Teach Agriculture California

Lifelong experience growing up and working on my family farm/ranch, as well as our family trucking company. Experience with equipment operation and maintenance, as well as SMAW and GMAW welding to repair equipment.

Years teaching ag: This is my fourth year teaching ag

Subjects you teach: I currently teach various welding classes, ag mechanics, and ag farm operations. In previous years, I have also taught plant science and animal science.

Hobbies and interests outside of teaching: Outside of teaching I enjoy hunting, shooting guns in general, spending time with friends and family, going on drives, playing video games, snowboarding, and riding on my Onewheel

What do you love most about being an ag teacher? Teaching my students skills and watching them excel in the shop is pretty rewarding.  It's also hard to beat the flexible schedule of teaching, compared to industry.  I also enjoy the opportunity to travel with my students to FFA events; like flying to Nashville to tour a few days before the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

What is your biggest challenge as an ag teacher? It varies, honestly, sometimes it can be the kids, and sometimes it can be your administration. 

What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching?  Students can be apathetic and it's frustrating.  You’re not going to reach all of your students, so focus on those students that actually give a damn, and want to be there.  It's well worth the time and energy to invest in your students to teach them equitable skills that better prepare them for life after high school.

 What advice would you give a novice teacher entering this profession now?  Have a set standard of rules, and enforce them consistently.  Shop classes aren’t normal classes, and the crap students normally like pull won’t fly in the shop.  Setting high expectations and giving students structure will make for a safer and more productive shop and ultimately, it will set your students up for success in the real world.  

What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession? Patience.

What most prepared you for being an agriculture educator? Growing up on the ranch, having parents, aunts and uncles, that expected a certain standard of quality of work, and FFA advisors that were the same way.  In short, half ass isn’t gonna cut it.  We live in a world where solid work ethic is hard to come by in young people, so if I can teach my students the importance of work ethic, it will make a lasting impact in their lives - no matter what career path they choose.

 If you could relive one of your most memorable days as a teacher, which day would it be and why? Probably when a student built a tensegrity table for his fair project. It’s a cool play on physics that I had been trying to get a student to build for a couple years, and one finally took an interest in it, and it came out pretty cool.

Hobbies and interests outside of teaching: Anything outdoors! Backpacking, snowboarding, kayaking, scuba diving. I love baking and of course DIY projects. ​

What do you love most about being an ag teacher?  It’s never boring. We're always doing something new and exciting. What I truly love the most are my students. I love seeing those lightbulb moments. Seeing students develop and become passionate about something is why I teach. I enjoy getting to know my students better and making connections with them. They can be sassy at times, but are so kind and fun! 

 What is your biggest challenge as an ag teacher?  Keeping track of all of the craziness! Put everything in your Google Calendar.  This includes your personal life. Send calendar invites for everything. Find time for yourself. Make sure that your hobbies are still your hobbies and not something you use to enjoy.   I asked my students this question and they said, “Getting us to stop talking. We don’t mean to be rude but we are.” 

What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching?  It takes time to reach your goals, big or small. It takes time to build that classroom community. It takes time to start up something new in your program. Patience, hard-work, and a good support system are important when striving for success. 

What advice would you give a novice teacher entering this profession now?  Make time for things that are important. Make a list and prioritize. Be a sponge, absorb everything you can and learn from veteran teachers. Academics are important, but so is focusing on building your students up to become noble people. Try to be a well-rounded role model, students pick up on your behaviors and will start acting like you (they will even steal your punchlines). 

What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession?  The ability to be adaptable, flexible, organized, and empathetic. Important qualities include being driven, committed, self-motivated, structured, open-minded, and having thick skin.

What most prepared you for being an agriculture educator?  Helping my family run multiple businesses and past jobs prepared me for all of the “extras” that an ag teacher does. I learned how to manage people and environments, navigate situations, manage different daily tasks, keep accurate and detailed records, financial management, problem-solving, how to interact with different people, build relationships and connections and so on. In addition, student teaching. Take on as much as you can at your placement site when you feel ready. Really get the feel for what you will be doing as a full-time teacher. Give yourself the opportunity to be exposed to as many situations as possible. Lastly, my past educators, coaches, and mentors whom I strive to live up to. 

If you could relive one of your most memorable days as a teacher, which day would it be and why?  One of my most memorable days was when I “set the fire alarm off” making quesadillas in class. There was a planned fire drill during biology. We were completing a demo on explicit direction sets, during the first weeks of school. The kids had to tell me how to make a quesadilla (like the pb&j demo). We finally got the quesadilla cooking and the fire drill began. The students were freaking out with excitement thinking it was the “smoke” from our demo setting the alarm off. They proceeded to tell the whole school. They still believe it was us and not a drill. Now I am just concerned about why they think I’m “cool” for setting off the fire alarm.  Our first veggies crop contest was a memorable day. It was a small win but nonetheless, a win. They hadn’t practiced once before the contest, they were just going to see what it was about. They won second high team. It was awesome to see how excited the students were. They felt a sense of accomplishment, were excited, and proud. I just thought to myself “this is my why.”

Describe ag teaching in one to two words.  So many words come to mind. When I I asked my kids this question, they said, “organized chaos.” They explained their answer in a positive way, so hopefully that’s good.

Hobbies and interests outside of teaching: Horseback riding, hiking, home improvement/renovation, working on my property, spending time with my dogs!

What do you love most about being an ag teacher? Everyday is exciting and different! You never know what the day will bring, whether it is teaching science experiments, coaching speaking practices, weighing lambs, attending meetings with your peers, or more!

What is your biggest challenge as an ag teacher? Not being able to do everything I want to do in a day! I can always think of about a million more things to do at the end of each day, but there is never quite enough time to do them all! 

What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching? You will never, ever stop learning as a teacher! Every single day, you will learn more about yourself, your job, and your students that will help you grow. And just when you think you’re starting to figure it out, you’ll learn even more! Know that you as a teacher are a constant work in progress, and don’t expect to know everything, ever!

What advice would you give a novice teacher entering this profession now? Ag teachers and FFA advisors wear a lot of hats. We do paperwork, and project visits. We’re busy, competitive, and a little crazy. We’re drivers, coaches, agriculturalists and professionals. But don’t forget that at the end of the day, you are there to help as many students as possible in as many ways as possible, and that is really all that matters. 

What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession? There are so many qualities and traits that help ag educators, but the most important one in my opinion would be reflectiveness. Being reflective allows you to understand yourself as an educator and a person and mold your teaching style and program to what works for you! It also helps you learn more about what works and what does not work in the many tasks we complete. Reflectiveness is a quality that really helps you learn and improve as an educator and person.

What most prepared you for being an agriculture educator? What most prepared me for being an agricultural educator was having tons of work experience! There is so much to learn as an ag teacher and FFA advisor, but having a strong work ethic is so beneficial. Student teaching really showed me this as well! If you know how to work hard, prioritize things, be efficient, and get the job done, you’ll be in a much better spot!

If you could relive one of your most memorable days as a teacher, which day would it be and why? One of my most memorable days as a teacher was on the last day of school of my first year. I was taking down all of the thank you’s and notes I had received from behind my desk. Once they were all down, I put them in a pile. I was blown away by how many notes and thank you’s I had received from my students and others. It made me feel so appreciated, and really reminds you why you’re doing what you’re doing. I put all of them on a poster I hung on my wall and plan to do this each year. It’s these little moments that remind you how amazing the profession really is!

Describe ag teaching in one to two words. Wild Ride!

Hobbies and interests outside of teaching:  Ranching, Farming, Bow Hunting, Rifle Hunting, Fishing, Family 

What do you love most about being an ag educator?  I really enjoy the chance to get to know the students outside of the classroom.  Taking students outside of a normal school environment (for field days and fairs, etc.) gives me a chance to know them so much more.  Last year I traveled about 5,200 miles with my students to contests and events. 

What is your biggest challenge as an ag educator?  Pleasing everyone.  It’s tough to please everyone.  I do my best to please my wife, family, coworkers, administration, parents, community members and students. 

What most prepared you for being an agriculture educator?  Living it.  I was raised in a unique situation where both my dad and my grandpa were ag educators in this profession.  So many of my learning experiences came from their guidance over the years.

Describe ag teaching in one word.  Family.

What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching?  Don’t stay at school past five o’clock.  Don’t take work home.  This philosophy doesn’t work for everyone but for me it’s key in balancing my home life with my teaching career.

What advice would you give a novice teacher entering this profession in 2015?  Be outspoken.  Always ask questions. Make your program your own.

What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession?  Follow through.  If you don’t follow through, how can you expect your students or community members to?

What specific skills are important to being successful in this profession?  Specific skills are important but I think being too specialized isn’t as powerful as a broad range of experiences that you can share with your students.