Wisdom for the New Generation
Posted on: Sunday, 11 May 2008, 03:00 CDT
By Burris, Scott Ritz, Rudy
The student teaching experience is an exciting time. That excitement gives way to responsibility as one assumes the role of an agricultural educator. In fact, some have said the real learning actually begins when the job begins. The induction period of any instructor in the secondary classroom includes its challenges. In addition to the obvious challenges, such as establishing discipline, meeting the community, identifying needs, etc., there are challenges that relate more to the culture of the job rather than the execution of the job. Teacher education programs across the country prepare young people to enter the agricultural education classroom. No doubt, they have done a wonderful job laying a strong foundation that will enable our newest teachers to have a meaningful and lasting impact on their students and on our profession. There will also be some bumps in the road. While experience is the best teacher, maybe some of the bumps previously encountered will help our new teachers to choose an easier path to navigate.
These bits of advice that follow are a product of a combined twentyfour years of secondary teaching experience spread over five different programs from rural to urban. The following list collectively represents those things we believe to be important for our next generation of new teachers.
1. Teach class first.
2. Quality - not quantity.
3. Priorities.
4. Keep things in order.
5. Join the network.
6. Break the mold.
7. Set the bar high.
Teach Class First!
This point is one involving the entire roster of students in one's class. It was very easy to be engulfed by the pressure to compete in numerous FFA activities as I began teaching. The first good advice I heard from a fellow ag teacher was to never forget the 15 or 20 (or 30) students who were left behind at school when working with an LDE, CDE or a livestock team.
"You were hired to be a teacher to every student in your classroom first. The teams you train and livestock shows are an extra duty."
Even though my formal education was complete, this statement, heard during a casual and impromptu mentoring session developed into an integral part of my educational philosophy. I began to realize I still had a lot to learn and very likely would never quit learning. The FFA and intra-curricular activities are vital to a successful program. They are an effective teaching tool and should not be abandoned. However, we should not abandon our efforts to teach every student who walks through our classroom door every day. Steve Fraze, Ph. D., of Texas Tech University said to my student teaching block in 1993, "A teacher's job is to help students learn. That is the service that we are paid to provide."
Quality-Not Quantity!
A high quality teacher and a high quality program supersede quantity. In other words, don't spread yourself too thin. Two LDE teams that are well trained are far more desirable than six teams that are poorly trained. Community needs for a good program will vary from school to school. So it is up to the individual instructor to develop the needs for each program. There is not a kit or mold one can use based on another program or group of programs. Don't observe another program arriving in the parking lot of a contest location and measure their quality on the number of students in a yellow bus. A teacher needs to do what is best for his/her school and meet the expectations of each individual administrator. Trying to have numbers will possibly lead to many hours of work resulting in less quality. In addition, teachers are human and need time to refuel on a daily basis. Teaching can be rewarding, but too much of anything leads to burnout. The result is losing high quality teachers.
Priorities!
Good time management and setting one's priorities go hand in hand. With maturity comes a busy schedule at personal and professional levels simultaneously. It is crucial to remember that family, faith, and health should always be on one's highest list of priorities. Work should always be number four. Happiness is made at home with your loved ones. If you're happy at home, then you'll be happier at work. Although this paragraph is the shortest in text- length, it is definitely the most important.
Keep things in order?
One of the most alluring aspects of secondary programs is the abundant opportunities for competition and recognition. Just as it was a great sense of pride to be recognized for outstanding participation as a student, it is equally memorable to a teacher to see the hard work of his/her students recognized with a trophy or honor. In fact, many students have been motivated by the opportunity to outperform their colleagues or have grown from the confidence and esteem associated with a special recognition. These are wonderful tools available to a teacher and should be used in all programs. After all, these award programs and competitive events were designed to allow students to demonstrate their mastery of knowledge and development of skills. They also come with a caution - keep things in proper order. Don't be tempted, as a young teacher, to focus so much on the award or the competition that the proper devotion is not given to student learning and development. Only when we get competing and winning out of order do we get into trouble. Start with a strong foundation of education and experiences.
Join the network!
A popular cellular commercial talks about the value in having a network. They portray a "network" as a tremendous group of people with any imaginable resource all ready to move in an instant. Our Agricultural Education network is not so different, albeit not so well advertised. For some reason, many young teachers feel they need to prove themselves or feel like they are isolated. The truth is that this group is a family. One needs look no further than an annual conference to see the camaraderie. It is most evident in those unfortunate times of tragedy when colleagues are called upon for help. But in the daily grind, we forget we all share a similar mission and are all working to accomplish the same goals. Experienced teachers are always willing to share advice, offer support, brainstorm solutions or just simply listen. One of the most beneficial things a young teacher can do is surround him or herself with a network of support.
Break the mold!
In working with future agricultural educators at the college level, I have made the following observations. If you ask students why they chose agricultural education, most of them will attribute that decision to their own personal school experiences. In the vast majority of cases, there is an influential advisor or strong and active chapter involved. However, much has or will change between the time you leave the secondary classroom and the time you return to the classroom as a teacher. Our agricultural programs are changing as well. New teachers will have to find creative solutions to the challenges that arise. The traditional ways may not be the best way to accomplish our goals. Don't be afraid to be innovative.
Set the bar high!
In teacher preparation programs around the country, teacher educators are preaching the concepts important to teaching and learning. One of my favorite concepts is, "students will rise to the expectations of the teacher." If you ask a group of 15-year-olds what they want to do in your class today, chances are they would respond with "NOTHING!" No one really appreciates a waste of time. If you challenge your students to learn and perform at a high level, they will. If you create an environment where students need to work hard and be productive, before long you will be surrounded by productive and hard-working students.
As a new teacher, I don't recall anyone handing me the torch. Maybe that is because my focus was on the immediate task at hand and it was difficult to see the big picture. As new teachers embark on a career in agricultural education, perhaps the lessons learned by others who have traveled that path may be of some value. To our new teachers, in addition to kind words of wisdom and advice, also accept our appreciation for taking up a challenge that has been so important to those who have taught before you. GOOD LUCK!
Scott Burris is an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communications at Texas Tech University.
Rudy Ritz is a High School Agricultural Science Teacher at Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas. He is currently working on his doctoral degree at Texas Tech University in Agricultural Education.
Copyright National Council for Agricultural Education Mar/Apr 2008
(c) 2008 Agricultural Education Magazine, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Agricultural Education Magazine, The
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