That is a great statement and question. I am here because I believe teaching is the greatest profession one can be a part of. I love agriculture because of how it connects me to my heritage, the environment, other people, science, the future, and more. Last May I was in Minneapolis for the AAAE research conference and Dr. Gary Biers (Texas A&M University) was the mystery speaker and he spoke about connections and how connections make us who we are and assist us in driving our future. So when thinking about "Why am I here" Why do I do what I do" I will take a page out of Dr. Briers book and say I believe it has a lot to do with our connections and how we understand ourselves as we connect to the world, people, information, technology and so forth.

This question has been on my mind since I read it last week. I don't know about the rest of the profession but February was a killer for me this year. Applications, state degrees, CDE's, FFA week and oh yeah teaching sent me to the point where I was asking myself Why am I here? Being an ag teacher is is a lot like being a circus ring master. Constantly directing the clowns (make your own analogy), caring for the animals (literally), and orchestrating the show (classroom) so that at the end the families and kids who came to watch think everything went exactly how it was planned and leave with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Now to the point of my reply. I am currently hosting my first student teacher. It has been a great experience for me and I am so excited to do it. Yesterday, my student teacher was preparing to start taking my classes over. I was helping get the room ready and pass the torch. I suddenly realized that my eyes were starting to mist over and my mouth was getting dry. Like a brick it hit me, I am really going to miss these faces the next 8 weeks. I will miss the way they think outside the box, the way they make me laugh, and mostly how each and every day they make me proud. For me, that is How it is I am here. This job is frustrating, overwhelming, and the most fun I've ever had in my life.

Thanks for the question and reminding me regardless of how insane this job can sometimes be I am so blessed to be able to do it everyday.

I believe that for many of us who were part of an agricultural education program, it was the teacher(s) who made an impact on us and helped us to see the possibilities. I knew in my senior year in high school that I was going to become an ag teacher because they helped me see what I could become. I was at a WLC conference years ago and this question came up in the advisors session. As we went around the room sharing our thoughts it became clear that about 50% of us were ag teachers because of a fantastic ag teacher we had and the other 50% became ag teachers because they knew they could do a better job than their less than wonderful ag teacher. Either way, it comes down to those teachers. Those who invest themselves in their students and help them see beyond the county line are the difference makers. After teaching ag for 6 years, I left the profession to join the Cooperative Extension Service but it wasn't too many years later that I knew I had to get back to what I truly loved to do. I have seen some great ag teacher go into administration for lots of different reasons. I always shake my head and wonder how much they will miss their life as an ag teacher. As for me, I have no illusions of grandeur and no interest in administration. I plan to be the best ag teacher I can be and help my students believe in themselves.