Memorial Day 2014

Wordless Wednesday - 5/7/14

As a colleague said "This must be what the weather in heaven is like."

The need for more time....

I am a big fan of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" system. The book is a great read about organization and productivity. This quote struck right to the heart. I needed the reminder.

Lately, I have been feeling as if I need more time. I always feel that way spring term. I tried to describe the quarter system, and specifically the spring quarter, to someone the other day and I said: It is like an all out sprint at the end of a marathon.

Here's how the quarter system works. Fall term classes started September 30. We took two weeks at Christmas before winter term began January 6. From there we have taught with only the MLK holiday. Technically, we also get a week for spring break in late March, but that is filled with State FFA Convention, finalizing grades for winter term and resetting the syllabus and content management system for a new term with a new course and new students. This new term started April 1 and we haven't stopped since. It is week 5 now and we still have 5 more weeks, plus finals. Graduation is June 14th.

David Allen gently reminds me that it is not about the number of hours in the day - but it is about how I use the hours I have.

Touring Oregon Ag programs

Only in Oregon would you need to pack for a field trip with sunglasses and sunscreen as well as a rain jacket and waterproof shoes.  There were definitely points where I was using all four - at the same time.

We loaded up some members of the Oregon State Ag Ed Club and hit the road to visit three different high school agriculture programs across three different FFA Districts, all to the North.

Here is the group at our first stop - Yamhill-Carlton High School in Yamhill, OR. This group ranges from freshmen to senior. Check out all that black and orange. Go Beavs!

This is YCHS's agriculture teacher giving an introduction to the group.

They are the first high school in the country to put in a production vineyard. They partnered with local industry to plant pinot noir grapes. You can see the grapevines in the distance.

Our second stop was North Clackamas. This is a two-teacher career center Ag program in the middle of the Portland suburbs that serves three area high schools.

They showed us some of their production greenhouses - which are shooting for a Mother's Day plant sale. 

They were showing us around the sheep barn before they fed us lunch - Kobe beef burgers they raised!

Lastly, we stopped at St. Paul High School - a school of about 160 students. They had a barn as well along with some production acreage managed by the students.