Serious Success

My first summer at Healdsburg I took five of the seven FFA officers to a day retreat in San Francisco at the botanical gardens. They spent  some of the day planning, creating goals, and working on a reflection of what worked previously and what they would like to do different. 

A common theme, among all of them was that they wanted to be taken more seriously on the sectional and regional level. They each had individual plans for how they thought that should happen, but having never been extremely successful themselves, they were so unsure about how to get there. 

Weren't they cute?! They look so tiny...

I figured out very early on, that the important thing for these kids was going to be figuring out how to make them the most successful in the shortest period of time. I decided that making them better leaders, more professional at events, and amping up their SAE's would be the quickest way to help them. Which would then allow them to seek out leadership positions in the section and region, while being recognized for their efforts with state degrees and proficiencies. 

I would really like to say it's been easy! It definitely hasn't... There has been a lot of paperwork, a lot of late nights, a lot of early mornings, a few tears, some arguing, and countless signatures (those damn applications). 

Seeing a kid's potential and pushing them just enough for them to realize that they can do it, is difficult. There's a fine line between pushing so they see their own potential and pushing them so far it creates resentment. Sometimes I still lose sight of this, and I have to stop, backup and reevaluate. 

Bottom line:

I want them to push themselves, 

I want them to be successful, 

I want them to be well-liked, 

I want them to be professional, 

I want them to be passionate, 

I want them to gain life skills, 

I want them to want it.

Last Saturday at our North Coast Spring Regional Meeting and State Degree Ceremony, my hopes and their hardwork came to fruition. The last two years of hardwork paid of... For me and for them.

My most proud moment was after we had collected 3 regional proficiencies (2 state finalists), regional star administrator, 2 state finalist speakers, 2nd place program of activities, and 6 state degrees... Both of my students slated for regional office were elected!! 

It was a great day for Healdsburg FFA, as a program, for the students individually and for me too (I know, slightly selfish). And the reason I feel like the day was so successful was not because of the ribbons, certificates, or plaques won... But because my kids finally felt like they had been taken seriously... That's a win all by itself! 

"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand." -Vince Lombardi

They all were pretty awesome! And the looked sharp! 

State Degrees

Proficiencies

The 2015-2016 NC Regional Officer team (with my two kiddos!!)