Three R’s of Summer Break for Teachers
Welcome to summer ☀️ agriculture teachers!
While some of you may be in a great spot and are crossing the finish line with a lot of energy and excitement for what lies ahead, I also want to recognize that some of you aren’t feeling so great as you step into summer.
You might be feeling tired, worn out, and emotionally drained. Wherever you are on that spectrum, you did it.
Congratulations on finishing the school year!
As you enter into summer break, it can be easy to shut off until school starts in the fall, but what if there were a way to rest well while “getting your ducks in a row” for the next school year?
There is! This is your season of growth, renewal, and opportunity!
As the school year draws to a close and summer begins, it's time to shift gears, recharge, and prepare for the exciting journey ahead. Let’s explore three essential aspects for you to lean into this summer: rest, reflect, and get ready.
By embracing these elements, you can find the motivation and inspiration necessary to continue nurturing young minds and cultivating a thriving agricultural education community.
Three R’s of Summer Break for Teachers
1. Rest: Replenish Your Energy and Passion
After a demanding academic year, it's vital to prioritize self-care and recharge your batteries. Remember, you cannot pour from an empty cup. Embrace the beauty of this summer by taking time for yourself. Whether it's lounging in a hammock, exploring nature, or engaging in hobbies you love, allow yourself to unwind and rejuvenate.
Rest is not just about physical relaxation; it's about rekindling your passion. Take a step back from the daily routine, immerse yourself in the simplicity of life, and reconnect with who you are at your core.
Just the other day I was on a walk and I was pondering the concept of habit stacking. If you haven’t heard of it before, James Clear states: “habit stacking is a special form of an implementation intention. Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit.” This can include listening to a podcast while going on a walk.
Now, I do think this has its benefits, but don’t put yourself in a mindset where you always have to be doing a thousand things to get better.
There is value in unplugging and just going on a walk without the distraction. Like we say rest IS productive. Or it is also okay to just read a book for fun while laying on the couch. Whatever you decide to do to rest this summer- do what works best for YOU. It’s okay to unplug for a little while!
2. Reflect: Grow Through Introspection
As an agriculture teacher, reflection is a powerful tool for growth and improvement. Use this summer as an opportunity to reflect on your teaching practices, your successes, and areas that may need refinement. Consider the lessons learned from the past year, both in the classroom and beyond, and how they can shape your future endeavors.
This might include implementing introspective practices such as journaling, meditation, or simply sitting in quiet contemplation.
By reflecting on your experiences, you can gain valuable insights, discover innovative teaching methods, and set new goals for the upcoming year.
Remember, growth is a continuous journey, and taking the time to reflect will help you evolve as an educator and mentor.
3. Get Ready: Harness the Power of Professional Development
Preparing for the next academic year begins with investing in your professional development.
Seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge, network with fellow educators, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in agricultural education.
How can you do that?
Enroll in online courses
Attend conferences
Participate in workshops to sharpen your skills, learn innovative teaching strategies, and discover fresh perspectives.
Collaborate with other educators, share experiences, and foster a supportive community that will empower you throughout the year.
By investing in your professional development, you'll emerge from the summer break equipped with new tools and ideas to inspire your students and enhance their learning experience.
Green & Growing Education exists to offers a wide range of resources designed specifically for agriculture teachers like you.
One simple way you can build connections with other Ag teachers while intentionally preparing for the year ahead is by attending Germinate Conference.
This is a virtual conference created back in 2019 for Ag teachers so that you can immerse yourself in a virtual room with like-minded Ag teachers who are ready to encourage you and help you grow.
And feeling supported by other educators knowing that you aren’t alone in this career is what you want, right? If it is, be sure to register for Germinate today! If you still have questions, reach out to one of the team members and we can see if this conference is a good fit for you.
As an agriculture teacher, your dedication and passion are the driving forces behind the success of your students and the growth of your community.
This summer, prioritize rest, reflect on your journey, and get ready to embark on another transformative year in the classroom.
By embracing these three essential elements, you'll find the motivation, inspiration, and renewed energy to continue making a positive impact and shaping the future of agriculture.
Remember, this is your time to rejuvenate, learn, and grow. Embrace the summer's embrace the summer's opportunities, and lean into rest, reflection, and readiness. Your journey awaits!
How to make personal development personal again
About 4 years ago I went deep into personal development.
Reading all the books. (fiction or fun no way)
Listening to podcasts non stop (who listens to music anyway?)
Giving all my spare time to bettering myself for accolades (relationships, health etc. no need)
And admittedly it continued until I had a wakeup call recently and I took a moment to just think.
What am I trying to prove with reading only non-fiction?
Am I actually learning anything from the non-stop podcasts or are they going in one ear and out the other?
Is spending every waking moment on growth what I want to look back at when I am 80?
So I stopped.
Unfollowed a bunch of accounts.
Unsubscribed from podcasts.
Started reading for fun only.
And then I just rested to figure out the question “where do I actually want to grow?” or “what do I actually want?”
This pause over winter break and the start of the new year led me to my word of the year, revival. Which means “an improvement in the condition or the strength of something.”
Because admittedly I’ve been living for others' praise, appreciation, mentorship, compliance for too long. I am committing this year to the cause of figuring it out.
And you might be in the same place. Wanting to grow but not even knowing where to begin. And we get it - we live in a world inundated with “the next big thing” “your success starts here” “that magic pill you’ve been looking for.”
Now, I am not against personal growth, but what I AM against is toxic personal growth. I am against doing something just because everyone else is.
If you didn’t know, personal growth is UNIQUE to you. Hence the word “personal” 😉. Here is what I mean.
Let’s go to a quick lesson from Mrs. Nerswick on bell curves.
An example Bell Curve
Now, you’ve probably seen a bell curve in science class or in grad school right? It is a graph that shows the distribution of a variable symmetrical probability in statistics. You’ve probably seen it used to describe human height, test scores, or even head circumference in babies.
Ok, let’s break it down. This means that based on a variable – for this example, let’s say a personal development strategy like listening to ONLY personal development, meaning no music/audiobooks etc. – the probability of this strategy working is a bell curve.
It will work extremely well for about 3% of people who try.
It will work for 47% of people who try.
It won’t work well for 47% of people who try.
It will utterly and completely fail for 3% of people who try.
If you missed that, statistically speaking personal development strategies will only work moderately well for HALF of the people who try them.
This is why there is NO SUCH THING AS BLANKET ADVICE!
Think about it…
Does a doctor prescribe a Z pack to everyone with a stuffy nose? No, they need to make sure their patient actually has a bacterial infection and they aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients.
Does a teacher just teach the same exact lesson to every single class, every single year? No, they analyze who is in their class, the strengths, the areas for improvement, their level of knowledge in the subject and even modify the lesson in the middle of it to fit their students.
Does a therapist give the same advice to every patient? No, they listen, they ask questions, they get to know that person deeply before giving advice to help them through their journey.
Does every street have the same speed limit? No, the transportation authority researches every road, the twists, the turns, the blind spots and assigns an appropriate speed limit to that particular part of a street.
YOU ARE UNIQUE.
Your business is PERSONAL.
Your goals are PERSONAL.
Your schedule is PERSONAL.
Your priorities are PERSONAL.
Your work is PERSONAL.
So therefore, your personal development should be PERSONAL!
Success doesn’t come from following a certain formula. Success comes when you thoughtfully consider your life and your goals before subscribing to what others say is the solution and then iterating and modifying often to align with your life flows.
3 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Making Your Next Personal Development Move
So, before you join that membership, enroll in that course, read the book, apply for that event, or register for that conference take a moment to ponder these questions. Because you need to know what you want, what you need before you can be successful in your growth journey.
1️⃣ What are you trying to improve? Specificity is key!
It’s time to get specific. Saying “I want to improve my business” or “I want to be a better mom” or “I want to get stronger” isn’t going to cut it here.
To make sure you are finding the right strategies you must be specific with what you are trying to improve. Maybe it sounds something like:
“I want to increase revenue in my business by 10% this year.”
“I want to spend more time playing with my kids after school.”
“I want to be able to do a pull up this year.”
Specificity will allow you to start searching for strategies that specifically address that area of your life.
2️⃣ How would you define success in that specific area?
I was in a recent training that taught us about categorizing good, better, and best goals and I kinda love that. It’s not pass or fail – there is flexibility in your goals,just like life!
Let’s take “I want to be able to do a pull up this year” for example.
Your BEST goal would be “Be able to do 5 unassisted pull ups by Christmas 2024”. Your BETTER goal would be “Be able to do 1 unassisted pull up by Christmas 2024” and your GOOD goal would be “Be able to do 1 strength band assisted pull up by Christmas 2024.
Start thinking through your specific goal how you can categorize it into good, better and best results.
And the best part here is to remember that we get to edit and iterate once we get more data on our progress. Say you are progressing really easily toward your goal, go ahead and tweak it!
3️⃣ How will this align with your current life situation?
This is the step I believe a lot of people miss. Your life situation is unique.
Maybe you have children, maybe you are the caregiver for your parents/grandparents, maybe you are the sole breadwinner in your family, maybe you need to work two jobs to make ends meet.
All of that is personal to you and makes working toward your goals unique.
Blanket Personal Development strategies set people up for failure, disappointment and end up misleading many people.
Once you know your specific goal and your definition of success, see how you can fit that into your current (key word current) life situation.
Does that mean spending 10 minutes a day on this? Great!
Does that mean getting a babysitter for 2 hours every other Thursday? Great!
Does that mean working on your goal at 10 p.m. after your kids go to bed? Great!
Does that mean taking a PTO day to work on your goal? Great!
To set yourself up for success, you must set up your goal to fit into your current life situation.
REMINDER: your life ebbs and flows.
Life mimics that of Earth’s seasons. Some seasons are full, vibrant like Spring and Summer. Some seasons are set up to let go of unneeded things like Fall. And some seasons are a time of dormancy and rest, like Winter.
It is important as your life seasons change (which might be week by week or even day by day!) to change your strategies. Because progress is progress. Even if that means taking a much needed step back sometimes.
This is the part of the blog post that I am hoping you feel validated and inspired to take some action on what you learned (I wouldn’t be a good teacher if that wasn’t the goal right?!). So, here is your action step!
(And remember: this is something you can decide to take or not because this isn’t toxic personal development – either way I am cheering for you!)
Take a pause the next time you hear blanket advice and go through steps 1-3 before accepting this new strategy into your life. And if you aren’t sure how to mitigate that and want to talk through it, hit reply and we can chat through your thoughts.
Here’s to making your personal development PERSONAL again. 🥳
ONE way you can do that if you are an AGRICULTURE TEACHER is by attending Germinate Conference this July 1-3, 2024.
We hope that you DON’T have the same conference as others. WHY because you have different goals and needs for your students and chapters. I mean think about it, you teach different subjects, you teach different grade levels, you have different facilities on campus, you have different state association requirement, you have different administration, you have different students and are in different communities. What you need SHOULD be different than others.
If you want to attend only the sessions on animal science based topics, go for it.
If you want to attend all the live sessions to expand your network, do it.
If you want to watch everything to get a taste of all the new sessions, that’s awesome.
Early Bird Registration closes on May 15. Grab your registration today here.
What it’s like learning outside of your discipline
I was a teacher, specifically an agriculture teacher for a decade. One thing that we pride ourselves on was being a “jack of all trades, master of none.” Over my career I taught close to twenty different classes, most years teaching upwards of 6 different subjects. That kind of daily mind gymnastics bounding from one topic to another makes your brain expand in many different ways.
Truly, I was gifted with the opportunity to be flexible and work outside of my zone of genius daily.
Many industries don’t allow for this. You typically “stay in your lane” and do the work that you’ve been asked to do. So let me ask you… when was the last time you decided to step outside of your zone of genius?
While it might seem like staying in your one lane is the best thing to do, overspecialising can actually be detrimental to your career and business.
Being able to learn in a broad spectrum can help you achieve more in your current career and even move up. There are three values of learning outside of your discipline. Let’s take a look.
Three Values of Learning Outside Your Discipline
Learn new skills
Think about all the skills you need to do your job well. It’s a long list right? I can almost bet that some of those skills on your list are beneficial in other careers.
Like time management, hello! What about collaboration with team members or conversations with a client? You can decide to take some time to learn about more broad skills needed for your career.
For example, you might be a course creator for health/wellness but stepping outside of your niche and learning about email marketing might benefit you greatly.
What about if you are a teacher? Could taking a project management course help you gain skills in “getting it all done”?
Your new skills will help you elevate where you are in your career and allow you to enhance the skills you already have.
Alternate Thinking
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and they simply say something that just blows your mind? It’s because you have never even ventured to think the way they think – how amazing right?!
When you look at a problem or situation from a different vantage point you are able to get your brain to work in new and different ways.
I distinctly remember going to a conference session on history, not my favorite subject. What I walked away with was a new learning strategy I had never thought of to use in my classes about timelines. Who knew? Certainly not me. I had to immerse myself into something new to be able to gain that new knowledge.
Improve your work
You’ve heard how the saying goes… “An old dog can’t learn new tricks.” Well, I call bull!
Humans are habitual, it’s in our nature. What you do in your job daily starts to become habitual.
When you take a step back and implement some new skills or techniques from outside of your discipline you may be able to improve your work. You get to avoid the “same old, same old” practices of old. You get to improve yourself and your work all at once.
And bonus? I bet your boss will be happy to see the new coming from you!
I recently wrote about this on LinkedIn and my friend Shelley mentioned she recently took up learning about pastries and it has been blowing her mind. She is an entrepreneur, communications director, coach and professional pianist.
Could you easily say this drive to learn about pastries isn’t beneficial to her? You could… but I would push you and ask why you think that.
Because the truth is that she is creating new neural pathways in her brain.
She is learning about processes. She is learning about directions. She is learning about patience. She is learning about trial and error. She is learning about quality control. She is learning about trying new things. She is learning from experimenting.
All of those things can help her in truly any career.
And the same can be true for you too.
There is no need to pigeon hole yourself into one area of growth.
You can build a library of skills and knowledge that will benefit you as a whole person. If you want to learn it, go for it. It is still beneficial to your brain and your whole self even if it isn't career driven.
Because at the end of the day learning doesn’t have to be results driven.
And if you want to dive into learning in 2024, join educators from across the country at Germinate Empowered. Registration closes on Saturday January 6, 2024.
If you read this after the registration deadline, stay connected with G&G through the podcast, blog, and Instagram
Ag Teachers summer schedule: Rest, reflect and ready!
Welcome to summer ☀️ agriculture teachers!
This is your season of growth, renewal, and opportunity!
As the school year draws to a close, it's time to shift gears, recharge, and prepare for the exciting journey ahead. Let’s explore three essential aspects for you to lean into this summer: rest, reflect, and get ready.
By embracing these elements, you can find the motivation and inspiration necessary to continue nurturing young minds and cultivating a thriving agricultural education community.
1. Rest: Replenish Your Energy and Passion
After a demanding academic year, it's vital to prioritize self-care and recharge your batteries. Remember, you cannot pour from an empty cup. Embrace the beauty of this summer by taking time for yourself. Whether it's lounging in a hammock, exploring nature, or engaging in hobbies you love, allow yourself to unwind and rejuvenate.
Rest is not just about physical relaxation; it's about rekindling your passion. Take a step back from the daily routine, immerse yourself in the simplicity of nature, and reconnect with the core reasons why you chose this noble profession. Let the tranquility of the outdoors remind you of the profound impact you have on your students' lives and the significance of the work you do.
2. Reflect: Grow Through Introspection
As an agriculture teacher, reflection is a powerful tool for growth and improvement. Use this summer as an opportunity to reflect on your teaching practices, your successes, and areas that may need refinement. Consider the lessons learned from the past year, both in the classroom and beyond, and how they can shape your future endeavors.
Engage in introspective practices such as journaling, meditation, or simply sitting in quiet contemplation. By reflecting on your experiences, you can gain valuable insights, discover innovative teaching methods, and set new goals for the upcoming year. Remember, growth is a continuous journey, and taking the time to reflect will help you evolve as an educator and mentor.
3. Get Ready: Harness the Power of Professional Development
Preparing for the next academic year begins with investing in your professional development. Seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge, network with fellow educators, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in agricultural education. GreenandGrowingEdu.com offers a wide range of resources and workshops designed specifically for agriculture teachers like you.
Enroll in online courses, attend conferences, or participate in workshops to sharpen your skills, learn innovative teaching strategies, and discover fresh perspectives. Collaborate with other educators, share experiences, and foster a supportive community that will empower you throughout the year. By investing in your professional development, you'll emerge from the summer break equipped with new tools and ideas to inspire your students and enhance their learning experience.
As an agriculture teacher, your dedication and passion are the driving forces behind the success of your students and the growth of your community. This summer, prioritize rest, reflect on your journey, and get ready to embark on another transformative year in the classroom. By embracing these three essential elements, you'll find the motivation, inspiration, and renewed energy to continue making a positive impact and shaping the future of agriculture.
Remember, this is your time to rejuvenate, learn, and grow. Embrace the summer's embrace the summer's opportunities, and lean into rest, reflection, and readiness. Your journey awaits!
Investing in yourself: Your professional growth opportunity for 2023
Did you know it takes 5 years of watering the seed for a Chinese bamboo tree to germinate?
5 years of investment by the farmer to continually water, fertilize and tend for that seed.
Time, commitment, dedication to growth. Knowing that the reward won't be coming for years.
Is it worth it to the farmer? They would say HECK YES.
Because once that seed germinates the plant can grow 90 feet tall in just 6 weeks.
So my question to you is what are you doing to water, fertilize and tend for yourself?
Are you watering yourself with positive people, inputs (podcasts, musics, books), groups?
Are you fertilizing yourself by pursuing activities that accelerate your growth as an educator?
Are you tending to yourself by prioritizing rest and reflection?
Now, I admit G&G cannot help you with all of those things. But if you are ready to fertilize yourself by committing to growth in your profession, we got just the right NPK for you!
So ask yourself...
Are you ready to grow?
Are you ready to get new innovative ideas?
Are you ready to reignite your passion?
Are you ready to invest your time?
Are you ready to jump into the green & growing community?
Are you ready?
BECAUSE WE ARE.REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR the Germinate Conference 2023!
Grab your fertilizer for you growth and register now.
So, are you ready for it?