Forget the Perfect Bow

          Christmas is coming, y’all. I recently walked through the aisles of Target, seeing about 10 different Christmas trees to choose from, accompanied by dozens of boxes of wrapping paper. I know, I know, it’s not even Halloween yet… but bear with me. I ended up in five more aisles that night with bags for birthday presents, more wrapping paper, and some of the world’s coolest Nerf guns I have seen. Then, I began to notice all the signs in the store that said the word “gift” on it, and I counted over 14 by the time I made it to the checkout counter. I don’t know if it was simply just an accident to see all of those signs and gift-giving supplies that night, but as my cashier handed me my receipt, it clicked. Gifts.

            How powerful is it to know that each one of us, regardless of the point of life we are at, have such a unique, beautiful, and influential gift that we have been given? And no, while the gift of a giant Nerf gun would be absolutely awesome, I’m talking more about the gifts we’ve been given from the One who knows us best. The gifts of empathy, charisma, listening, observation, connection, entrepreneurial spirit, adaptability, coaching, patience, the list could go on! Knowing our purpose through our gifts is one of the most freeing things as humans we will ever come to know, but for many of us, we get tangled up by one word: Perfection.

            Think about wrapping a gift for a second. Generally, presents either come in a bag with cute tissue or wrapped in paper with the perfect creases, bow, etc. Hallmark has absolutely set the standard for gift-giving, and I fall short of that immensely. I have practiced my gift-wrapping a number of times, but every time, I think to myself, “Man, my dog could wrap this gift better than me.” No different than my incapability of nicely wrapping gifts, I think we easily lose the purpose when it comes to giving gifts, or giving away our own gifts. The point of a gift is to help somebody or make them happy, correct? Isn’t that the point of our gifts too?

“But what if I say something wrong?” This is the worry that took over my thoughts this fall throughout prepping for National FFA Convention. Between interviews, speeches, conversation and more, I was paranoid that what I had to say wasn’t going to be good enough, pretty enough, powerful enough. Reality? Some of the best practices I experienced were the practices where I owned imperfection in the form of mispronounced words, awkward sentences, hand movements and all. I knew God had given me a positive attitude and the ability to connect with all types of people, but my ability to share that with others became extremely inaccessible when I believed that perfection was in my own hands. We get caught up in the perfect bow and the deceiving outer wrapping paper, but when we focus solely on that, we miss the point. When we focus solely on how we appear to people, we miss the point. We miss the opportunity for impact, connection, and community. 

Do not waste your gifts. If there is one thing that I hope each one of you as students, members, parents, adults, grandparents and community members can see, I hope that you see yourselves as a vessel for change. A vessel for loving your community and the peers around you. You are one of seven billion contenders in our world to fight the good fight, and the only way the battle is won is by using your own gifts to the best of your ability. Your gifts are invaluable. You are invaluable. The price of perfection has already been paid for you, and it’s your turn to own imperfection. Forget the pretty bow on top, peel back those layers of wrapping paper, and let the world see your gifts. The world NEEDS your gifts!      

Erica Baier

National Officer Candidate

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

We all have heard the story of the turtle and the rabbit. The world-famous race with the turtle winning because he moved slowly and carefully towards the end, while the rabbit took a nap. The rabbit was passed by the turtle for the victory. The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race, a concept I have never totally understood until lately.

            

            Growing up, I always raced through the jobs that I did. When it came to mowing the yard, I never left high gear. I was always racing back and forth as fast as I could. When the spring came, I always tried to go as fast as I could in the tractor to keep up with my father or grandfather, usually with no luck. I would always miss a spot in the field or break down and be in the shop while everyone else kept chugging along. Until about a month ago I truly kept believing that fast and steady was the way to work, but I just couldn’t make it pay off.

           

             At the beginning of September, I was introduced to a quote by Wyatt Earp, “Fast is fine but, accuracy is everything.” When I heard this, the story of the turtle and the rabbit… still didn’t make any more sense but rather I saw a little different way of going about things. You can still go fast, but if you slow down enough to be accurate then you are ahead at the end of the day. This idea was put to the test in my feedlot class, where for the day we were breaking cattle to lead. I wanted to rush through the process and get the cattle caught, but as we worked my instructor had us all slow down and take our time. As my classmates and I did as he said, the cattle moved easier and they worked quicker than they would otherwise. By moving a little slower we were able to go fasted and result in a better product. So maybe slow and steady does or doesn’t win, you can decide. However, as we move further into our school year and tests, projects, and daily tasks loom, I would like to pass on “Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything,” Wyatt Earp.

Chase Brinegar

Southeast State Vice President

The Best Job Ever

    Chicago: home of the Cubs, the SkyDeck, and deep dish pizza.  If you’ve never been, Chicago is a pretty cool city and is home to some unique sights and foods.  Chicago is also home to a high school unlike anything I have ever seen.  I was lucky enough to experience said high school this past week through my position as the National Teach Ag Campaign intern as we celebrated National Teach Ag Day.

    The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS) is nothing short of amazing.  As you might be able to guess, it’s an inner city school where students focus on different pathways within agriculture.  While this is amazing in itself, here’s a few more fun facts that make it even more incredible. 
            - In order for students to come to CHSAS, they have to apply and been on the lucky side of a lottery drawing.  There is no designated school district, or area, that students have to be from, so they come from all over the city; some students even ride the city bus for two hours to get to school in the morning.

            - Students enroll in pathways, or focus areas, that they’ll study in depth their junior and senior year.  During freshman and sophomore year, they get a taste of each pathway, decide what they like, then have to apply and interview for the pathway they would like at the end of their sophomore year.  Some of the pathways include biotechnology, food science, horticulture, animal science, and agribusiness.

            - They have livestock at the school! (Now I know there are plenty of schools here in Iowa that also have livestock, but remember, this school is in the middle of Chicago).  Chickens, hogs, horses, and goats are just a few of the animals that are a part of the animal science pathway.

            - The produce that the students raise, like sweetcorn, tomatoes and squash, is sold at the school.  There’s a little farmers’ market-like set up where anyone from the public can come in and purchase food from the students.

These and many more unique parts of CHSAS caused me to be in awe pretty much the entire day I was at the school.  While this school is incredible in its own way, it reminded me why I wanted to be an agriculture teacher.  Whether the school is in the heart of a city or in the middle of a corn field, students are learning through hands-on experiences, exploring potential careers, and becoming the leaders our world so desperately needs.  I was reminded how bright and driven agricultural education students are; how no two programs are the same and that’s what makes the ag ed community so strong. 

     If everything you just learned about CHSAS excites you, look into a future as an agriculture teacher. If you like the thought of having a meaningful career while still living in a rural community, consider teaching ag.  If you want to be challenged every day and never stop learning, agricultural education is the right career for you.  The best part about being an agriculture teacher is you can do all that, and more.  Check out www.naae.org/teachag to learn more about your future career and why it really is the best job ever.

Elisa Russ 

Past State President

National Teach Ag Campaign Intern