He doesn't always participate in class, he's thinking about dropping out. A few weeks ago he got a job at Subway and asked me to come to visit him at work. When I walked in the door, his face lit up and he told me, "Miss Herr, I didn't think you would actually come."
They are in my freshman class and had told me that they can't learn the FFA Creed no matter how hard they try. They didn't participate in class much. Then we attended ACES together and I spent a weekend laughing and dancing with them. Now they have the whole Creed memorized and come down every day during my prep period to practice for the local Creed Speaking Contest in a few weeks.
He has a lot going on at home. He slept through all of his classes and was doing very poorly in school. During activity periods I began sitting down with him and working on making up his work, I talk to him about Star Wars and ask him how much sleep he's been getting. Now he stays awake in my classes and his grade has increased dramatically.
These are the stories that give me a reason to come to school every day, the ones who motivate me and keep me inspired to keep pushing. And these are the stories that make Agricultural Education so amazing.
Can Agricultural Education take successful, straight-A students and help them to become more successful? Absolutely, and that is great. But the incredible thing about Agricultural Education is that it can also reach the students who struggle in school or may even be on the verge of dropping out. Agricultural Education is for every student. The 4.0 GPAs and the 2.0s, the athletes and the theater kids, the farm kids and the city kids, and every student in between. Agricultural Education has something to offer every student if we just give them a chance and show them that we care.
All of my students may not go on to win fancy awards or gain any type of recognition but that's not important to me. What I care about is that for 43 minutes a day, I can provide a place for my students to feel safe and to know that someone in this world cares about them because that can make all the difference in the life of a child. And that's what it's all about.
They are in my freshman class and had told me that they can't learn the FFA Creed no matter how hard they try. They didn't participate in class much. Then we attended ACES together and I spent a weekend laughing and dancing with them. Now they have the whole Creed memorized and come down every day during my prep period to practice for the local Creed Speaking Contest in a few weeks.
He has a lot going on at home. He slept through all of his classes and was doing very poorly in school. During activity periods I began sitting down with him and working on making up his work, I talk to him about Star Wars and ask him how much sleep he's been getting. Now he stays awake in my classes and his grade has increased dramatically.
These are the stories that give me a reason to come to school every day, the ones who motivate me and keep me inspired to keep pushing. And these are the stories that make Agricultural Education so amazing.
All of my students may not go on to win fancy awards or gain any type of recognition but that's not important to me. What I care about is that for 43 minutes a day, I can provide a place for my students to feel safe and to know that someone in this world cares about them because that can make all the difference in the life of a child. And that's what it's all about.
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the blog and sharing your "stories". I am so glad that we are preparing educators like you for the classroom. You are making a difference! Keep up the great work, and take care of yourself as well, as you continue to grow as educator.
-Dr. Ewing