NEWS A Texas Team Ag Ed Publication
October 2016
Spotlight on Agriculture Education Shane Crafton, Henrietta
At this point, if you are like me, you are still wondering where summer went because you are already knee deep in another fast moving year in the world of agriculture education. It is only October, and I find myself wondering why I am already so far behind that I feel like I will never catch up. The truth be told, none of us will catch up until the end of July rolls around and we start the whole thing over again. With all the tasks we have to do, how do ag teachers remain positive, energetic, and motivated to positively affect the students in their classrooms? I will be honestuntil about five years ago I never worried about it because I was still loving what I do, and it was easy to stay excited. I was chugging along teaching Wildlife and Ag Mechanics and was happy as I could be until I was approached by the principal and counselor with the idea that we change our program and begin to teach Horticulture and Floral Design in our ag program. At first glance I thought this was a great idea. My numbers would go down, and my day would be easier. Then they explained to me I was going teach those classes and lose a Wildlife and Ag Mechanics class. Hold on, I’ve been teaching this stuff for twenty years and now you want me to change? I remember going home that day and complaining to my wife that there was no way I should
have to be the one to change what I was doing. Change was not good for me; I was enjoying what I was teaching and wanted no part of it. Then I remembered something my grandfather told me a long time ago, “It isn’t all about you.” My grandfather was one of my biggest fans, but he could put me in my place better than anyone I had ever been around. He was exactly right. I was so caught up in how I was going to be affected by change that I forgot about the real reason I even had a job. The real reason I am here is the kids that come in our classrooms every day. Change is hard. Ben Franklin once said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” I know that now; the fact is, I have known that for a long time but had forgotten the real reason we are ag teachers--to provide education for the students of our schools in whatever area they and our local school boards feel are important and relevant. I still love to teach Ag Mechanics and Wildlife Science. However, I am teaching a different set of kids now with different goals, interests, and backgrounds from the kids I used to teach. We as ag teachers have to change our programs to meet the needs of a completely different generation of kids who learn differently, and let’s face it, have different interests from the kids of ten years ago. I’m not asking you to completely change every part of your program.
What I am asking you to do is have an open mind when you find yourself in my shoes and are asked to add some of these new areas to your field of expertise. Change is only as hard as the degree to which you fight it. You might even discover that you like it. Since I took up these new classes, my class day has changed. I go from Ag Mechanics first period to Floral Design, then Horticulture, Wildlife, and back to Floral Design to round out the day. I’ll bet there are not many of those combinations of classes for one teacher out there. However, I have found that I am getting kids in our program that are not traditional ag students and are not from traditional agriculture families. Continue on page 2