NEWS A Texas Team Ag Ed Publication
June 2016
Are You Making The Most Of Your Chances? Ray Pieniazek, East Central
The school year is finally over. That means you are anticipating some days off and getting everything in line for state convention. I too am looking forward to some much needed time off to regroup and recharge. What did you accomplish this past year? What chances did you take? Hopefully you have taken many chances, for both yourself and your students, and continue looking for more as you move into the summer months. “You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.” I discovered this quote while writing my article this month. It can be difficult to take chances and try something new when we don’t know what the end result will be. “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently,” Henry Ford said. “In the end we may only regret the chances we didn’t take. Furthermore, failures are part of life. If you don’t fail, you don’t learn, and if you don’t learn, you don’t change.”
Taking chances should be part of your daily routine. Our school is currently changing to standards-based grading. It is a difficult thing to grasp, but, as our principal and superintendent keep saying, “it’s about mastering the standards.” I’ve begun using it in my woodworking class and it’s made it easy for me to grade them each day in the shop. I base their grades upon their work ethic. Stated simply, if they are working without my guidance and demonstrating a great work ethic for the entire period, then they are meeting the standard. Eventually, all of our classes will transition to standardsbased grading. It is making me change the way I have to think about assignments and their purpose. It is a change in my mindset. This year has been an adventure, and I know this trend will continue in the years to come. Our VATAT is more financially stable than ever before, our building in Austin has received a makeover, and the finishing touches on
the landscape should be completed in the coming months. Conference is just around the corner, and hopefully you have registered and are planning to enjoy the multitude of workshops that we have lined up for you. I hope you have a fun and revitalizing summer and enjoy your time with family and friends. Keep taking chances, especially those that will lead to brighter futures for you, your family and friends and your students. I look forward to seeing you in Corpus Christi in July!