NEWS A Texas Team Ag Ed Publication
April 2016
Are You Making The Most Of Your Chances? Ray Pieniazek, East Central
As you get around to reading this article, I am sure that you have had a wild month of March, just as I have. When I came back from spring break, I was glad to be back in the classroom when many of my students welcomed me. Have any of your students felt like they never see you during the spring? It made me feel wanted again in the classroom, as that is my first job, a teacher. Work hard to make sure you have the best lessons possible while you are there and away. I sometimes get a little frustrated that students don’t complete assignments when I am gone, so I make sure to take time to get them caught up when I return. Recently, I used what I thought was a relevant assignment for my woodworking class. They were to complete a sample job application. However, little did I realize how much help my students would need with the seemingly simple assignment. I took time to go over what should be put on an application and what are not the best practices, (ex. your mom and dad are not good references and you cannot ask for a $100,000 starting salary for an apprentice position). It ended up being an excellent use of class time and my students commented that it is certainly something they will use
in the future. Over the past few months, I have asked if you are taking chances. Have you taken one recently? Are you continuing to challenge your students to take chances? Are you telling your students that it is okay to fail and learn from those failures? Today in my advisory class we were discussing taking chances. One student said he got out of a challenging class because he thought he was not going to be able to play baseball due to his low grades. I asked him if he consulted with the teacher, he said yes. The teacher’s response was it is not about the grade but whether he learned and understood the material. Another student commented that this particular teacher teaches the skills they needed to be prepared for college. Encouraging students to take chances that they can learn from is what we should always be doing. Yes, having good grades is important, but with hard work towards learning a subject will prepare them for various challenges in the future. By the way, the teacher I am referring to has been one of my daughters most effective teachers. That particular individual has challenged her to achieve and succeed on AP exams like no other
teacher on campus. It is important that we never forget we are preparing our young people for their future. Your influence goes way beyond the classroom. I enjoy this time of year because I get to travel with my teams. As you compete in contests, don’t forget to have some fun with your students and get to know them. Each one of them has something to offer to their team and to the world. Always let them know that their future is bright and that a contest is only one small part of the big adventure. Keep taking chances, especially those that will lead to brighter futures for your students.
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The Toughest Two Months of the School Year
Barney McClure, VATAT Executive Director When I was teaching, I always felt like April and May were the most challenging months of the whole school year. When you think about what is expected over the last 60 days of school, it can be overwhelming. You and your students are somewhat worn down and tired. The great expectations everyone had earlier in the year have been somewhat dampened. Everyone has things that didn’t go as planned or weren’t as successful as they hoped. In truth, the last two months of school typically provide the greatest opportunities for success in your program. District and Area Conventions are usually held, and includes turning in applications for degrees, chapter and student awards, and the all-important Texas FFA scholarship applications. In addition, many chapters will have officer candidates that try to navigate an increasingly complicated process. April also spells the end for most chapters in the hunt for a state champion career development team. On the home front there is a chapter banquet to plan and conduct, local officer elections, and hopefully some course planning for the upcoming year. It also is the time many programs make plans for supervised
experience livestock projects spanning the next year. In addition, there are usually end-of-year tasks that need to be accomplished, such as updating the inventory. We all need to remember that, even in the last two months of school, we are teachers first, and FFA advisors second. For every applicant for higher awards, there are dozens of other students who still need our help in the instructional program. For every state qualifying team, there are many other kids not receiving that validation that need it in other ways. For every officer, there are other students that need your best efforts to help them progress in their educational journey. Stay the course and always endeavor to finish strong. It is simply the right thing to do.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE VATAT................................................................1 - 2 Texas FFA..............................................................6 Foundation....................................................7 Texas FFA Alumni................................................8 Young Farmers.............................................10 - 11
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UPDATE Challenge: Competing vs. Maintaining Aaron Alejandro, Texas FFA Foundation Executive Director What are we doing here? What is the goal? Does it matter? Why try? Ever asked those questions about the job you do? Maybe more important than the question is the approach by which we face our duties. I want to be very clear, what we do every day is important. It has a purpose. One of my favorite quotes says, “God gave us a gift … it was talent. What we do with that talent is our gift to God.” Lets talk about making the most of our talents. Ever been to a big high school football game? I was at one this past year and could not believe the number of coaches that were on the sideline, up in the press box and how many more may be scouting teams for upcoming games. Unbelievable the amount of energy, resources and efforts put into that one game, and there is a whole season … holy cow! The coaches ponder, scheme, plan and create a strategy for the next game. Why? To win! To have a competitive edge! School districts think nothing of expending the resources; it is what we do to win. Now business is a little different. Most business people want “margins,” so they spend money on advertising, marketing, quality assurance, efficiencies and exceptional customer service all to attract, maintain and create a competitive edge over the competition. Unfortunately, some businesses lose that focus and begin to compare themselves to others adopting the slogan – “No worse than the competition.” Let’s think of young people, parents, school administration and our community as a business. What is our intended outcome? What is the goal? Are we competing for minds? When a teacher enters the classroom, have they taken on the same strategy as a coach who wants to win? Have they studied their players (students in their classrooms)? Are they tuned into what makes them tick (pop culture)? Are they talking the same lingo? Or, do they show up knowing that in doing so they get
a paycheck and they are maintaining a classroom? I say compete for minds! Compete to win! Approach the classroom with a passion and strategy to get the students attention; talk about contemporary things i.e. sports, music, pop culture, build a dialogue to interject important information. Present material across a multitude of teaching tools i.e. multimedia (iCEV), websites, social media, PowerPoints, magazines and books. Just like the plays for a quarterback are different than a defensive lineman, so to must our approach to competing for the minds of students in our classrooms. Compete for their minds and inspire excellence.
Challenge your students to think big and dream big. It is far better to aim at a star and hit an eagle than aim at an eagle and hit a rock! Challenge your students to see the world not from the sidelines but from up in the press box – the 30,000-foot view of how things work together and where opportunity may lay. The apathy and complacency of our world has led to a “maintenance” attitude about life, jobs and opportunities. Be the one that inspires them to dream more, achieve more, be more. You’ve got a purpose. You’ve been given talent. Now, more than ever is the time to inspire the next generation. Hone your skills. Be on the lookout for trends. Spot opportunities and niches, explore unique chances to compete and win. Abraham Lincoln said, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” America and Texas are great because those who went before were willing to compete to win. Train those who will follow in our footsteps to do the same. 7
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UPDATE “Never work with children or animals.” - W.C. Fields Kelly White, Texas FFA Alumni President “Never work with children or animals.” - W.C. Fields I suppose that this W.C. Fields’ quote was never shared with an ag teacher prior to their first year teaching. Yet even if it was I would bet that they would still choose the same profession. Every ag teacher could share numerous stories from their time teaching. Most of these stories would be humorous, some emotional, yet like a good fable… a lesson was learned. But perhaps W.C. Fields had it wrong! “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” - Psalm 8:2 (ESV) Recently I asked my Chapter President, Leigha Fabian to share her thoughts on what she thinks about our local Alumni Affiliate: “From creating a buyers group to hosting sponsorship drives, there really isn’t anything the Alumni does not do. The Alumni program at my school and schools alike, have consistently demonstrated their love for the FFA organization and its members for years on end. It is with a warm heart that I express my appreciation for the parents who devote their time to ensure the success of not only their children but everyone else’s as well. It is the long nights they spend in meetings, the great lengths they are willing to go to, and the family like bonds they share that enrich the chapter with the true compassion it demands. The Alumni is to credit for the banners we put on the wall, ribbons we win, and events we attend. They generously donate an abundance of money towards the Leadership and Career Development Events our chapter competes in. This enables us to continue doing the things we love and ensures that our chapter will never suffer because of a lack of funding. Our success at the county show action was largely due to the Buyers Group they created in order to ensure that every member from our chapter that walked that stage received the support and money they deserved for their 8
hard work and dedication. It is humbling to know that we have a loving group of parents whose main focus is the prosperity and happiness of our members. It is their devotion and love that makes our chapter, my home.” Also, remember deadlines are fast approaching for the $500 Grants & Scholarships. See the Texas FFA Alumni website for more information.
The Texas FFA Alumni is always looking for testimonials regarding the hard work that your local affiliate does for your FFA Chapter. Contact Kelly White via the website to submit your testimonials.
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UPDATE Notes From the Executive Secretary Don Beene, Texas Young Farmers Executive Secretary Spring is always a busy time of year. Therefore I hope all of you remembered to submit your scholarship applications before the April 1, 2016 deadline. By the time you receive this newsletter; our newly elected board will have met and began making plans for the 2017 Texas Young Farmers Convention. This will be the first board meeting since I have been Executive Secretary, that all of the areas are represented. We should have some excellent ideas brought forth from your representatives due to the increase of attendance. I believe this will include plans to increase youth involvement in our programs. If you have any suggestions for our state organization, please let your representatives know. Two of my granddaughters and I just returned from Washington D.C. where we participated in the National Young Farmers Agriculture’s Promise – A Forum for the Next Generation. We met with representatives from numerous Washington D.C. agencies, toured our Capitol and had the opportunity to visit with various legislators’ staff members. In addition, we had the opportunity to sit down with our peers and discuss different agriculture and agriculture education issues we feel our government should be working to improve. For example, one issue we discussed was that Agriculture Education K-12, Post Secondary, Adult/ Lifelong Learning and University Levels should be well funded. Examples of specific programs include generating support for CTE programs at the local level, encouraging literacy education to increase public awareness of agriculture as critical to feeding the world’s expected population of 9 billion people by 2050 and supporting research and outreach programs through the universities.
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON 10
Howdy From Your President Robert W. Bland, Texas Young Farmers President As I look out my window spring time is upon us here in South Texas. It is a very optimistic time of year. Springtime also gets people excited about gardening and the prospect of fresh vegetables. As a Young Farmers Chapter this might be the perfect time of year to provide an educational program about springtime gardening. There are many resources in which one could find a program, such as your local Agrilife Extension Agent or local Master Gardener Club. These individuals or groups are typically experts in the field of gardening and really provide an in depth program. You could also look to your own members as many Young Farmers members not only enjoy gardening, but are quite successful at it. Since gardening is such a hot topic with healthy lifestyles, this would be a great way to encourage others in your community to attend your meeting and let them experience what your chapter does. Do not be afraid of promoting your meetings or asking someone to attend with you, especially if you are going to have an excellent program. Our first state board meeting will be held on April 2nd in Gonzales. We will be discussing the 2017 State Convention as well as reviewing our awards and contests. Additionally, we will be working on implementing a speaking contest for youth that parallels the NYFEA. There will be more information on that to come. Also do not forget to review our website for any information you may be seeking. As always, if at any time the state board can be of assistance with helping you with any matter dealing with the Young Farmers, please feel to contact me either by email at rbland@ gvec.net or by telephone at (830) 672-2437 and I can get you in contact with a state board member or our Executive Secretary, Don Beene.
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While in Washington D.C., Tanner Choate and McKenna Beene enjoyed vising various sites, including the Korean War Veterans Memorial.
NATIONAL YOUNG FARMER EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION
AG PROMISE
WASHINGTON D.C.
The view of the U.S. Capitol was great from the balcony of the USDA offices, even though the historic building is currently Tanner Choate and McKenna Beene visiting the under construction. Lincoln Memorial. 11
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Upcoming Events April
April Continued
1st Begin Swine Tag Orders
15th Foundation Ambassador Application Deadline
1st Texas Young Farmer Scholarship Deadline
May 1st Begin Late Swine Tag Orders
15th Texas FFA Convention Media Deadline
1st VATAT Scholarship Application Deadline
21th State CDEs, Tarleton
4th Texas FFA Association Board Meeting, Austin
23th State CDEs, Texas Tech
7th Invitational CDEs, Tarleton
29th State CDEs, Sam Houston 30th State CDEs, Texas A&M
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Officers Ray Pieniazek, President
Shane Crafton, Vice President
Michael Meadows, Secretary/Treasurer
Staff Barney McClure, Executive Director
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Karen Jones, Membership Services