Leadership Roles in Your School and Community

BY: RAY PIENIAZEK AGRICULTURE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Leadership is not a position or You may be in a school where member of the agricultural title; it is action and example. athletics is front and center extension service community As an agricultural science to the community. Show your advisory council and served teacher, you have many options respect to the coaches and four years or more. It was a to show leadership by action players by attending the events great way to connect with other and example in your school. or offer to be an announcer. members of the community and There are many opportunities Also, students will love to see build a relationship with the for you to step into a role and you. What better way to show extension agents in our county. be a model for your students. the community and parents that all students are important If you live in a small community, Most schools have committees to you than by showing up as leadership roles may be limited used to meet requirements support at other activities? It but will be available. Seek out of making decisions within thrills me to see when teachers the established leaders in the the school district, such post they were honored by a community to ask how you as attendance, site-based student at an athletic event. This could be involved in what is decision making, community action shows your leadership is happening. Take your students relations, and many others. By respected in the classroom. to see how things operate and stepping up to serve on these get them involved in the civic committees, you show you are “Great leaders don’t set out groups or other communityinterested in and involved with to be a leader… they set out based organizations. We should what is happening in the local to make a difference. It's be modeling servant leadership community. never about the role, always for our students. Your visibility about the goal.” - Lisa Haisha, in the community as a leader If you are asked to assist with Motivational Speaker. will go far in your relationships an inservice, jump at it! Share with parents, students, and how things happen in your Our goal as ag educators should community members. classroom. If you want to show be to create more leaders, not them you are teaching real- followers. It is our job to set an As John Quincy Adams stated, world topics, show off what your example of leadership for our “If your actions inspire others program is doing. Offer middle students. to dream more, learn more, do school and elementary teachers more, you are a leader.” help to do agricultural-related Your community will look to you topics in their classroom. If you for leadership. Whether it be at You will never know the power have a greenhouse, offer it to church, the city council, county of your actions until far down biology teachers or any science government, civic groups, or the road when your students teachers to use. If you grow getting your students involved become the leaders in their bedding plants, deliver them to with activities, there are communities. Have a great the elementary school to grow countless ways to be a leader winter, and reach out if you in their schools or classrooms. locally. I was asked to be a need us. 30

Teach Ag Tips

RULES AND PROCEDURES IN YOUR AG DEPARTMENT PART THREE: AG DEPARTMENT/CLASSROOM BY: RYAN PIENIAZEK, KRUM AND RAY PIENIAZEK, ATAT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

1. Classroom Discipline: In order to maintain a respectful classroom environment, you should have basic rules students must follow. You can have the students help create it and call it a contract.

2. Safety Contracts in Labs: If your students work in any lab situations, signed safety contracts are important for students and parents to recognize the expectations. Whether it is an ag mechanics shop, floral lab, foods lab, or animal lab, your students need to know the safety rules and procedures.

3. Handling Animals in the Classroom: If you bring or handle animals inside or outside the classroom, make sure all students have permission to be able to do so. It is important parents know what types of situations, as their student may be handling them and the issues related to their interactions with them.

4. Lesson Plans: Each school has a different policy on if, when, and how lesson plans are submitted. An administrator can ask to see lesson plans at any time and they are important for documenting special education students modifications.

5. Grading Procedures: Each school district will have grading policies for you to follow. Make sure all students and parents know what your procedures will be for you students to earn grades. Be upfront, fair, and clear on what your grading policy is and that it is in line with the district guidelines.

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AG TEACHER SPOTLIGHT MINDY HOWARD TROY HIGH SCHOOL TENURE: 18 YEARS

WHY DO YOU TEACH AG?

Agriculture has been a big part of my life, as I grew up on a family farm in Haskell, Texas. I remember sitting on the arm of the chair in the tractor bouncing up and down listening to stories from my dad and grandad. When mamaw and mom would come to the field with lunch we would sit on the truck tailgate, eat a sandwich, talk about what needed to be done, and tell stories about what happened that morning. Normally those stories were about something I did or should have done. Listening to their stories and learning first hand the hardships and the joys of agriculture made me excited for each day on the farm. While I always knew I wanted to do something in agriculture, my vision became clear after a very long talk with my ag teacher, Mr. James Bevel. He always believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. He told me to take the things I loved the most and put them together. I loved working on the farm, helping mom in the garden, and showing livestock. What better way to put it all together than becoming an ag teacher. Each day is a new day that brings something different to the table. I tell stories about the family farm and the lessons I learned. While many of these kids know their food comes from the grocery store, they don’t realize how it got there. Teaching them the hardships the farmer goes through for that little piece of joy each time they take a bite and every stitch of clothes on their back is important. I hope they take pride in what they have and not take it for granted.

WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THAT AG EDUCATION IS SO IMPORTANT?

I feel agriculture education is important because we are getting further away from traditional farming. Agricultural science education is going to help keep the generation gap from closing up on us. As we take a look into the future, we are going to depend on the kids in these ag classes. While we hope that the kids in our classroom are going into the agriculture field, we have to realize some of them will be choosing different paths, all of which still benefit in some way from agriculture classes. We are helping create responsible and dedicated individuals who will one day be taking care of us.