Words from the Wise

Katie Mosman, Ag Instructor at Grangeville High School, shares how agricultural education creates lifelong memories for students

     When I introduce SAE projects to my students, they begin by answering a series of questions about what they want their future to look like—is money the driving force behind their work? Is it just a means to end so they can live where they want? Or do they want to be passionate about their daily work?  For me, this activity serves as an annual reminder of why I do what I do. All teachers have those days—sometimes weeks—where we question how sane we were the day we chose our career. Perhaps we even long for the greener pastures of the industry workplace; forever free of the growing stack of papers to grade, IEP meetings, and parent-teacher conferences. But when I look over that SAE worksheet and reflect on my own answers, I know I’m in the place I am supposed to be.

     Because you have to admit, as ag teachers, we have a pretty sweet gig. All day, we get to engage in hands-on activities related to an industry and lifestyle we love. We get to push students out of their comfort zones and watch them achieve goals beyond their dreams. We get the fun of education without the ball-and-chain of the state’s latest standardized test looming at the end of the year. Every day is different. Every student is unique. It’s a challenge, and it’s fun!  

     Ag teachers are part of a legacy of meaningful learning. We pay forward to our students the passion we have for agriculture through our daily work. And what we do matters—a lot—to people all over the world (though many probably don’t realize it). That is a gift; one enjoyed by precious few in this world (because I seriously doubt many accountants feel that way about their careers).

     When making decisions, I often ask myself, “What will you remember in twenty years?” Admittedly, this phrase has also been used in an attempt to drag friends out swing dancing or on a backpacking trip, but it applies in the classroom as well. In twenty years, those kids won’t remember the 30 questions they did in their math book—but they will remember the plans they drafted for the Fabrications project—all perfectly to scale with the angles precisely calculated.  They’ll remember the smell of the greenhouse when they walked through the door before the plant sale. They’ll remember petting cute animals—but also evaluating them for how tasty that steak will eventually taste. They’ll remember hiking all over that dang mountain to identify every dang tree growing there.

     As my oft-quoted grandpa, an ag teacher at Fruitland High School for 30 years, used to say, “Teaching ag is the best job in the world!”