My First Mid-Winter FFA Convention

The Pennsylvania State Farm Show is one event no FFA member would ever want to miss! The last time I was able to attend was in my senior year of high school over four years ago. Although the first step inside brought back some memories of years gone by, I was looking forward to spending the day as an advisor-in-training. I spent most of my day at the farm show judging the Ag Issues LDE, which was an important job, but made for a very long morning. The potential and ability of these students is unmatched by any other group, and it was a pleasure to have been afforded the opportunity to watch them do their thing. I remember feeling nervous about the whole thing. I never did this event as a student, much less as a judge and I felt like I was the most unqualified person to make judgment on these students. By the end of the day, I felt pretty confident about evaluating the students' performance, and the other judges helped me navigate the process. 

This year, during the Farm Show I attended my very first Mid-Winter FFA Convention. This was a time for FFA members to gather together and kick off a new year in the organization. Unique to this FFA event, is the giving of jackets to new members. The significance of this event didn't hit me right away. My chapter never attended Mid-Winter Convention, and we did not have our own jackets, so the event was a learning experience all around. I was amazed to see so much support for these
students, and I began to realize from hearing other's share their experiences how much that corduroy jacket really stands for. I overheard people sharing about receiving their first jacket years ago, and how they are now watching their children do the same. It was an experience I think I was better able to take in with some students I could, in some small way, look at as my own.

It was great to meet up with the faculty from Penn State. It was the first time to my knowledge that they were able to see us side-by-side with our cooperating teachers and our students. As always, running into the other student teachers was a highlight of the day. KP had me pitch in backstage organizing some gear before the ceremony started. I was glad to help, and I felt like I was getting the full advisor experience.  I felt so bad that the video KP made didn't play. She spent six hours on it over the weekend, and was understandably deflated. I was able to watch it with her before we left Greenwood, and I was impressed with how many people she talked to, and how much the FFA jacket meant to them.

Although much of what I'm headed into is completely new to me, and I face times where I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, I am looking forward to getting to know my students and watch them grow. I hope to learn as much as I can about not only being a great teacher in the classroom, but also being an encouraging and dedicated advisor as well.