ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR PROGRAM?

BY: RAY PIENIAZEK AGRICULTURE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As I pondered this quarter's topic of agriculture pride, I can think of many times my students made themselves, their teachers, their teammates, their parents, and their school and community proud. Students, both in and outside the classroom, do activities and actions that should make you proud. If you have not told your students you are proud of them, what's stopping you? They want and need your appreciation regularly.

What happens in your agriculture classroom that makes you proud? Do you share with as many people as possible when good things happen? Something good happens every day that you could report to someone. One idea might be to pick one to two students each week and send a note to their parents saying why they should be proud of their child. You can choose not to tell the child you are doing it, so they get some praise at home.

My students would write in journals every day when they came to class. I read every response to the quote or question of the day, which gave me a chance to provide private feedback and tell them they were doing a great job or that their response was appreciated. Another practice may be to have each student practice telling each other good things so they can feel proud of themselves once or twice a month.

Here are some ways to tell your students you are proud of them, as taken from Sa-

rah Barkley's "30 Ways to Say I'm Proud of You to Someone Special."

1. I am in awe of your talent and accomplishments.

2. Look at how far you have come from where you started.

3. It isn't always easy, but you did the right thing.

4. That is a huge accomplishment that not everyone can reach.

5. I am proud of you, and that will never change.

6. You have accomplished so much already, and I can't wait to see what you do next.

7. I always knew you could do it.

8. I know it was hard, but you got it done.

9. I am incredibly impressed by how hard you worked and how much you accomplished.

10. You are such an inspiration and role model for those around you.

11. I can't stop bragging about you!

12. You did a good job, even if it didn't go the way you wanted it to.

13. Wow, good job! What did you do differently this time?

14. All your hard work has paid off.

15. It has been an honor to watch you come this far.

You never know how much one of these statements may do for one of your students!

What makes you proud of your FFA program and agricultural science depart- ment? Do you share good things with your school? Think about sharing an agricultural thought each week with your faculty. It could be as easy as a statistic about agriculture in your community.

I get letters from student teachers thanking me for coming to speak to blocks and read about how many of them are following their agricultural passion. Share it with the school if you're proud of your agricultural passion. Offer help to other faculty members with lessons on agriculture. It might create a bond between you and your coworkers and increase support for your students.

How do you showcase the types and diversity of agriculture in your community? Agriculture in your community might look different than in other communities, but we must teach and share how agriculture is important to all of our communities.

Each time you involve someone from the community in your ag program, you make sure they and the community know how important it is. Asking your friends on social media for help to get speakers in your classroom will also show the community you are proud of what you are teaching.

Being a role model in showing how proud you are of your students and their involvement in agriculture is something you should always be doing. Be proud of what you contribute to the future of agriculture by training the next generations of agriculturalists. Those around you are watching every action you take. Make your students, community, and school proud they have an agricultural education program.