NEWS A Texas Team Ag Ed Publication
September 2016
Spotlight on Agriculture Education Shane Crafton, Henrietta
I am not too proud to say that writing these articles is far from the reason I ran for VATAT office. I will be the first to admit that I am not a writer, and I can give you the names of several English teachers who will attest to that very fact, but I will give it my best shot. It’s hard to believe that summer has already come and gone! Like most of you, I am trying to get back in the swing of school and feel like I am already behind. Even though this will be my 27th year in the profession, I feel the apprehension of being behind, so I can only imagine how you first time teachers are feeling about now. Just know we have all been in your shoes; it has just been a long time ago for some of us. On August 18, 1990 I received a phone call from Newman Young, superintendent of Midway ISD, offering me a job. It was one of the most exciting days I had ever had until I realized this was Friday, and school started on Monday. I had just turned 22-years-old, had a wife, no place to live and no idea what I was getting into. Why would Mr. Young take a chance on a young teacher who had never even been to Clay County and absolutely no contacts or ties to this area? He never told me until he retired that he had received a phone call from Gail Christian and Calvin Hudson who had convinced him I was the guy for the job. Those 2 individuals were my supervising teachers, first two mentors, and two reasons I am an ag teacher today. Mentors are an important part
of the ag teaching profession and will be a very important tool in keeping young teachers as we go forward. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I might remember, involve me and I learn.” Those words were so very true in my early career. I was very blessed to begin my career in a county that had ag teachers that involved me in everything right away: teachers like Tim Martini, Mike Jackson, Tony Dunkerley, Murry Don Dawson, and Johnny Simmons. These five mentors didn’t just tell me what to do and when to do it; they included me in every part of the ag education program I needed to know. I will never be able to repay them for what they did for me. I still to this day call on these men for help when I need it. The best way we can repay our own personal mentors is by passing it on to the next generation of teachers. Make yourselves available to the “new kid on the block” for help. You don’t have to be pushy and try to run their business for them, simply let them know you are there for them if they want it. Young teachers are very unsure about approaching us seasoned teachers because they feel they will look foolish. Young teachers need to realize that we were once in your same shoes and if not for help from mentors, we might not be where we are today. I know I made lots of mistakes, but that is a whole other story. I know in my case I can attribute any of my successes in the profession to many ag teachers who were unselfish enough with
their time and knowledge to help me along the way. As you go back to your classrooms or as you enter the classroom for the first time, always remember that you are a mentor to your students every day you come in contact with them, like it or not. There are kids in your classroom for which you may be the only adult role model and mentor they come in contact with. This is a huge responsibility that comes with the job. Some of them just want a chance to be a part of what you are doing. Get them involved, and they will learn. I hope each of you have a successful year. I have realized that like it or not, we are mentors to so many students who are watching what we do, and to them we are always in the spotlight.