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Sunday, May 29, 2011

I Believe in the Future of Agriculture (FFA).....and a rant.

As you probably already know, my dearly beloved is
an Agriculture Education Instructor.
aka FFA Advisor.
Back in 1989, the Future Farmers of America
became politically correct and changed
to Agriculture Education....instead of Vo-Ag.
Pffffffftttt.....
Their creed used to say,
"I believe in the future of farming..."
Now....it is agriculture.
Pffffffftttt.....
If you have anything negative to say about
farming, you'd better not say it with a mouth
full of food......or any clothes on your back......or
in a house/building....
Just sayin'

Do you realize that a lot of schools are cutting back on
Agriculture Education to make way
for more COLLEGE-BOUND classes.
If YOU believe in the future of AGRICULTURE/FARMING,
you will make sure that your local
school keeps their program.
Not every child HAS to go to college to become a
productive citizen and it is time we appreciate
their choice.

I have a college degree in education.
I stayed home with my child for a year and had
an in-home child care.
I only had 3 of 7 children allowed.
I made $200 LESS than I did as a teacher.
What would I have made if I carried a FULL load?
College isn't for everyone, so why are we
making them take higher-level classes
when they can't even reconcile their checkbooks?
I see day after day, children who have so much homework
they have no outside life.

They can define biology terms, but can't wash a load of laundry.
They can make an awesome science fair project, but can't sew on a button.
They can read a required book, but know nothing about fixing a stopped up drain.

We as parents are just as guilty.
We micro-manage our children.
I see it every day.
Give a group of children some free-time on a playground
and watch what happens....FIGHTS, BULLYING and BLANK LOOKS.
They don't even know how to PLAY anymore unless
it is totally structured and micro-managed.
If they don't have 3 hours of homework, they have 3 hours of sports practice....
because we ALL know that they can one day make it BIG.
(insert eye rolling)

Parents, you are TEACHERS whether you  have a degree or not!
You need to be a TEACHER and not a DOER!
Take time to TEACH your child some basics, don't DO IT for them!
Yes, it is easier to do it yourself.
Yes, it does take time to teach.
Yes, the rewards are endless.
You will have a child who becomes INDEPENDENT!
Why are we so afraid of that word when it comes to
our children?
What happened to giving them roots AND wings?

Instead, we put their feet in cement blocks
and more or less throw them to the bottom of the ocean.
What happens if something happens to YOU?
See where the cement blocks are going to get them.

Stop letting the "world" dictate what your child needs!
If your child already has everything by the time they get out on their own,
why would they want to WORK to get stuff they already have?

CEMENT BLOCKS or WINGS?
What does YOUR child have?

7 comments:

Kim said...

Thanks, well said!

Stephanie said...

This is a fabulous article, Traci!

Stephanie said...

This is a fabulous article, Traci!

Julie said...

Well said. I must say I have a husband who knows something about agriculture but couldn't fix a stopped up sink or do a load of laundry if he had to. But he does have a wife who knows how to fix a stopped up sink. My daddy taught me to fix things and to be able to survive without a "man".

byn always said...

A-FREAKING-MEN!!!

I'm sick of my children who choose not to go to college being treated as though they are wasting their lives.

I'm sick of parents who micromanage their children when they are adults and should be trying things on their own, but instead are being micromanaged until (and sometimes AFTER) they leave home in their twenties. Making my children think I 'just don't care as much'

We raise them to GROW, spread their wings and FLY... we are NOT raising them so we have future puppets. Honestly, who has the energy to try and control other adults anyway???

As for farming... corporate farming is ruining so much and it makes me literally ill to read/watch about it. I feel really bad for farmers who are trying to compete just to make a living. It makes my blood boil

Heather said...

I agree. My grandfather was a farmer and it is a wonderful profession. We also live in an area where we are surrounded by mushroom and dairy farms. We work hard to give our children. They are not over-scheduled. We make sure they play outside often. Our daughter (the boys are too young) understand that college education is not important, but being educated in your field, and that includes trade school, is very important as well as constant lifetime learning. We show by example. My DH got his MBA as it goes very well with what he does for a living. I've been taking piano lessons and yoga classes for personal enrichment.

Great article.

Angie Berry ~ Berry Homespun Primitives said...

So very true!

I was in FFA all 4 years of high school and learned so much more than I ever thought I would. My parents just told me that my old school is doing away with FFA this year. So very, very sad!

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