NEWS A Texas Team Ag Ed Publication
June 2019
#TammyTalks
Tammy Christian, Penelope
We have almost made it! At this point, most of you have had area degree check and Convention behind you, have finished your FFA banquet, and it is quite a relief! If you are like me, it’s now time to start planning for summer activities, FFA convention, workshops and the 2019-2020 school year. I hope that you received Barney’s email about HB 3 and that you had a chance to contact the 10 key representatives and senators about fair funding for CTE. It took very little of my time to make those calls and it is so important for programs. I will be headed to Austin in the morning to meet with the VATAT mentors. I am anxious to hear their feedback on the second year of this program. I will report to you in next month’s newsletter. Continuing my journey...I continued to teach at Penelope, but it was home and I needed to challenge myself. I really wondered “could I be successful elsewhere?” I did not want to be the teacher who became comfortable and failed to continue growing. In 2002 some opportunities came open in our county. I interviewed at
a couple of schools and ended up at being offered a position at Hillsboro High School. It was a tough decision to leave my students at Penelope, but I felt that if was I ever going to grow, I needed to make to the move. In July of 2002, I started at Hillsboro with Bill Woody, who I had known since high school. This would be a new experience, as I had always been a part of single teacher department. I was excited to start this venture. Penelope had been a small district; I began to learn a lot about the paperwork and procedures of a larger district. Hillsboro had an ag barn, I oversaw the hogs, lambs, and goats. While I had dealt with all of those prior, I had much larger numbers. We traveled to most of the major shows and participated in LDEs and CDEs. I knew many of the families and parents in the program but there were many I did not know. I felt like there were some who were be a bit skeptical about having a female ag teacher, but I was able to build rapport and it did not take long to start to feel at home. As with any new school, it took a bit to make all things
work smoothly and get the students accustomed to new ways, but it did fall into place. I felt at home there and felt like it might be last and final move. To be continued… As you begin planning for summer, I have a suggestion. Every administrator and school district is different. They all have different expectations of those who are on twelvemonth contracts. Visit with your administrators and know what they expect. Many times, they are not expecting you to report every day, they know you have put in a lot of time Continue on page 2
Conference 2019 Dead Ahead
#TammyTalks
Barney McClure, VATAT Executive Director
at this point. However, there may be those who expect you to check in daily and be available on campus. Just be certain you know the expectations and no matter what, complete a summer plan. Make a calendar with dates you know are work related, add time for summer project visits and preparation for the coming year, as well workshops, etc. They will appreciate a look at your plans. Communication is so important- send emails, make calls, be sure school secretaries and employees know where you are and how to get in touch with you. Twelve-month contracts are a bonus, do not abuse the opportunity to have one. Many teachers do not see a need to attend summer obligations like State Degree check and validations if they do not have a student involved. Use these opportunities to learn, improve and connect with other ag teachers. Your willingness will be appreciated and help build rapport with the other teachers in your county, district, area and across the state. I cannot stress the importance of your community’s perception of what you do. Being visible and involved can be a credit to you and your program. As you wrap up the school year, I hope that you can find some much needed leisure time as summer approaches. Stay positive and safe travels!
Our summer professional development conference is set for July 28-August 2, 2019 in Corpus Christi. The staff, board of directors, officers, conference planning committee, and I think we have an outstanding event in store for our members. Our profession continues to evolve, and it can be a daunting task to keep up with everything. As most of you know, TEA has published a new list of industry-based student certifications. We will have workshops on at least nine of the thirteen certificates listed for AFNR students and are working on getting more. The new list will be in effect during the upcoming school year, and the achievement of these certificates by your students will be a factor in the A-F school accountability system. Many of our workshops center on classroom teaching. It is impossible to have a strong overall program without an exemplary instructional program. You will hear how some of the best in our business do it. You will also receive Continuing Professional Education credits for most of our activities. We have planned more than ninety workshops designed to help everyone navigate the next school year. New teachers won’t be overlooked as we have a new teacher workshop on Wednesday. During the general sessions you will hear outstanding speakers, see your peers recognized for their achievements, and receive valuable updates from our industry and stock show partners. You will also have time to meet as areas to conduct critical business. I could go on and on but come to Corpus this summer to participate in the Conference and see for yourself. I will see you there.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VATAT.......................................1 - 3 Texas FFA....................................6 Young Farmers......................8 - 9 2
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DISH is proud to support Texas ag education. Introducing the DISH Ambassador Program, a new way to fundraise for Texas FFA chapters Are you an FFA advisor? Learn how your chapter can participate in the DISH Ambassador Program at dish.com/FFA
FFA and its members are not authorized retailers of DISH products and services, for information on DISH products and services please contact DISH directly. Door-to-door distribution of materials regarding the DISH-FFA program is prohibited. Telephone solicitation in connection with the DISH-FFA program is prohibited. Use of the FFA Name or Mark does not represent an endorsement by FFA of this product or service or an endorsement by FFA of the manufacturer or provider of this product or service. From October 24, 2018 until June 31, 2019, for every new and qualifying former customer that signs up under DISH’s Digital Home Advantage program, FFA will receive $200.00. Restrictions apply. Program not available in AL, HI, IL, MA, MI, SC. See website for details.
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vatat
MENTOR program
2018-2019 MENTORS GARY ADAMS KENN CARR GLEN DOSSETT TONY DUNKERLEY RICK FLEMING STEVE FORSYTHE LACHO GARZA MIKE JACKSON RANDY LOOPER DON MCGUFFIN
JIM MISSILDINE LOYD NATIONS DAVID REILEY BOBBY ROSENBUSCH JIMMY VACULIN MARY WILSON JACK WINTERROWD RON WHITSON GERALD YOUNG
THANK YOU TO THESE INDIVIDUALS FOR ALL THAT THEY DO TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION! 5
What ag education classes do you teach? Principles of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, Agricultural Mechanics and Metal Technologies, Food Technology and Safety and Advanced Animal Science.
What advice would you give a first-year teacher? Seek advice from seasoned teachers because most of what we do can’t be found in a book.
Why do you teach ag? I feel it is very important to teach the proper way to advocate for agriculture. I believe leadership roles are vital to agriculture in general. I hope I have and continue to help develop individuals for those key roles.
What’S your favorite classroom memory? I don't have just have one, but I would say I really enjoy watching my freshman during their first semester as they buy in to our program. What is your favorite FFA memory? It would have to be when helped my first Texas FFA state officer get elected, and also my second. I am hoping for number three before I retire!
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Why do you believe that ag education is so important? I believe that agriculture advocacy is very important, with fewer people involved in production agriculture education is vital. Do you have advice on balancing work/home life? Sometimes it is hard, but I always try to do my best to take off on Sunday. Most of time work will wait until Monday.
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UPDATE Notes From
the
Executive Secretary
Bob Young, Texas Young Farmers Executive Secretary As a brand-new Ag Teacher in Axtell in the fall of 1973, I was full of energy, optimism, and determination. I knew teaching agriculture was my passion, my lifelong dream. I had no choice but to succeed. I was eager to work hard and accomplish my career goals. I dreamed of days of tremendous accomplishments made by our students, evidenced by all the plaques and banners that were to be hung in the classroom as we progressed together through each school year. I also understood there would be days when I would be humbled by things I had never considered before. I can still remember the first day a student asked me a question in class to which I did not know the answer. I asked myself how I was going to handle my first serious discipline problem with a student. How was I going to be able to provide all the opportunities available through FFA to our students? Listen, if I am going to be so great at this profession, my students will learn so much that they will soon be smarter than I am. It did not take too long for me to realize my learning in life had just begun. But, the Agricultural Education system in Texas was right there ready to assist, just as it is today. Through our great system of short courses, seminars, and workshops, I discovered I would have many opportunities to learn new skills, new techniques of teaching, and methods of developing the minds of our students. I discovered there were many, many dedicated, experienced ag teachers in my district and area who were so willing to share their knowledge and experiences with me. I knew the value of sharing knowledge with students, but I learned, to an even greater extent, the value of colleague-shared knowledge and wisdom. What all of that is supposed to mean is, regardless of where life has taken us, we must continue to learn. We must use as many resources as we can to overcome the obstacles that we face professionally. For many of us, summertime is a great time to accomplish this. Learn more. Fine tune some skills. Develop new, more effective approaches to problem solving. Take time to self-critique. Be honest with yourself in accessing your professional situation. If you want to change something to make it better, do it the proper way. All these things are parts of our learning curve. Speaking of learning, please allow me to introduce 8
the five recipients of the 2019 Texas Young Farmers Scholarship Award. Each of these scholarships is awarded in the amount $1000. We are extremely proud to provide the following FFA members with the awards. We will have more information about these fine FFA members in a later issue. Haylee Young, Teague FFA-Sharon Beene Memorial Scholarship; Alee Walterscheid, Barbers Hill FFA, Billy Harrell Memorial Scholarship; Danaleigh Stiles, Cross Roads FFA; Bethany Knowlton, Deer Park FFA; Brianna Knowlton, Deer Park FFA. That’s it for this month. Enjoy the summer. Until next time, remember “The sooner you step away from your comfort zone, the sooner you will realize it wasn’t all that comfortable.”- Eddie Harris, Jr.
Thank You to Our Texas Young Farmers Sponsors
KOOPMANN CATERING SCHULENBURG, TX 979-561-6272 koopmanncatering@gmail.com
Competition for Digital Scrapbook Award is open to all Young Farmer Chapters attending the State Convention in January. Content of the scrapbook describes the chapter activities in a power point or similar program presentation. The 2019 Digital Scrapbook winners are: 1st PlaceBryan, represented by C. J. Johnson; 2nd Place-Gonzales, represented by Robert Bland; 3rd Place-Teague, represented by Chad Wood.
The State Convention Quiz Contest is composed of questions derived from the Convention tours and programs, as well as Texas Young Farmers knowledge. The 2019 Quiz Contest winners are: 1st Place-Amanda Escabedo, Gonzales Chapter; 2nd Place-Roy Ward, Limestone County Chapter; 3rd Place-Wayne Koch, Gonzales Chapter.
The Basket Contest is open to all Young Farmer Chapters. The baskets were auctioned at the end of the State Awards Banquet on Saturday night of the Convention.The 2019 Basket Contest winners: Bryan Chapter, represented by C. J. Johnson; 2nd Place-Gonzales Chapter, represented by Robert Bland; 3rd Place-Dayton Chapter, represented by Earl Sanders.
Each year the State Board members select a list of ten topics for the Ag Expressions Contest. Contestants are required to write a 500-word essay about one of the topics selected by the Board. The 2019 Ag Expressions Contest winners were: 1st Place-Megan Hausenfluck, Bryan Chapter; 2nd Place-Lance Hausenfluck, Bryan Chapter; 3rd Place-Charles Rochester, Gonzales Chapter.
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VATAT
614 E. 12th Street Austin, Texas 78701
Upcoming Events June
July
1 - 4 State Leadership Conference
August
15 - 19 Texas FFA Convention 29 - Aug. 2 VATAT Professional Development Conference
5 - 7 State Degree Check
1st Texas FFA Payment Deadline
7 Texas FFA Board of Directors Meeting
www.vatat.org
Contact
(512) 472-3128
vatat@vatat.org
Officers Tammy Christian, President
Terry Baize, Vice President
Staff
Ryan Pieniazek, Secretary/Treasurer
Barney McClure, Executive Director Ashley Dunkerley, Communications Karen Jones, Membership Services Tori Rosser, Special Projects
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