BY: R AY P I E N I A Z E K A G R I C U LT U R E T E A C H E R S A S S O C I AT I O N O F T E X A S E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R
ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF
T
maintain health. Corner stores and Buccee’s are not proper places to eat. Although the jerky and kolaches are good, you should not think they are a nutritionally balanced meal. Unfortunately, heart problems run in my family. One year for the bus physical the doctor recommended a stress test, as my blood pressure was high. Sure enough, I was put on blood pressure medicine. Thank goodness I had it because some of my students surely would have made it go up! If your doctor As an agricultural science teacher, gives you advice, or you suspect there are many things you might something is wrong, get it checked have to advocate for. Since the out. Don’t wait till it is too late. definition of advocacy is the act of speaking on behalf of or in support Another way you may advocate for of a person, place, or thing, three yourself is planning for retirement. items you might advocate for are You might think its too far away yourself, your program, and your to think about, but in reality it is not that far away. Check your TRS profession. statement every time it comes. The hardest thing on the list is If you don’t think it was reported advocating for yourself. Taking right, do it quickly because you only time to maintain your health and have five years to get it corrected. wellness is one of the many ways to Plan for another source of income approach self-advocacy. Teachers while you are teaching - I am not have a way of just working until just saying to get another job. they can’t anymore. Make sure you Invest your money. Putting away are getting the proper rest to keep even $50-$100 dollars a month will add up over 30 years. I still get a your body functioning correctly. statement from a 403B I had during Ag teachers might have eating my first ten years of teaching. habits which do not exactly help Unfortunately, over the next 18 he word advocacy comes from the Latin ‘advocare,’ and means ‘to call out for support.’ The origins of advocacy date back to ancient Rome and Greece when wellestablished orators would perform as advocates who wrote orations specifically pleading someone’s cause. Personalities such as Cicero and Caesar were among the greatest Roman lawyers and advocates.
28
years I never added to it. What a dumb move! That investment tripled without me adding to it. Finally, spend time with your family. Tell them how important they are to you and how much you care about them. They will be the ones with you for the rest of your life. Advocating for your program is something you should do daily. I hear so many teachers say the counselors dumped students into my class. Do they know what your class is about? If they don’t, it is only your fault. I always talked to counselors and academic deans to make sure they knew what each class offered and the class requirements. Sell them on the benefits of your program. The biggest thing happening in our CTE programs right now are
“THE WORD ADVOCACY COMES FROM THE LATIN ‘ADVOCARE’ AND MEANS TO CALL OUT FOR."
