Mr. Hovell
"Why did you want to be an FFA Advisor?" is a
question I often get, and is a question I enjoy answering. The short answer is
"because of my passion for agriculture & leadership development, as well as to make sure that students are aware of all of the
opportunities available to them to make themself a better leader"... because for half of my high school experience I
wasn't aware of all the opportunities available, nor did I take advantage of all of those opportunities when I had the opportunity to do so. Let me explain...
It wasn't until I was a junior in high school that I finally started to realize that the FFA was an avenue for students interested in agriculture and leadership development to excel in.
In high school I had participated in activities like the Trempealeau County Soils Contest, the UW-River Falls Career Development Event Wildlife & Forestry Teams, parliamentary procedure team, and went to the State FFA Convention all four years... but never took advantage of all the activities available, like Washington Leadership Conference, Halftime Conference, or taking the time filling out my American FFA Degree. I was a member of the greatest youth development organization in America, if not the world....and it was making me a better person. Once I realized that, I took advantage of as many activities as I could, and I wish the same for all of my students.
Granted, I may have never have been a National Proficiency Winner with my Aquaculture or Beef Production S.A.E. Projects, and usually finished in the "middle of the pack" in many of the competitions I participated in. But somewhere between my sophomore and junior year of high school I began to figure out that it wasn't always about finishing on top, but to walk away from a competition or activity doing my best. And reflecting back, I’m sure the people that did finish first probably had put in more time than me…. What if I had practiced just one more time? What if I would I would have…are questions I still ask to this day. You may relate it to sports where you want to “shoot that extra free throw, or run that extra lap after practice… If you want to finish on top in competitive events, whether sports or FFA, a good work ethic needs of putting the time in to be successful is a must. When your coach says to "leave it all out on the field", they aren't kidding... you only have so many opportunities, and need to make the most of them.
My junior and senior year of high school I had a different attitude about trying new contests and activities, wanting to achieve my personal best. When this shift in attitude changed, I started performing better in competitions finishing much higher. To this day, I still believe its your "attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude."
I wanted to be an FFA advisor personally for myself because I have a passion for agriculture, and that I wanted to develop my own personal leadership skills- and I have this opportunity every day either in the classroom, or at an FFA leadership conference. As for my students, I wanted to help students find experiences in their lives where they could achieve success, and become leaders themselves. Whether that success being receiving a State FFA Degree, a National FFA Proficiency Finalist, or to walk out of a room of judges after doing their best reciting the FFA Creed and giving it their all. FFA is all about "experiences", or "Learning by Doing". There is no better way to learn, then by doing this.
Since my "youth", I feel that I take advantage of as many opportunities to make myself a better teacher, or person- whether it be attending leadership conferences, teaching seminars, or workshops that help me increase my proficiency in some of my hobbies. (Mrs. Hovell wonders WHY I need to have 12 lawnmowers)... I tell her it's to make me a better Small Engines teacher.
In high school I thought my ag experience may stop with beef cattle and fieldwork. Was I ever wrong. Since high school, I have continued building on my agriculture experiences by working in an apple orchard, working within the food science industry as a cook and manager, learning about turf grass management by working at a golf course, designing and building a new greenhouse, gaining experience in the mink ranching industry, went to the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York for a week-long tour of the forestry industry, taken courses on small engine mechanics & repair, and most currently working on building a school/community garden, orchard, and vineyard.
Agriculture and FFA has impacted my life for the better.
Where will you go with agriculture?
It wasn't until I was a junior in high school that I finally started to realize that the FFA was an avenue for students interested in agriculture and leadership development to excel in.
In high school I had participated in activities like the Trempealeau County Soils Contest, the UW-River Falls Career Development Event Wildlife & Forestry Teams, parliamentary procedure team, and went to the State FFA Convention all four years... but never took advantage of all the activities available, like Washington Leadership Conference, Halftime Conference, or taking the time filling out my American FFA Degree. I was a member of the greatest youth development organization in America, if not the world....and it was making me a better person. Once I realized that, I took advantage of as many activities as I could, and I wish the same for all of my students.
Granted, I may have never have been a National Proficiency Winner with my Aquaculture or Beef Production S.A.E. Projects, and usually finished in the "middle of the pack" in many of the competitions I participated in. But somewhere between my sophomore and junior year of high school I began to figure out that it wasn't always about finishing on top, but to walk away from a competition or activity doing my best. And reflecting back, I’m sure the people that did finish first probably had put in more time than me…. What if I had practiced just one more time? What if I would I would have…are questions I still ask to this day. You may relate it to sports where you want to “shoot that extra free throw, or run that extra lap after practice… If you want to finish on top in competitive events, whether sports or FFA, a good work ethic needs of putting the time in to be successful is a must. When your coach says to "leave it all out on the field", they aren't kidding... you only have so many opportunities, and need to make the most of them.
My junior and senior year of high school I had a different attitude about trying new contests and activities, wanting to achieve my personal best. When this shift in attitude changed, I started performing better in competitions finishing much higher. To this day, I still believe its your "attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude."
I wanted to be an FFA advisor personally for myself because I have a passion for agriculture, and that I wanted to develop my own personal leadership skills- and I have this opportunity every day either in the classroom, or at an FFA leadership conference. As for my students, I wanted to help students find experiences in their lives where they could achieve success, and become leaders themselves. Whether that success being receiving a State FFA Degree, a National FFA Proficiency Finalist, or to walk out of a room of judges after doing their best reciting the FFA Creed and giving it their all. FFA is all about "experiences", or "Learning by Doing". There is no better way to learn, then by doing this.
Since my "youth", I feel that I take advantage of as many opportunities to make myself a better teacher, or person- whether it be attending leadership conferences, teaching seminars, or workshops that help me increase my proficiency in some of my hobbies. (Mrs. Hovell wonders WHY I need to have 12 lawnmowers)... I tell her it's to make me a better Small Engines teacher.
In high school I thought my ag experience may stop with beef cattle and fieldwork. Was I ever wrong. Since high school, I have continued building on my agriculture experiences by working in an apple orchard, working within the food science industry as a cook and manager, learning about turf grass management by working at a golf course, designing and building a new greenhouse, gaining experience in the mink ranching industry, went to the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York for a week-long tour of the forestry industry, taken courses on small engine mechanics & repair, and most currently working on building a school/community garden, orchard, and vineyard.
Agriculture and FFA has impacted my life for the better.
Where will you go with agriculture?