This blog was written by Ms. Kayleigh Barnhardt, a Career and Technical Education Teacher at Carson High School. In addition to teaching, Ms. Barnhardt advises the Future Farmers of America Club!
This past Thursday, September 24th, was National Teach Agriculture Day. On this day we celebrated agricultural education and Agricultural Teachers across America strived to encourage students to become our future agricultural educators by showing students what it truly means to be an agricultural teacher. We played games such as “Ag Cash Bus,” “Are you Smarter than your Ag Teacher,” and “ Think Like Your Ag Teacher.” In each of my classes I discussed when I decided to become a teacher, why I became a teacher, and what I love most about being a teacher. Now, I’d like to share to share that story with you.
Since I was a little girl, I always thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then through my high school agricultural class I was able to experience the veterinarian career by volunteering over 40 hours during the semester. Though the experience went well, it opened my eyes to the joy that shown through when working more with the student-aged public versus the adult-aged public. It was only my sophomore year of high school, but I really had thought I knew what I was doing the rest of my life. I am a planner and like to stick with my plans, so being up in the air about my future was tough. One day I was sitting in my animal science class observing my agricultural teacher who is a very passionate agricultural advocate and I thought to myself, “She does everything I want to do.” This teacher was able to work every day with animals and students, making a difference and touching lives through her career. How can someone not love that?! Right then I decided I was going to North Carolina State University and would attempt to fill her shoes down the road (I’m still working on this and have a ways to go, but that means I can only grow!).
From that moment on when people asked me what do you want to do for the rest of your life, I would tell them “I want to be an agricultural teacher.” However, what surprised me was that people were always amazed. I would get the “Why?” response or even better, “I could never do that. I do not have the patience.” It never failed, my answer to their “Why?” response was, “I want to be an agricultural teacher because I love working with animals and students and I want to make a difference.” After teaching for a few years, I feel this to be a generic response for many teachers or wannabe teachers. For me, I did not truly understand what making a difference meant and over the years have not been able to put into words the meaning or explain how I will make a difference. What I did know was that, through my schooling a couple teachers made a difference in my life by the way they interacted with me and pushed me to be the best I could be.
I am only three years into my teaching career, but since becoming a teacher I have discovered what I mean when I say I want to make a difference. Before I actually became a teacher, I could not have fathomed the amount of work and effort that goes into this profession. Agricultural educators being 12-month employees and the advisor of the FFA Chapter at their respective schools are ten times more active in their profession. If we add on the many other State and county regulations or new expectations that seem to grow year after year, I will be honest, it is more difficult to find time to truly enjoy and love this profession. This year has been my craziest year yet. We as teachers are adjusting to later hours, new programs and digital expansions, and experiencing many time constraints personally and professionally (not to mention I am getting married in 3.5 weeks). Over a month into school and I am just barely in a consistent routine. Normally at this point in the year, even with the extra activities and new classes to plan for, I have a routine under my belt. With all that has been required of me professionally and personally thus far this year, my life has become a whirlwind. My mind is running a million miles a minute with a billion things to get done and no time and slight motivation to complete those items. However after over a month of school, throughout the past week, I’ve started to finally develop a routine. Due to the new timing of school and demands in my life, I’ve had to focus and develop balance. I do my best to leave school at school and spend the seemingly decreasing time I have at home on family (or currently wedding prep). Not only has this helped my routine and happiness, but also it has helped me to take a second look at why I became a teacher, locating that sophomore high school passion I possessed for educating students and agriculture. Experiencing National Teach Agricultural day has fueled that fire as well. It sanctioned me to rekindle my love and purpose for teaching, allowing the discovery of what it truly means to make a difference in my profession.
Teaching is a mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting profession; I cannot argue this point. With all the ways I am being pulled, I really needed to understand and reconnect with why I became a teacher to begin with. I now realize that through teaching, yes, I can make a difference; but that is not the reason I teach anymore and that is not the reason I became a teacher, despite the fact that it is what I always said. Today, I teach because I am able to touch the hearts of my students and families. I may not be able to change a student’s situation or something happening in their life to completely make a difference, but I can be there to support, to encourage, to smile, to listen, to laugh, to inspire, to dream, to love, to pray, and to fulfill their needs at that moment. I can create a positive path in their day(s) that will shine through their lives and hopefully everything they do. Even more so, if I can touch their lives this can result in them touching others’ lives causing the cycle to continue, grow, and thrive. The world can only become a better place if more of the population is doing what teachers do every single day.
“A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart.”
~ Author Unknown
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