to attend SLLC because I had never gone as an FFA member.  The conference itself blew my mind away with the amount of information students absorb which is very beneficial to them, their chapter, and most importantly the community they live in.  Being there from an advisor stand point I helped grade proficiencies with other agriculture instructors.  Taking part in this activity opened my eyes to the long hours our dedicated ag. teachers put in to allow for their students to succeed and achieve great things.  I also took part in an Edu Camp with other ag. teachers.  I enjoyed this workshop to be able to gain a plethora of information and knowledge from experienced instructors and advisors. 

Everyone at the conference as well participated in community service.  Our chapter along with numerous others helped do some spring cleaning at local churches.  This was a nice break from the long sessions our students had been in and to get our hands dirty a little bit.  It was nice lending a helping hand completing tasks that would have taken multiple days for these churches to complete. 

We ended the conference Tuesday morning having a breakfast and meeting legislators.  I thought this was a great experience for the students to get to engage in conversation with their local representatives and tell them all about what the FFA does and stands for.

Promotion and Devotion

 

Wow what a week it has been!  National FFA Week at Lampeter Strasburg High School has come to a close and I am super proud of the job well done that the students did.  So let’s talk about the week.

To begin with I set the goal to have all my materials for the entire week ready to go by Monday afternoon.  For the most part I met this goal and it alleviated a good chunk of stress this week would bring.  I again am setting the same goal for myself this week.  Planning proved to be monumental this past week and whether it is National FFA Week or not having all your ducks in a row (for the most part) is super beneficial to the success of your Monday starting off on the right path and a continual upward climb than downward slope throughout the entirety of your week.

I want to specifically touch on three events that occurred during this past week.  The first was wear your official dress to school day.  While nothing has changed since I was in high school and we wore our official dress to school and many students complained and whined about having to do it.  Wearing your blue and gold corduroy jacket speaks volumes!  When other students and teachers see a swarm of blue and gold jackets you make a statement before even speaking to them.  You are a part of one of the largest and best youth development organizations.  You believe in the future of agriculture, enhancing your personal skills of leadership, group collaboration, public speaking and much more.  You learned that to live and work on a good farm, or be engaged in other agricultural pursuits, is pleasant as well as challenging.  You are an advocate.  You are the voice of modern day agriculture.

The second event was something my cooperating teachers informed me is a big hit every year and our preparation for it started well before National FFA Week.  On Wednesday the Garden Spot FFA chapter held an ice cream social for all the teachers after school.  The excitement and thanks received from faculty and staff was surreal!  Now think about this.  Where is your ag. classroom located?  Probably many of you like ours it is nestled way back in a far corner of the building.  So while we had all these teachers from other parts of the building corralled down in our wing we made the most of it.  Students’ projects from the vet science classes were out on display for the teachers to look at.  In my welding and electrical class we devoted a day solely for constructing different types of welds or electrical splices to be on display in the shop.  Anytime you get the chance to show off your program do it!  While it blows my mind the respect the other teachers have for my cooperating teachers.  I truly believe many of them really do not know what it is we do in the ag. department so that is why you have things like an ice cream social or teacher breakfast to show appreciation for all the days students have missed in their classes traveling to CDEs and other events.  And show them what it is you are doing in your classes.

Last was a farmer’s breakfast we put on this past Saturday.  The students did a phenomenal job delegating tasks and getting all the food and supplies around.  Again an event like this showed how much the FFA organization means to these kids getting up at 5am on a Saturday and the turnout from the community to support such an organization. 

While FFA Week only comes once a year that doesn’t mean you have to wait until then to show off all the cool things your chapter and students are doing.  Newspaper articles, bulletin boards, and school board meetings are all great ways to promote your program.