Frontier

As I'm coming to the end of my student teaching experience, part of me is really nervous about teaching full-time. Who's to say that I am qualified to teach the youth of America? I certainly don't have all the answers! And yet, it's ok to not have all the answers. I think part of the reason I like this quote from Neil deGrasse Tyson so much is because as applicable as it is to science, it's even more applicable to teaching.
So much of the time, we (myself included) like to pretend that we know everything, that we are the foremost expert. Oftentimes in teaching, admitting that we don't know something is the difference between success and failure in the classroom. Are you successful? If so, I'm willing to bet that you ask lots of questions and never really settle for what you already know. Don't be ignorant, don't look for failure. Ask questions, look for success. Don't be afraid to admit that you don't know it all.

Salad

Although Ron Swanson adamantly claims that salad is rabbit food, I'd like to make another comparison. I've always thought of salad as a good break from the meath and potatoes of a meal. It's that moment to give your taste buds something different, something lighter. At least that's what my stomach always thinks, after eating a salad, I go right back to the meat and potatoes.

In life, I find those nice breaks to be the salad. For students and some teachers, that moment is in the summer. For many others, the salad is a vacation in the middle of the year. What is your salad? What are those respites, those moments where you step away from the meat and potatoes of a career to enjoy the lighter side of life? For me, those moments are time spent with my family and loved ones. Or a good fishing trip. Whatever you salad is, hold dear to it. Always keep it in mind those moments when things just seem to be going wrong. Just as in tricking a stomach during a meal, taking a short break will ultimately bring you more success. What is your salad?

Intelligence

At some level, intelligence is simply a measure of how someone communicates his or her message. To be sure, there are some people who are truly intelligent, and some that are simply good at 'smart talk', but the ability to communicate ones message is key.
I have one student in particular that struggles with this communication piece. He is very intelligent, but he often struggles with the communication piece. Sometimes it takes him so long to piece a question together that by the time he's done I've forgotten what exactly he's asking in the first place. In truth, I feel kind of bad for him.
Are you intelligent? Better yet, are people able to tell that you are intelligent? Beyond the high school level, I'm betting that level of perceived intelligence rests largely on your ability to communicate. Even as a college student, I've caught myself thinking, "What a goon" as a classmate stumbles through a presentation or an answer. Now I'm not saying that this is right or even accurate. However, it is imperative that you hone your communication. Without it, you could be that goon.

Debate

I love Amy Poehler. Ever since my wonderful girlfriend introduced me to Parks and Recreation, I've been very impressed by Poehler and her character, Leslie Knope. And although they both make mistakes, in the end they are able to work out differences, change minds and make a difference.

The other day I held a debate in one of my classes. I let the students pick the topic, which ended up being the use of cell phones in class. Surprisingly, there were very strong feelings on both sides of the issue. As the debate went on, I was impressed by one students ability to meet every emotional debate with a calm, cool and collected response. Needless to say, this student and his team had my vote.
So many students (and adults) can't seem to understand this concept of respectful disagreement. Can you articulate your belief without insults? If so, can you change minds? Today on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus, the 5th Annual Ag Awareness Day was held to spread the message of agriculture. Friends, students and agriculturalists - were you able to make a difference?

Doubt

I suppose today's Thought was more a product of what I was feeling when I woke up this morning than anything else. Today I had a rather significant event happen: I accepted a position teaching agriculture at Cedar Mountain High School. As I woke up this morning I just had this feeling of knowing that my future is taking shape, that my future is back.

However, throughout the day, I kept getting more and more nervous. What am I getting myself into? What if I mess up? What if I'm a terrible teacher? What is my future? All those little doubts that constantly bug me kept hitting me.
What is your future? If you don't know, that's ok. Everyone has those doubts. Everyone needs time to figure these things out. However, when you do figure it out, when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what your future is meant to be, go for it! Don't sit by and watch it float on by. Yes, pay attention to your doubts, they keep you sharp, but don't be paralyzed by them. Take action. Go for your goals. Is your future back?

Word

Today's Thought is one of those wonderful bits of biting wisdom from Tyrion Lannister of Game of Thrones. Whenever he gets in trouble or whenever he needs a favor done, he always pulls out this line: "Everyone knows a Lannister always pays his debts". Despite the fact that he rarely ends up paying these debts, there nonetheless is a bit of wisdom within these words.

How good is your word? Are you like Tyrion, promising to pay off your debts, then turning tail and ignoring the debt? Or do you take those words to heart, stake your reputation to them and live by them every day? I must confess that currently I am in the midst of a big life decision. Without giving out specifics, I will tell you that it is one of those moments that I wonder just how much my word is worth.

I think everyone wants his or her word to carry a lot of weight. And yet, that weight takes a lot of effort and hard work to cultivate and raise. However, the rewards are worth it. If only from a personal, philosophical perspective, they are worth it. Take your words to heart. Hold them close. If you aren't good for your word, how good are you? How good is your word?

Write

I'm a little surprised that this is my first Thought from Mythbusters. After all, what better source of inspiration for a teacher than a show that dispels common misconceptions? However, it wasn't until halfway through the day that I truly got to understand the implications of this slight but significant difference between science and screwing around.

In one class, we have studying electrical wiring. The last few days have been very exciting as it's the last days of boring theory work in the classroom before we transitioned to working in the shop on actual circuits today. Each group of students is required to wired certain configurations and a good chunk of the class time was spent drawing these schematics out. Lo and behold, there's always that group that somehow never wrote things down. In that moment, it truly struck me. Because they didn't 'write it down' they were simply screwing around instead of doing something awesome.
Do you write it down? Don't get caught in that slight, but significant difference. Be prepared. Write it down. Are you just screwing around or are you making great things happening?

Losing

Today's Thought is one of those jewels associated with the whimsical philosophy of fishing. I suppose I'm biased, being an avid fisherman myself, but I kind of like these Thoughts. Today's is especially relevant, considering the latest adventures in my student teaching experience.

Lately there seems to be a rash of unnecessary comparisons going on in my class, mostly centered around grades. My message in response: Don't compare to someone else, compete with yourself. In school, there really is no way to lose (if you're doing it right). Either you 'catch' a good grade, or you 'learn' what do to differently next time. In reality, you can only lose by focusing on these comparisons.

Are you losing? If so, let go of those comparisons. Really, the only person you are competing with is yourself. If you are constantly learning and improving, there is no way to lose. You either 'catch' or you 'learn'. Are you losing or are you winning?

Attack

I suppose it's high time I get back on here, it feels like this Thought has been posted on my door for a week. I suppose this wonderful weather outside was just what the doctor ordered. Despite the melting snow piles outside my window, I just feel like getting down to business and really attacking what I need to do.

What are you attacking? I think there's always something out there that we should be focused on, looking to beat. Whether it's a political opponent as in the case of Leslie Knope or simply my lesson planning, there's always something tugging at us. Whether we know it or not, there's always something that we should be attacking. In this spring season, think about what you need to do. Think about your attack plan. What are you attacking?

Impossible

I think of all sports, nothing has captured the amazement and wonder quite like baseball. Every year, the impossible seems to happen. You can't predict baseball. As a Minnesota Twins fan, one of my earliest baseball memories was watching Torii Hunter rob Barry Bonds of a home run in the All Star Game. From that moment on, I was hooked. While the sport is so much more than impossible spider-man leaps at the wall, this heart-stopping moments are what keeps fans like me going.

What is your impossible? I think as baseball shows, very few things are truly impossible. There's always those heart-stopping moments that seem to stretch the imagination. No matter what arena those moments are in, cherish them. Heck, I still have all the newspaper clippings from when Johan Santana struck out 17 in a game. I was there. I saw it happen. Cherish those 'impossible' moments.

Grope

To be completely honest, I'm a little surprised that none of my students have said anything about this Thought posted on my door. What high schooler wouldn't have to take a second look at this poster? That being said, I did pick out this Thought with a purpose.

I think what separates those who experiment with careers and go somewhere with it from those who simply jump around from job to job, is the idea of objectives. In recent weeks, I've been really struggling with what I want to do with the rest of my life. In all honesty, I have no clue what I want to do. That being said, I do have objectives. I know what I want to be involved with throughout my life. I know that throughout my career, I want to do something that will allow me to be involved in education, agriculture and intrapreneurialism. Now, it's just a matter of finding something that I can practice and hone each one of those.

It's ok to not know what you want to do. Before you can know what you want to do, you need to know what you want to be involved with. What are your objectives? What are those things that are ground-zero, basement level characteristics that HAVE to be in your life? Find them. Find your objectives. The rest will come easy. Explore, sure. But don't grope. Explore with objectives.

Fleas

What company do you keep? I think we've all posed that question, either to ourselves or to others. While I've never heard the quote in today's Thought, I must say it all ties together.

This issue of surrounding ourselves with quality people is one that far too few people pay attention to, yet something we all should be doing at all times. If not only for our own happiness, for our professional and personal success. If we continually lay with dogs, those who simply aren't the kind of people we want to be, what can we expect to become? If not a dog ourselves, we will be constantly harassed by the 'fleas' that these dogs bring.
I think we all have those people in our lives who just seem to suck the life out of things. Whether they are the classic "Debbie Downer" or simply someone who never seems to get the work done, this person must go. What company do you keep?

Experience

Today's Thought was one that I found just when I was searching most for why I wanted to teach. It seems only fitting then that I write about it as I'm questioning my own ability to teach. I think part of my frustration is simply not having that experience.

As I've gone through my formal schooling, one thing has become painfully obvious: it is extremely hard to provide any continuity in the classroom. I really like this picture because at times it seems like you are simply putting down random dots whenever you learn something in the classroom. It's not until you truly get some experience that you connect those dots.
What is your experience? While random knowledge is good, a web of connected understanding is much better. Yes, school is great, but we can't be afraid to get out there, make mistakes and get some experience. One thing that I have a hard time remembering is that the web doesn't form overnight. It takes years of practice to truly get an airtight, true education. What is your experience? If it isn't much, get out there, get some experience. Connect the dots.

Why

Wow. Looking back, it has been quite a while since I've last posted here. I think I was just waiting for the perfect story to go along with this wonderful Thought.

Today I had the first day of teaching my 8th graders. Let me just say it is going to be a fun challenge, they are so full of energy! However, I will say they are always questioning. Even on a boring topic of silk worms, they kept asking why it happens like it does. While it's super frustrating not being able to answer their questions, I couldn't be more happy that they kept asking them.
This whole issue of asking 'why' is not a new one. In so many cases, we can learn so much more just by asking that little three letter word. Have you asked 'why?' today? Don't be afraid of going down the rabbit hole, while tangents will abound by asking why, I find that they are often very good learning opportunities. Who knows what you'll learn!

Tool

While I originally posted this Thought last week, I think I just now came up with a  good application.

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to take part in some regional staff development with other agriculture teachers in the area. In essence, it was a great big exchange of ideas where we all had a chance to get together and share what works for us.
It was during this exchange that it hit me that all we were doing was exchanging tools. Just as every student isn't the same, if we only have one tool, we expect that same thing to work for all. What are your tools? Do you have one way to do things and that's that? Just like a teacher must have multiple methods to teach students, each and every one of us must have multiple ways of getting stuff done .

Filter

Part of the challenge this spring has been filtering the type of Thoughts that I've posted. Since beginning to post the pictures on my office door at school, I'd like to post things that have some relevance to my students. That being said, I've found that I really miss these type of teacher-y Thoughts.
One of the things that really made me want to be a teacher was the fact that not only am I able to help others learn, but I am also able to learn throughout the day. When I think about my day, all of these actions are things that I do. Yes, every day is different. But somehow, all these things end up happening.
No matter how much we filter what we say and what we post, our true actions always seem to shine through. What do you filter? Do you filter your thoughts, actions and words? Without a doubt, there are certain places where you must filter yourself. Social media, the workplace and school being three of them. That being said, those in-born characteristics will always shine through. Don't lose sight of what you do. Filter sure, but never lose sight.

Armor

For all of my Game of Thrones fans out there, I suspect this Thought from this particular character will ring true. Tyrion Lannister, for all his drunkenness, manages to quite eloquently speak. He's one of those people who when he says something, you should probably listen.

Today, is a special anniversary for me, for a couple reasons. First, it is the unfortunate anniversary of my oldest sisters death. To be sure, this event has shaped me in innumerable ways, ways that I am still discovering today. On a happier note, today marks six months since my amazing girlfriend and I have been dating. Although we aren't able to be together today (she is currently studying abroad in Istanbul), I can say that she has seamlessly become part of 'what I am'.
What are you? Naturally, your past has a large impact on who and what you are. Just like my sisters death continues to impact me all these years later, you too have those events that have immeasurable impact. But, only looking back is no way to live your life. We must continue looking forward to find out what we are. When Ash decided to study abroad, we figured that if we could get through the semester of being apart like this, we could make it through pretty much anything. God willing, we will get through the final ten weeks and faithfully and joyfully be reunited.
So again I ask, What are you? Take your past experiences and your future dreams. NEVER forget what you are. NEVER be afraid to show off not only the unpleasant parts of you but also the joyful. Find out what you are. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you.

Crop

Lately in southwestern Minnesota it's been a hard winter. This week I realized that in my three weeks of student teaching, I have yet to teach for a 'full' week. Well, enough of that. I've been holding this Thought for quite a while, maybe now that I'm releasing it we can get rid of all this snow.

I think the worst part of all this snow, is just the depressing atmosphere it gives in the depths of winter. This is March, not January. We should be warming up, getting happier. Instead, we're getting more cold and more snow! And yet, that tiny sliver of hope is there. The hope of a new crop, corn will be in the ground in less than 3 months!

So much of the time we get caught up in all those things that just bring us down. Instead we should be focusing on our hope. What is your hope? Find it and cherish it from here on out. Don't let the winter in March get you. Keep your eye on the prize, the crop in May.

Pass

I suppose I should start out by apologizing. Life has gotten incredibly busy these last few days. I don't know how many more times I'll be able to post a Thought on here, but I will do my very best to keep it updated.

In life, we all go through those challenging times, we all go through those times with not enough hours in the day. And even though they seem endless, at some point they will pass. Just as good things never last, neither do the challenging things.

What will pass? Perhaps you are like me, in the midst of a busy time in your life, that just seems to keep throwing curveballs at you. Or, maybe you're in a happy time, a time where nothing seems to go wrong. No matter, just know that this too shall pass.

History

I think at some point everyone has asked the question of how history will remember them. Today's Thought from Calvin and Hobbes offers a good look at how I think many of those questions become answered. I know even while writing this blog I have had those thoughts of how will history think of me for writing it. How will history remember? I don't think any of use can truly answer that question.

That being said, history will never remember us the way we'd like. We will never be remembered for frivolous things that we attempt to do to be remembered by. Rather, history will remember us for the things that we never set out to do. Those things that end up changing the world and yet that we never originally intended to do. Don't be so concerned with how you want to be remembered. Be concerned with how you are living right now, history will take care of the rest.