NEWS A Texas Team Ag Ed Publication
December 2016
Spotlight on Agriculture Education Shane Crafton, Henrietta
This month’s topic is a sensitive one, and I am not trying to step on toes, but I feel it is an important topic as we move forward. No matter which way you look at it, teaching agriculture in Texas is all about competition. Many times our programs are judged on how well we do in competitive events. Whether it be stock shows, agriculture mechanics contests, leadership development events, or career development events, we are judged by how well our students compete. I think it is important that we all remember that first our job is to be effective classroom teachers, and these competitive events are just an extension of that classroom education. Don’t take this the wrong way because I definitely feel that these events are a very important part of what we do, and I will admit that I am a very competitive person who hates to lose at anything. My competitive nature comes from when I was young and always wanted to beat my brother at “Space Invaders” and “Asteroids” and my sister at “Monopoly” (don’t ever let her be the banker if you want to have an honest chance to win), but that’s another whole discussion that we don’t have time for right now. I know you younger teachers have no idea what those games are, but trust me, they were huge at one time. We are all competitive to one extent or another, and there is nothing wrong with that. As a
matter of fact, I think that is one of the main characteristics that makes us successful ag teachers. Is winning the most important outcome? If you look at famous quotes, you would think so. “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” or how about “There is only one winner in every game,” or my personal favorite from the great Ricky Bobby, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” Winning seems to be the only sufficient outcome of any competition. Or is it? I think it is important for us to remember what the purposes of these competitions are: to promote team work, responsibility, decision making skills, speaking ability, and build self-confidence. These are the traits we should be instilling in all of our students. Is it necessary to win competitions to help our students develop these abilities? You don’t have to win to be a winner. I want you to remember that we all have students in our classes who have never experienced success of any kind. When you select students for your teams, don’t look over these students just because you don’t feel you can win with them on your team. All students need to be successful. We as ag teachers are supposed to try to help all our students, not just the top end students that make us look good. We have all had students who were not the best for the team’s chance to advance, but for those students, participating on an ag team might
have been the most successful and fulfilling moment they have ever experienced. You might even have sparked something in their life that changes them forever. At the end of the day, all students need a little spotlight to shine on them even if that means the light on us is a little dull at times. Finally, I would like to draw attention to a group that makes all these completions possible: our college and university providers. There are too many to possibly mention, but this group is a very important one in the life of ag teachers and the Texas FFA competitions. Think about what they do; they organize contests for thousands of students on a single day.
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