In my FFA chapter in Forest City, we have an Ag Safety day for middle school students. We bring in different animals and farm equipment so that we can educate the students on different aspects of agriculture. It’s a fun event for both the high school students and the middle school students. Our biggest issue with this event is always the time of year. We have this event towards the end of May. Many times, Ag Safety Day falls on a date after the seniors have graduated. It can be challenging to have enough volunteers to put together a fun experience for the students.
In order to make this day a success, we have to work together as a team. We each tackle a task that has to be done. We communicate to the other members of the team. When we meet to plan Ag Safety Day, we make it a fun experience by sharing snacks and telling jokes. Most importantly, we hold each other accountable for completing the responsibilities we each have. We’d remind each other to get our tasks done, so that we could create a fun Ag Safety day for our middle school students.
Once the day of the event arrives, new challenges arise. There’s always a student that decides not to show up, even if they have volunteered to help. A student always forgets to bring the supplies they need for their station. As these issues arise, we have to be adaptable enough to cover them quickly. We always come up with a solution, and the day usually goes pretty smoothly. However, it’s always a little disappointing when we find out a student has decided not to participate, even though they had previously signed up to help.
While we finish our school year, it can be easy to be the student who decides not to show up to our commitments. We get caught up in our plans for the summer, and forget how much our participation is needed. As we finish the year, I encourage you to keep your energy high. There are three things that always seem to keep me energized and I want to share them with you now.
The first thing I always do is keep my schedule as routine as possible. I do my best to go to bed at the same time, and I eat breakfast every morning. I study for tests the same way I do throughout the year, and I take notes in every class. These actions all seem like little details, but the routine keeps me focused on finishing the year.
I also volunteer for activities with friends. I’m a part of my high school Interact club. Through this group, I do community service projects with other students. In the month before school ends, I make sure to sign up for service projects that I can do with friends. Maybe it’s planting trees or helping at the humane society. This way, if I start to slack on my commitment, my friends are there to hold me accountable.
Lastly, I make sure to plan fun activities on the weekends. My family has always loved camping, but we don’t always have the time to do it. If the weather is really nice, we’ll set up our tent in the backyard. This is a fun chance for us to spend time outside together. Sometimes my sister and I will go to a local ice cream shop and spend the afternoon walking around a state park. These are fun activities that I can do during the school year, rather than waiting until summer.
Keeping a routine schedule, finding friends to hold me accountable, and doing fun activities on the weekends are all ways that I finish the year strong. By finding the strategies that keep you focused and energized, I hope you’ll find it’s much easier to finish your school year. I wish you all the best of luck with your last month of school!
Run with your Challenges,
Natalie Jefson
Iowa FFA State Secretary
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