This school year all five Kent County high schools with FFA chapters had some combination of instructors who were either new to ag teaching, new to that school, or new to FFA advising.
When Kent County Farm Bureau’s Promotion & Education Committee asked them what kind of assistance would be helpful, the answer was: Anything and everything!
“We can’t just leave them hanging,” said P&E Chair Annie Link. “We have to do something now.”
That something became a day of professional development and networking at Dairy Discovery on Dec. 12, with Kate Feuerstein from Montague High School’s award-winning FFA chapter as the main speaker. She focused on the teacher-administrator relationship, noting first that, whether your administrators are supportive or challenging, “You will probably outlast them.”
One way to manage that relationship is to over-communicate and invite them to everything: meetings, contests, field trips, SAE visits, the county youth fair, etc.
Mention them in social media posts. Send them everything your chapter Reporter produces. Send them photos of events afterwards. This gives them talking points and makes both them and their chapter look good.
“Administrators are people,” Feuerstein said, “and if you keep inviting them, they’ll eventually says yes.”
If nothing else, you’ve begun a paper train in the event the current administration proves challenging.
Feuerstein also suggested putting students in official dress during superintendent visits, when presenting gifts to administrators, at school board meetings, and on special school days. The visibility is positive for the chapter, and it helps the student wearing it, too.
“It’s like they put on a magic jacket,” mentioned Sparta’s Kerry McKinley.
Regarding contests, the veteran teachers agreed with Heather Pratt from the Kent Career Technical Center: “It’s on the kid.”
Current Michigan FFA Contest and Recognition Coordinator (and past Lowell FFA Advisor) Kevin Nugent highlighted all the resources available to students: The FFA website has rules, rubrics, guidelines and question banks; YouTube has videos of past contests; there are Quizlets and Cahoots already made. The teacher does not have to teach the contest; it’s on the student has to become the expert.
By the end of the day, the teachers were trading contact information and talking about collaborating on future chapter events.
“We don’t have a magic wand to fix everything, but we definitely want to be a resource,” said P&E committee member Renee McCauley, reminding the teachers Kent County Farm Bureau is there to support them.
Natalie Hart is administrative manager for the Kent County Farm Bureau.
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