Reflect and Revise

I finally feel like the school year has ended.It takes me a while.But, when I step into our Ag Teachers conference it hits me like a ton of bricks that the new school year is on the horizon.The excitement of the school year, the nervousness of welcoming new students, the anticipation of the FFA events for the year, the apprehension of teaching a new prep...So much going on in my mind (and I BET yours)!But, one thing that really helps me in this time of waiting is...REFLECTING and REVISINGI like to sit and REFLECT on what happened this past year, the good, the amazing, the bad and the ugly. Then with those things in mind, revising my boundaries for the next school year. I go into this topic in depth on the podcast in Episode 4 "Setting Boundaries not Goals" and Episode 6 "I got my first teaching job, now what?"Right not, I'm trying to reflect on last week.GERMINATE was a dream I asked y'all about in a First Friday Webinar back in the winter. Well, if you missed it, it HAPPENED last week. Over 200 ag teachers from across the nation watched HOURS of professional development session on their OWN DIME! WOW! I was simply blown away.Now, it's time for me to reflect and revise. And I need your help.If you were a GERMINATE attendee...could you fill out this survey for me? You can also shoot me a DM or an email to write out what you thought. I want ALL the feedback, the good, the amazing, the bad and the ugly!If you were not a GERMINATE attendee...shoot me a DM or write me an email about why you chose not to try it out.I appreciate all this feedback.Can I be honest with you all?I'm not sure what the future holds for Ag Teacher How Tos. Not in a bad way. I just am not sure the greatest way to meet the needs of out community. With your input you will help shape the future of this ag teacher community we have built together.You rock, 100%.

Podcasts I LOVE

So, obviously I love podcasts.I even decided to start my own as a way to provide quick and easy ....But, since I started listening to podcast about 6 months ago, I look forward to the times that I am stuck in the car for longer than 5 minutes (I live 5 minutes from everything) so I can listen to these killer podcast.Sharing my favorites so you can HOP on an join along!Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Inspiration are my GO to topics. In no particular order, here are my go-to's.Ag with Mrs. WedgerYou gotta love an ag teacher specific podcast. I mean come on. For Ag Teachers, by an AWESOME Ag Teacher. Hannah is a teacher from Minnesota and has already made such an impact on my life through instagram and the podcast. I am thankful for her stepping up to fill the space for ag teachers on the soundwaves.Go-Getter's PodcastAnother teacher who I love. Kayse Morris is a teach turned Go-Getter who is CRUSHING the Teachers Pay Teachers space and gives SO MUCH awesome content on how to be a teacher and a side hustler. And I know a lot of you have those side hustles, and she speaks with teachers on her mind and heart and you just fall in love with her. I am a BIG fan!Created for ExperienceBilly Boughey is the Founder of Elevate Experiences. He spoke at an FFA event this past year and I haven't stopped following everything Elevate since. They provide such amazing content on how to make experiences AMAZING. He interviews amazing entrepreneurs and gets down to the core of their story. It is inspirational and educational and I have loved all the episodes so far.RISERachel. Hollis. Enough said right? Rachel's mission is to share her expertise to the world to help women live their best lives through living their dreams. She has amazing guest speakers and you can take away so much value for your life through inspiration.Goal Digger PodcastJenna Kutcher makes you feel like she is your best friend in the Goal Digger Podcast. She drops so much knowledge for you Goal Diggers/Entrepreneurs through her own expertise and amazing guest speakers. She is so real and shares her life which makes you love her so much more.Marketing PersonalitiesI am a leadership/personality style JUNKIE. With a Master's degree in Leadership I cannot get enough of learning about myself through all the things. I met Brit through our public speaking group (more on that below) and just LOVED her mission. She takes all the knowledge from Myers Briggs Type Indicators (you know like those 4 letters INFP, ESTJ etc.) and shows you how to leverage that in your business. I have learned a lot about myself through all her content. Check out her podcast, then hop on over to her website and check out my affiliate link.The Creative Speaker PodcastJess Rasdall, I don't even know how I stumbled upon her on the Instagram but I am so thankful I did. She started out as a motivational speaker and know is a public speaking coach for creative entrepreneurs. Now, at first I didn't think I "fit" as a creative, but think about teaching. That is SO CREATIVE, I mean lesson planning! You gotta get creative and reinvent constantly to keep those kids engaged. So, you can get such good ideas about speaking which has helped me be a better at providing professional development. So check her out!

Maximize your summer time

Ahhhhhhh, sigh of relief! It's summer time!(I know some of you are still winding down, you got this)I am pretty sure teachers are more excited about summer than students.And I know we still work in the summer. A lot of ag teachers across the nation have extended contracts throughout the summer to engage with students through the three circle model.For me, that looks like two weeks of camps we put on, one week of FFA camp, a half-week of professional development at our state conference, three days of hosting my own virtual summer conference, a couple days of officer training, days of SAE visits, two days a week with students at our farm and more.Doesn't sound like much of a summer, but OH IT IS.Wanna maximize your summer time?Here is my advice for you!SCHEDULE IT ALLSeriously, to the hour. I know that if I don't schedule it (A) won't get done or (B) I'll spent too much time doing one thing that I don't have enough time to do the rest.I have to be organized with my time management or I will waste away the summer I have.I am a big fan of Google Calendar, its quick and easy and always accessible. If you know you have a really busy week (for me camp weeks are crazy), make sure you schedule some breaks afterword to relax with the family or go on a little vacation!I like to break up my summer so I have some time for my own bucket filling, while still getting all the required time of my contract completed.So, how do you spend your summer?Let me know!

I did a thing...again

So, this fall after a few students found my teacher insta (eye roll here) some of them said, "Why don't you start a podcast?"Haha, me? A podcast? Nope. I already have like a billion things on my plate from First Friday Webinars, to the Green & Growing Mastermind, to Teachers Pay Teachers, to Germinate and more...not to mention teaching.But, as the fall turned to winter and winter turned to summer (did that on purpose, spring doesn't exist in Georgia), I couldn't get it off my mind. I thought maybe I need to be doing this because it is on my heart and won't go away.So of course I needed to think about how this will work.First off, First Friday Webinars will be going away. I know, I hear you my loyal FFW watchers. But, that content was hard to capture and post and find for others to utilize. A podcast on the other hand...it will be there for-ev-er and easy to navigate to episodes and show notes.Secondly, I am a busy wife, mama and teacher. It is hard for me to sit down for thirty minutes attached to a computer with video and audio (that may/may not freak you out). But, a podcast on the other hand, I can listen to that as I make dinner while my kiddos play in the playroom. Or I can listen to in the car, at Starbucks or during planning. Anytime seriously, whatever fits your schedule, you can get that content.And third, you know my mission is to help ag teachers grow personally and professionally. While I know not everyone is up on podcasts, I can share these more easily to those not on the up and up through Facebook, Instagram, email lists and more.So, all that said.Welcome to the Green & Growing Podcast.Episode 1 is here!

Invest in yourself

"The only person you need to be better than, is the person you were yesterday." -Rachel HollisI am about to embark on a crazy journey in the next 16 months really digging deep into myself, my personality, my leadership style, my weaknesses, my quirks and more.I am more than excited.But, this is an investment. Of my time and my money. And no, none of this is required by my school/county/state.But, I am committed to staying green and growing. So, I am investing the time and the money into myself.And I think you should too. YOU are your biggest investment. Yup, YOU!What do you invest in for you? A celebration here, a new outfit there, maybe a workout plan, what else? What about a couple hours of space and silence? What about a friends weekend away? What about that new book you've been dying to read that is sitting on your shelf collecting dust? What about that podcast that your friend sent you?Investing in yourself doesn't have to be monetary bound. I have grown so much in my personal life, teaching life, leadership life, and business life through free resources.Through things like podcasts (for personal, teaching and business), I've downloaded a billion free lead magnets from some of the best teachers, leaders, bosses around the country. I've watched countless videos on YouTube that have challenged me in my leadership skills.Where do you want to grow?It's time for you to start investing in that ONE area of growth. Invest your time and/or your money.Wanna great place to start? Invest some time and a small amount of money to learn from ag teachers across the county at GERMINATE 2019.