Here by the Owl

Everyone has a different story of how they began their FFA journey. Mine began when my advisor talked to me for the first time at our county fair. “Wendy,” she said, “I know you don't know me, but you should come make an arrangement at the floral design contest.” I had no idea who this crazy lady was, but I knew my sister thought she was sort of cool, so I went to the contest not knowing what to expect. As it turned out, I wasn’t very good at making arrangements, but Mrs. Williamson was an expert at teaching everyone how to make one.

My advisor, Mrs. Williamson, and I

For many of us, our advisors are the reason why we joined FFA; whether it is because they said something that convinced us, or maybe they twisted our arms just enough to finally make us say, “Okay, okay! I’ll join FFA.” Regardless of the reason, all advisors have something in common: they care about their students.

This past week my teammates and I had the opportunity to experience the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educator’s conference. It made me realize that a lot of times, we only see our advisors when they are in action: teaching us in the front of a classroom, loading us onto a bus to send us to a CDE, or working with us to help them develop our SAE. We don’t always realize all of the behind the scenes work that goes into serving as an agriculture teacher: the countless hours spent preparing curriculum, developing their leadership and teaching skills at various conferences and workshops, and committing themselves to learning more about agriculture by being involved firsthand with agricultural practices.

As a student, FFA member, and human being, I know I often forget to say thank you to all those around me who help and serve me on a regular basis. One of those often forgotten individuals is my agriculture teacher. Mrs. Williamson helped me break out of my comfort zone, taught me about agriculture, encouraged me to become involved in leadership, and told me I am capable of achieving my dreams. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of person I would be if I wouldn’t have met her. If you are a student, you may have a similar story about your agriculture teacher. If you are an agriculture teacher, you may have had this impact on many students throughout your career.

I believe the first step to changing the world is having an attitude of gratitude. We, as FFA members and agriculture education students, are enabled with the tools we need to change the world, thanks to our advisors and agriculture teachers. We should take time to thank them for the impact they have made in our lives. Let’s start changing the world by expressing our gratitude to those around us. Let’s start changing the world by being thankful for everything we have. A great place to start is saying thank you to our agriculture teachers.

For all of those stationed by the owl, on behalf of the Minnesota FFA Association, thank you for everything you do.

Stationed by the ear of corn,

Wendy Bauman

Minnesota FFA Secretary