Why do you care where I go?

When I was in high school, I ran into this funny predicament... People thought my college of choice was their business. I got asked multiple times from adults and teachers on campus, "Fresno, really?" "Why would you ever want to go there?" "Isn't that place the armpit?"

Here's my question, why did anyone care where I went? Now that I am a teacher, I talk with students all the time about where they are going to go to college. But NEVER do I ever cut down a college or university because I think there is some magical college they should go to. What I think really should have no bearing on where they go, because that's just it... THEY are going.

Teachers, adults, school staff, parents, etc. here's a thought: No matter where a kid shows interest in attending-- support it! Because at the end of the day they want to go somewhere and try something new. Now, it's important to have the "realistic" convos to ensure a kid is applying to match schools along with their dream schools, but as long as they are striving to do something with their future, why would any adult or person shame that?

I was always uh let's say "strong enough" to not care what people thought of my college choice, because I knew Fresno was the right place for me. And you know what? It was the PERFECT place for me. If every person felt that UC Davis (for example) was their perfect school then admittance percentage would go down even more, tuition would go up and people would be crying daily about their lack of acceptance at their perfect school. There is a reason there are over 2,500 colleges and university in the United States!

Every school offers something different and provides a unique opportunity for a kid to feel like it's "their school". We should focus more on exposing kids to the experiences that allow them to see all types of colleges, so they can make an informed decision about where to attend. We, as adults, need to encourage that they see, visit and apply to more than one dream school (And that it's not the end of the world, if they choose something other than a dream school).

Most recently, I (and others) helped encourage a kid to look at a school they did not have at the top of their list. Only because it was a "match" did she apply. She recently visited the town, campus, and met with athletic coaches. It's like flipping on a light sometimes, when you step on a campus-- you just know. Kinda like love at first sight??? In that first instance, she knew she was going to commit to the school, athletic team and the idea of wearing purple FOREVER.

The craziest part was that adults have had the audacity to question her choice. It's just nuts to me that someone who has never visited a school can have such a judgemental reaction to someone's choice. A little word to the wise: Not everyone wants to go to YOUR school. People want to find THEIR school. "Finding your school" is how kids stay in school, get involved and feel accomplished when they finish.

Be proud but be supportive!

Just some of my girls that have found THEIR school!

 Kansas State University

 Cal Poly

California State University, Chico

Wintertime Slump

It is that time in the school year, where I feel in a slump. For no real reason other than cooler days spent watching Hallmark movies and drinking hot chocolate seem more appealing than teaching. I remember during my credential program a graph they showed for first year teachers.

While I'm not convinced I'm completely at the disillusionment stage. I feel like I'm at the intersection of frustrated and concerned. As with many years, changes on campus have created a "funny" feeling with many individuals. The sense of uncertainty and unknown plagues both the teachers and students. While reading an article about teacher slumps, this paragraph resonated with me:

"We have no precise analytic definition of the teaching slump, let alone a consensus among scholars about how to use the concept for research purposes. And yet it inhabits the inner and public lives of teachers, cutting a wide emotional path between the "bad day" and "burnout." Slumps have a life cycle. Often they're the last station before cynicism: the settled conviction that my passion for teaching and yours for learning are beyond repair." From Savor the Slump article.

While I know that my passion for teaching and students is not beyond repair. I feel like I need to focus on the amazing things my kids are doing and the opportunities they are creating for themselves through Ag education to help pull myself to that rejuvenation status like in the graph.

Amazing things happening now:

1. Canned Food Drive & Sonoma County Secret Santa Program: All my kids are pumped to donate items to those less fortunate. I think this speaks volumes to the type of kids I have in class. They feed my soul with their giving hearts and constant "give more" attitudes.
2. Changes from National Convention: Since attending National Convention, my officers changed our December FFA meeting from making gingerbread houses to a service project of making blankets to donate to the local senior center. They got all kinds of awesome ideas after watching the founder of Kid President's keynote speech. Watch his latest video here: Kid President Speaks from the Heart
3. One of my students created an awesome Ag Education program for grades K-8. She is calling it "Seeds for Students". She goes to the classes, presents about the importance of seeds and food production. Then each student gets to plant a seed to take care of at school and eventually take home. If you have an instagram, you should follow @SeedsforStudents

 

From Kid President, I feel like I just need the reminder to be awesome and treat everyone like it's their birthday...

Class Reunion... Don't Save the Date

This summer marks, 10 years of being graduated from high school... Like with most classes, the Senior class officers from Class of 2005 are diligently working to prepare an event that I'm sure will be impressive and fun for those involved.

I will not be one of those involved. I am not entirely sure why, but I have grown to dislike the thought of getting back together with people I went to high school with.
Some of them were great people, others were... far from it. Currently, nothing about a high school reunion sounds appealing or fun.

While there were some parts of high school that I really enjoyed, like winning the Senior Econ Business Project with Katie & Ashley ("Cute Cakes" is still definitely a needed business in our town), or being a "loser" with Krystina and Melissa, or participating in Mock Trial with a whole group of hooligans fearlessly led by the amazing Mrs. Alto. The day to day, of high school where you were forced to interact with people in classes that you had no appreciation for, still haunts me. Mostly because people were rude...

This sort of sums up high school for me...

I was, the weird kid. No not the nerdy one, or the smart one, or the athletic one or the funny one (things have changed since high school based on my current level of humor). I was the weird kid that hung out with a small group of friends, most of which were older. On the weekends, we drove around town, wasted fuel, went wheeling on Cow Mountain and watched weird movies. We were not invited to the "cool kid" parties (although we laughed at your drunk pictures from MySpace) or included in "cool kid" stuff. Which has always been totally fine with me, as I never saw the point of being a "cool kid".

I was the weird kid that brought piglets to school, showed up in my FFA uniform before a contest, had my senior pictures with a pig, and never seemed dress quite right. I was not fashionable, funny or glamorous. I was real...

Going to a high school reunion seems so superficial to me. While I have never been to one, I feel like they are just a way for people to either show off what they have done since high school, or how they have changed since high school (hopefully for the better). Either way, I'm not really interested.

Facebook has helped me stay connected to people, that I actually care to see how they are doing. While I may have never been the popular kid, I did know a decent amount of people in high school from Ukiah and Redwood Valley, thanks to going to schools in different communities. I can see what these people are up to, the funny things their kids do or where they are traveling (kinda creepy if ya think about it). But besides these folks, I don't really care. It's a small number and that's okay... Because that's how high school was for me. A small number of decent people who make good choices. As for the rest of them, I'm good... No thanks!

I have talked with my parents extensively about my growing hatred towards these organized gatherings. I know they wish I would go, because some of their closest friends are old classmates, some they have reconnected with from reunions. However, that is because life before social media actually encouraged getting people together face to face for interaction.  But now? I feel like it's not necessary... At least not for another 10 years.

So.... I'll be skipping this year (and will be at State Fair instead)... Maybe I'll go to the next one... Maybe not!


Read this article about how Facebook is actually ruining class reunions:


Facebook: The Nemesis of Class Reunions

The day I hope never comes...

I feel like the average high school doesn't usually have to deal with tragedy. I think for most kids in high school, they go along complete their four years and rarely ever think about losing a friend or multiple. 

Unfortunately this creates kids that think they're invincible. As a teacher I overhear all kinds of crazy stories. And I think to myself how lucky many of my students are because they never have had to deal with a tragedy or a death among classmates. But I also think because of that, they lose reality of what actually can happen when they put themselves in bad situations. And not all tragedies even come from bad situations. 

Most kids don't think twice about what they do on the weekends, who they hangout with or the choices that they make. Because nothing bad will ever happen.... Right??? 

When you're in high school you don't focus on the big picture... Because well you don't have to! Making decisions on a Saturday night rarely gets you thinking about how they could affect the rest of your life. Trust me, I was in high school not that long ago (okay it was a little while ago). But what about those Friday or Saturday nights that change your life forever??? 

When I was a junior in high school, I lost one of my favorite people that I had known and been friends with since sixth grade. You know those guys in school that are popular, super athletic, always seem to have a good day, and everybody just loves??? That was Keith. 

I'm met Keith in sixth grade after I began attending Eagle Peak Middle School. Now this middle school is about 10 minutes out of town and I knew about six people when I started. Keith was one of the first people that I became friends with because we sat next to eachother in English. He always had a smile and was always super friendly. So duh! We needed to be friends.

This time of year always reminds me of Keith. Football season and cross country season... Throughout middle school and some of high school he dated one of my close friends, so he was always kind of around. Plus his mom was my bus driver a couple years.

Keith was a runnin fool... 

As you grow older, and go to a larger high school (in our case), people you are friends with change. That's normal, but there's always those people that kind of have a part of your heart, they're just good people that will always say hi and always be there if you need to talk. That was Keith. 

Keith and his story, changed our high school class forever. I still remember getting the phone call that he had tragically passed away. It was surreal for my friends and I. And while we were juniors in high school and a lot had happened since six grade, losing a classmate was something that affected the way I viewed the rest of high school. And it affects the advice I give to kids in the classroom now. Life can be short. It's possible not to get second chances, redos, or do overs. Accidents and some bad choices don't just affect the people they harm they can affect an entire population. 

In this case the population was our high school. Keith's funeral was and still is the biggest funeral I have ever been to (and I've been to my fair share). People sat everywhere. It was also one of the most sad funerals I've ever been to.  Story after story and people sobbing, all trying to understand why we lost someone so young, so unfairly. 

I know my friends and I still miss Keith on a daily basis, and we carry his memory with us wherever we go. Our graduation he had been gone a year and a half. It had never rained in June, as far back as our principal could remember. It mostly was a dry day. We all sat out on the chairs during the ceremony and at one point, the skies opened up and it just down poured. We were completely soaked, but everybody laughed and looked around at each other, because we knew that that was Keith's way of being with us on graduation day. 

Kids today act invincible.... 

"Nothing bad can happen"

"It's all just for fun"

"We'll be fine"

"Don't worry"

I hear that every Friday as I tell kids to "have a great weekend and make good choices". But at the same time it's scary every weekend wondering if I'll see them again on Monday morning. Thankfully the answer has always been yes. Heaven forbid when it's not.... 

I hope the day never comes where I have to go to school on Monday and find out I lost a student. I pray every weekend that my kids make good choices. So many of my kids are "my kids". Well, I'm not old enough to have kids in high school but I still care about them like they're my children. Not all of them have supportive families or tell their parents everything about their life. Some need those teachers that support them, talk to them and are there for them. That's actually my favorite part of being a teacher. 

It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -J.K. Rowling