Amplify Life

Take the chance! Take the opportunity!

 

This past week I was given a chance of a lifetime, a tremendous opportunity to attend the 2015 National FFA Convention in Louisville Kentucky. The National FFA Convention brings together FFA members from all 50 states. I know, it's pretty much a big deal. This convention allows students to compete in Career Development Events at a national level as well as engage in student development workshops and emerge in career opportunities. I had never attended National FFA Convention before, so this was a brand new experience for me. Let me just say, it is AMAZING!! There is an indescribable feeling being surrounded by 60,000 blue FFA jackets. There is no better feeling of family and community like National FFA Convention. 

 

 

I am so fortunate to have had the pleasure of attending National FFA Convention with the Kennard Dale FFA chapter, my student teaching high school. Let me just tell you that spending 6 days AND nights with 9 students and my cooperating teacher, Ms. Smith, is the best way to get involved in my cooperating school. After this week, I am so so so so soooooo excited to student teach in 10 weeks!!!

 

We began our National FFA Convention week Monday, October 26 at 6 am. With sleepy eyes and anticipation we loaded our suitcases onto the bus at our school in York County and headed west towards Pittsburg, Pa. Monday we toured Pittsburg via a boat tour and the Duquesne Incline. We also had the pleasure of touring Heinz field. 

(Left to right: Duquesne Incline at night, City of Pittsburg, and Heinz Field)

 

 

 

We then traveled through West Virginia on Tuesday, stopping to visit the state penitentiary on our way. Finally on Wednesday we were in Kentucky and toured the Kentucky Horse Park and kicked off the 2015 National FFA convention with opening ceremonies and a Jake Owen and Maddie & Tae concert. 

West Virginia State Penitentiary

Jake Owen/Maddie and Tae Concert

 

 

Thursday provided great opportunities for our students to engage in student workshops and career opportunities through the convention and career expo. As a teacher, I gained many many resources and classroom material from the career expo, to implement and use in my future classroom. 

 

Thursday night we attended a dinner cruise on the Belle of Louisville Riverboat. This was an enjoyable evening! I appreciated the aspect of being 'stuck' on a boat with my students and Ms. Smith. This provided many opportunities to communicate and interact with my students in a very casual, fun atmosphere.

 

 

 

Friday, concluded our week at National FFA Convention. We explored the Louisville Mega Cavern Friday morning. At the cavern some students participate in zip lining through the cavern and other students completed a rope course. I faced some fears as I suited up for the zip lines, and to my surprise that was one of my favorite activities! While completing this course I was proud to see many of my students overcome and face some of their own fears as well!

 

Ms. Smith and I gearing up to zip line

 

 

Final Thoughts



This experience has furthered my commitment to agricultural education.  This week has amplified my desire to become the best agriculture teacher I can possibly be. A few things I have learned from this experience include:

 

~The best Cooperating Teacher

I have the very BEST cooperating teacher....in the world!! (just saying). Ms. Smith and I are very much the same person in many ways, and I feel that this allows us to work well together. I value Ms. Smith's presence as a young agriculture teacher. She is very organized and well prepared; she has it all together! She is respected by all our students. She constantly strives to grow our agricultural program. She's just pretty dang awesome and I admire her for all she is and does. I feel so blessed to have her as my cooperating teacher!

 

~The best Students

I am so thankful for each one of the students that I am fortunate to teach at Kennard Dale. I was so impressed with the composure and respect that our students displayed throughout the week. They  made me so proud. My students are great! They each have different personalities and I love being able to interact with each of my students, and this trip provided great opportunities for me to do so.

 

~You have to laugh

Throughout our trip we had many dilemmas, many of which had to do with our bus that we rode in to convention. Some of these dilemmas included a water leak, a flat tire and getting lost multiple times. But we learned to enjoy those set backs. Ms. Smith and I would just sit back and laugh, because that's all we could do. Our students even handled the dilemmas well, in which by the end of the week they named the bus the 'blue turd'. Life is full of dilemmas but I'm learning to enjoy them.

 

~I need to amplify my life

The theme of National FFA convention this year was 'Amplify'. Those seven letters have so much meaning. To often I have been in this rut of just getting by. I do what is required of me, to the best of my ability and that's it. But I want to do more than what is on my 'list of things to do'. I want to increase my value and purpose in this life. Also, I want to be a light for others. I want to shine the light and help amplify others. I feel that being an agriculture teacher I have many opportunities to allow my students to shine.  I want to amplify my life and make it the best life possible for me!

 

~Excitement!!!

I have been excited to student teach since, oh I don't know, the beginning of my college career. But today, after a week with my cooperating teacher, with our students..., excited does not even come close to how I feel. I woke up this morning wishing I could relive last Monday and we could be on the road again to convention. I am so thrilled to be student teaching at Kennard Dale with Ms. Smith!! Honestly, I can't stop smiling from the excitement that I have!

 

 

~Ms. Timmons

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another."-John 1:16