What to Do When Your FFA Officer Meetings Aren't Productive
Have you even been in a meeting (or lead a meeting *no judgement*) that
🤦🏿♀️Could have been an email
🤦🏽♂️Nothing got accomplished
🤦♀️Went longer than they told you
🤦🏻♂️You just got talked to the entire time
What kind of emotions does that spark for you ?
There is a better way!
You can take charge of the meetings you lead with this simple meeting template.
Here is how to use it so you can have a smooth and effective meeting...
1️⃣ Consistency
Use the SAME template, SAME flow, SAME time, SAME length, every time. Consistency in meetings allows you to show respect to your team members and the real value is they will come ready and prepared for what will come during the meeting!
2️⃣DECIDE
Have a section of the meeting to JUST DECIDE (preferably at the beginning). Making decisions takes energy and when you focus in on those decisions you will make them quicker and make sure you get the MOST important things done first.
3️⃣ TACKLES
Take time to review every member of the teams tackles. Tackles are something that one team members has ownership over (ex. FFA Secretary's tackle are Meeting Minutes). Give them space to rank themselves and tell the group why. This allows you to see where they need support and you can cheer them on as they complete their tackles.
Take a chance and try it out. Serve your team members with consistency this week.
One Word 2021
Y’all I loved this in 2019, and now it’s back!
The new year is around the corner (so is GERMINATE Virtual Conference).
Time to think about how we want to see 2021, and what to personally focus on to move forward.
What a great opportunity to do this with your students…
But, any old worksheet just won’t do this justice! This is a BIG DEAL so it needed to be more that JUST an activity.
So, after thinking and seeing some other ideas similar to this online (like All About Me banners) I decided to make my own
And thus, the One Word Banner was made.
On the back side are prompts to run through with the kids.
Step 1: Brainstorm as many words as you can that will embody 2021.
Step 2: Circle THREE that you like the most and write why you could see that as your ONE WORD.
Step 3: Pick ONE WORD and explain why that one is the best for you in 2021.
Step 4: On the other (blank) side creatively design your ONE WORD for 2021.
After they were done I decided to hang them on my personal growth wall (I have the FFA mission on the different walls of my room).
It was a GREAT activity that the kids took seriously and I love how for the rest of the semester they will be able to SEE their personal WORD day in and day out!
Wanna try it out? Here is a link to the document!
If you try it out with your students make sure you tag @sarahnerswick & @greenandgrowingedu so I can see the awesomeness your students create!
FFA Inquiry Unit
There may be a way for your students to understand the WHY of FFA without speaking one fact about it to your students.
ENTER THE FFA INQUIRY UNIT
If you have been following along on instagram I have been chronicling my FFA Unit in my Basic Ag Classes. And A LOT of people wanted in, so here you go….
Link to LESSON PLAN: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1faiMCpUFkgyD_Zou_Q37bfSEaHU2Akg2XwkidoHYSxA/copy
Link to CSI WORKSHEET: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eDYj1G2sJ_AwhNW3uUby5UC53OoCDOE7_pzDBBPGODk/copy
Here is the LOWDOWN Day-by-Day
DAY 1
Classroom Scene Investigation
Step 1: Record clues (item you found), evidence (what it means)
Virtual Edition: Use www.ffa.org and www.gaaged.org as your “Crime Scenes” * to add more rows, RIGHT CLICK on a row, then CLICK Insert Row Above/Below (fill out the FIRST Table with Clues & Evidence)
In-Person Edition: Let students walk around your room finding clues about FFA (awards, trophies, posters, pictures etc.)
Step 2: You are charged to become the EXPERT (According to the Oxford Dictionary an expert is “a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area.”) on FFA. Start with figuring out the 5 W’s and H using any resources you can find (including the ones you used above) FIll out the second table 5 W's & H.
DAY 2
FFA Pitch Project
Now that you have put on your expert hats, I need you to think like the National FFA CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Mark Poeschl. He was just approached by a HUGE company let’s say your favorite company (ex. Apple, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Nike etc.) because WHY NOT! To become a potential sponsor of FFA, but they have NO IDEA what it is. You need to come up with a PITCH about why that company should sponsor National FFA. Make sure you know #allthethings because you are the CEO so you are the EXPERT on this topic.
Virtual Edition: You can assign individually or groups (if you can manage them easily) have them present in class or record on FlipGrid (Fun tip: students can screen share on FlipGrid so you can see their PPT)
In-Person Edition: You can assign individually or groups. Have them present in front of the class. I also have added a day for the groups to practice present to other groups for feedback.
DAY 2 Activities: Pick company
Research FFA & company (you chose) mission/values
Continue to research WHY the company you chose should invest in FFA
-Introduction (find common connections between FFA & your company)
-Main Point 1 (choose a main reason WHY your company should invest in FFA)
-Main Point 2 (another point)
-Close (summarize what you said, and ask for the support)
Day 3 Activities: Start your script (scratch paper) & PowerPoint (Post a Template for your students to edit)
Day 4 Activities: Record & Turn in FlipGrid (screen share your PowerPoint) Grade using rubric (see lesson plan)
Day 5 Activities: Reflection Activity
Virtual Edition-Prompt questions in the chat or make a shareable google doc/word doc for students to put their thoughts-think a virtual gallery walk
In-person Edition-After Pitch Day set up Reflection Stations-6-8 stations (30-40 minutes) (Ex. Meet with Teacher, What was the best part of Pitch Day, What was the worst part of the Pitch Day, What would you/your team do differently next time, What was one thing that really stood out to you about another presentation, What do you feel about FFA now, What questions do you still have about FFA? Write a THANK YOU NOTE to judges)
-Give students 5 minutes per station, have them fill out a reflection document and turn it
Enjoy friend!
Teacher Confidence
I wish I was more confident in the classroom.
Don’t we all?
There is something deep down you know you wish to change. Maybe it’s classroom management Maybe it’s a particular skill you teach Maybe it’s feeling alone Whatever it is, there is a way to level up your teacher confidence!
What is teacher confidence? “teachers confidence in their ability to promote students’ learning” Hoy, 2000.
Here are 4️⃣ ways to level up your confidence this year All quotes from Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk-Hoy, and Hoy, 1998.
1️⃣ MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ➕ “Feelings of relaxation and positive emotions signal self-assurance and the anticipation of future success”
How do you do it? Reframe your response to a “failure” or “mistake” to say “Good.” Find the good in all things.
2️⃣ FIND ENCOURAGING TEACHER FRIENDS 👯♂️ “Social persuasion can contribute to successful performances”
How do you do it? Make new friends in your school, county, region, state, nation that you can chat/text/DM when you need to talk!
3️⃣ OBSERVE OTHERS 👓 “Watching others teach in skillful and adept ways—can access t the observer’s personal teaching competence”
How do you do it? GET out of your classroom! Knock of the classroom door 🚪 next door and ask to watch for 10 minutes! (Virtually-same thing, email an exceptional teacher in your school to sit in on their lecture!)
4️⃣ BE ADVENTUROUS 🧗🏽♀️ “Mastery or enacting (actually doing it) experiences are the most powerful source of efficacy information”
How do you do it? Try new things, test out a new technique, no a new review activity, create a new attention-getter etc.
So, which of the 4️⃣ are you going to try this year? Let me know⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Want a deeper dive into teacher confidence? Check out the latest episode of the Green & Growing Podcast.
Into the unknown
It feels like this upcoming school year we are walking…
(Cue Elsa)
INTO THE UNKNOWN, INTO THE UNKNOWN, INTO THE UNKNOWN
Ooooo oooo ooo ooo
There may be a way for you to feel more peace this upcoming school year.
Leaning into the unknown creates momentum
And what that means to you is will move forward with confidence
And the real value is you will feel more peace.
I just read an article from an An FBI agent of 25 years who said “If you want to increase safety, you must move toward the challenge.” She said when confronted with the unknown out brain goes into fight, flight, or freeze mode. Which releases hormones like cortisol which turn on “survival mode”. When you lean into the challenge with calm you reduce your cortisol levels so your brain can focus on prefrontal cortex jobs like planning and decision making.
And being able to move forward is what you want right?
Here is a place to start.
Join the GERMINATE Virtual Conferences this week. Over 850 registered agriculture education teachers, for 30 pre-recorded sessions from current agriculture teachers in the topics of FFA, SAE and Classroom Instruction.
Pouring into your teacher cup now will help you take one confident step into the unknown.