NEWS A Texas Team Ag Ed Publication
February 2019
#TammyTalks
Tammy Christian, Penelope
Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a joyful Christmas and that you had time to relax and spend much needed time with your family and friends. I hope that your new year has got off to a great new start! As we continue my journey, it is extremely hard to believe that 30 years ago this month I began teaching ag in Penelope, Texas. I was nervous and anxious as I began, my surroundings were familiar, it had been just under five years since I had graduated from the same school. There are challenges for any teacher as they begin, but starting mid-year was no cake walk. The kids were receptive and welcoming, and a bit amused with having a female ag teacher. There were certainly a lot of the high school students I knew, and Mr. Hawthorne’s middle daughter Stephanie was one of my students. Mr. Hawthorne had been a great ag teacher, so I relied heavily on how he had done things. I will admit, there were struggles. Learning to plan and prepare for classes was a little difficult, and in addition to teaching ag, I was teaching some junior high science classes as well. I was considered a part time ag teacher, according to my administrator. I was limited on how many stock shows I could attend, and how much I could be gone for ag related trips. I was going to have
to become certified to teach junior high science. Females were still new to this profession, but the community and school board had welcomed me with a pinnacle of confidence. While I was welcomed by the county ag teachers and neighboring communities, I did not always ask enough questions. I made mistakes and learned the hard way, many times! I struggled as new and young ag teacher, I was not convinced that I had made the right choice. In the spring of 1990, I set out to Houston for the livestock show with one student, Stephanie Hawthorne and her lamb, it was before the sift at Rosenberg. I had changed our reservations to a Motel 6 based on the recommendation of a fellow teacher. As we drove into the parking lot, I felt a little uncomfortable, but we settled in for the night. In the early morning hours, I received a call from the front desk, they had caught someone trying to steal my truck. They had twisted the door lock and much of the steering column, including the ignition for the key, was in the floor-board. After a few phone calls and a couple of hours, the police showed up. They taped my ignition back in so I could get the key in it and cranked. We spent the rest of the week with my cousin and my husband had to come pick up the truck and bring me something else
to drive. What a trip! After teaching for two and a half years decided I need to try something else, I was not convinced teaching was my calling. To be continued... The stock show tour is upon us, I head to Fort Worth with heifers in a week. I had a close call with my Fort Worth entries this year. For many years now, I have always mailed my entries certified return receipt. I mailed our Fort Worth entries on November 13th. The second week in December, I had not received any passes for Fort Worth and it occurred to me I did not remember receiving the green receipt card back from Fort Worth. I checked my file folder and it was not there. Continue on page 2