Focusing on the Positive - The Teaching Experiment

As I sat in one of the last pre-planning meetings of the 2014 school year, I quickly became overwhelmed with all the things teachers get overwhelmed with that no one really understands unless you're, well, a teacher. With all of the legislative changes, End of Course exams, learning scales, learning goals, essential questions, formal and informal evaluations, differentiated instruction, universal design, faculty meetings, and individual professional development plans - not to mention the lesson planning for four preps, the school farm with the newly erected greenhouse, and the packed-to-the-max FFA calendar - it was becoming easy to forget why one would even start teaching in the first place. 

So, while I sat in this meeting feeling my blood pressure rise, wanting nothing more than to tell my principal to hold the phone and bring in the marching band to pep me up, that he revived me simply by passing out an index card. The directions: write one goal for yourself for the school year and pass it back. My first thought, "Whelp, he's going to read these, so I better make this good!" But, as I sat there thinking about the year ahead of me and what I should write, I decided my goal would be to focus on the positives in my career and to remember why I became a teacher - not to set a goal that at the end of the day means nothing to those I serve - my students. Because, at the end of the day, if I keep my students in mind and do right by them each day, then the rest will fall into place.

Why I Do What I Do
My 2014 Seniors

As the school year gears up yet again, I have decided to fire my blog back up in an effort to help me reach my goal and remain positive throughout this crazy, hectic year. I also hope that this blog can be used by other teachers as they strive to find ways to not only survive, but also teach agricultural concepts within their own classrooms. And lastly, I hope this blogging experiment will give my friends, family, and strangers alike a new perspective on what an Agricultural Education program can look like in today's public education system.