FFA Makes a Difference (STB#7)

            

The Chapter Officers planned an FFA Truck Show this week During National FFA Week!

This week was National FFA week and I couldn't have been more proud of my students' accomplishments. The officers did a tremendous job pulling in their resources and planning a great week of events. However, it is Friday and I am definitely feeling the tiredness of a long week.

Although tired I am reflecting back and realizing how important of a week this was our FFA chapter. During my first week of observations, I was thinking that this chapter was not going to make it the rest of the year. I heard kids complaining that the chapter never does anything. I saw them walk out and watched as officers even dropped out. Within a matter of a few weeks, I helped establish new officers, put together a week worth of activities for National FFA week, and recruited students. Yes, it has been tiring but this week has shown me just how much that hard work pays off.

Thursday the FFA officers planned a truck show and brunch for teachers and students. They washed and shined their prized vehicles up and put them on display for the entire school. They then invited teachers to come vote for their favorite truck and enjoy a yummy brunch in the morning. I wasn't sure how many teachers would actually show up but I was surprised when one of the students came running to me saying, "Ms. Graybill, Ms. Graybill we need more cups and bacon!" We had such a great turn out that we started running out of materials. I emailed the morning announcement committee to see if they could announce the winners of the truck show which gave the event some recognition. It was a truly a great day that encouraged the entire school population to get involved.

Today was another big day that I am very proud of. The officers planned a social for my Intro to Agriculture class consisting of 21 freshmen. We started off the period by conducting a mock FFA meeting. They got to say their pledge for the first time as freshmen and see what a meeting is really like. They were then assigned to a chapter officer, where they got to know their chapter officers. We played minute to win it games that involved teaming up with their chapter officers and cheering each other on. The last round of minute to win it involved only the chapter officers. In pairs one officer sat on a chair while his/ her partner stood behind them with a bowl of ice cream. With their eyes shut they had to feed their partner as much ice cream as they could in one minute. At the end of the round the chapter officers invited them all to join in on their fun in an ice cream social. The rest of the period was spent eating ice cream sundaes and getting the chance to meet the officers.

All sounds like fun and games right? But the true gems from the week were not playing really fun games or eating ice cream. What I saw happening was so much more. I saw officers taking on leadership roles. They were proud to be a good role model for the freshmen class. They handed out ice cream to them all and intermingled with them.... (here comes the best part) .... without being told! It sounds silly but I feel like I am constantly telling students that their behavior is unacceptable or that they need to think about how their actions are not school appropriate. It was extremely rewarding for me to walk into the classroom and see my officers already scooping out bowls of ice cream, handing them out to the freshmen, and encouraging to come get seconds. During our Minute to Win It games I saw officers encouraging freshmen and congratulating them on their wins. Although it was an event planned for the freshman, I realize now just how much it helped bond the officer team and how they grew as leaders themselves.

On the flip side, I saw the spark in my freshmans' eyes. Since the beginning of the quarter they have been hearing me talk about FFA, learning the creed and discovering all the opportunities in FFA. Today, however, I feel that a more in depth connection was made. They got to experience an official meeting, they got say the FFA pledge and they got to see one of their own recite the creed. Previously they had looked at the creed and said that there is no way they could memorize the whole thing; however, one freshman girl took the challenge and got to say it in front of her peers today and she rocked it! It was real life to these students and confirmed that FFA is a legitimate organization that cares about them individually. For me it wasn't about the games that we played or that activities we did but rather seeing the connections and memories made from just this one day.

It wasn't just the students that grew this week, Oh no, probably the person that had the most to grow was me! I don't know exactly why tears well up in my eyes when I think about how much bonding and growth occurred this week. There are just certain glimpses of kids having fun, taking on leadership roles and being positive role models that really make me proud because I know that they are growing as individuals in positive ways. Most of these kids need a positive role model or group of good friends to be associated with. This week I got to to see them be that positive role model for each other and bond relationships with both new and old friends. I also learned that I don't always need to run the show, rather students will gain so much more by taking the lead. I can't wait to reflect with the officer team next week and gather their input. As for me, I thought many positives resulted in both my students and I.

Projecting into next week I can't help but to think, "how can I keep this magic alive?" What can I do keep this sense of unity and support for each other that seemed to shine through this week. Will next week go back to being frustrated with negative attitudes in the classroom and disruptive behavior? The answer is most likely yes. One week is not going to magically change every single one of your students into perfect angels. However, I do believe that this week was a week of progress in a positive direction. As a result I just might see some better behavior in my classes. We must stay focused making progress rather than getting strung up not walking into a perfect classroom. As a student teacher I realize that I only met these students a few weeks ago and in the next few weeks I may never see them again. I have a short amount of time here at my cooperating school, but while I am here I want to make progress. It's unrealistic to think that I will wake up one day and have prefect students every single period. But if I am making progress in my work, in my classroom and in the lives of my students then I will feel accomplished.