Fall is upon us - okay, maybe not in Phoenix, but in the rest of the country - and with fall comes elections and a lot statistics and propaganda. Something I have heard and try to remember is to keep all statistics within their context. The same is true of speeches and quotes - politicians and many others are oft quoted out of context. 'Tis the season, though, right? All is fair in American politics.
Anyway, that wasn't just a rabbit trail off into the randomness of my mind, rather it is my segue into tonight's post. Often times buzz words and phrases become trendy, and suddenly we find masses of Americans claiming to do what is best, right or most healthy. Take for example the locavore movement. Take for example buying a tomato in New York City; it is practically a sin to buy the juicy fruit if it came from California and those who buy local heirloom varieties are applauded for their contribution towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions produced from transportation and eating healthier. Truth is, the biggest energy hog is actually the home consumer not the 18-wheelers moving across America. Home preparation and storage account for 32 percent of all energy use in the food system.
A single 10-mile round trip to the local farmer's market can easily consumer 14,000 calories of fossil fuel energy. Running your refrigerator can consumer up to 9,000 calories; that number will double if it is not one of the energy efficient models. Cooking and running a dishwasher also add to that bottom line. Local households make up 22 percent of all energy expenditures in the United States.
Interesting, huh? I'd say we need a bit more context around these claims. Just some food for thought as you head into the weekend. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I love a good farmer's market. I have nothing against locally produced agriculture; I simply want to promote fairness among the various sectors of agricultural production. Conventional versus organic. Locally produced versus imported produced, whether domestically or internationally. Agriculturists need to stop the infighting and promote ourselves as a group; we only damage our own chances of survival when we start picking on those that have pursued different avenues of production or marketing methods.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Every dog has its day
My FFA chapter officers plan a Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) fair each fall. The event is designed to educate all our first year students about possible project ideas and help them jump start their own. It's always a fun event - older students bring in a plethora of livestock, tractors and small animals. My officer that "chaired" the event this year talked me into bringing Johnnie Reb; many students take care of their family pets at home so I thought this was an okay idea. She did awesome! She is actually sleeping on the floor as I type because she is so tuckered out from all the attention. Enjoy the pictures!
This tractor tire was almost big enough for both of us to fit into it!
We had four sets of tortoises at school today - this little guy was a water turtle named Speedy. Johnnie Reb thought he was pretty cute.
Okay, she actually thought he looked good for lunch! After she licked him she attempted to fit him in her mouth...at that point I put him back in the safe hands of his owner!
This tractor tire was almost big enough for both of us to fit into it!
We had four sets of tortoises at school today - this little guy was a water turtle named Speedy. Johnnie Reb thought he was pretty cute.
Okay, she actually thought he looked good for lunch! After she licked him she attempted to fit him in her mouth...at that point I put him back in the safe hands of his owner!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Slipping in to September
September is here, and I can't tell you how much I am enjoying this school year. I feel more blessed than I have before. Now, let me clarify. It's not so much that I haven't been blessed before, I think I've had a change in the attitude of my heart and am seeing more things as blessings as opposed to tribulations. With that said, I have a couple of stories to share from the past couple of weeks - hopefully they'll bring a smile to your lips!
What day is it?
Last week I distributed permission slips to all my students. To ease the burden of turning around 20 sets of permission slips in a year, we have students complete one that applies to all FFA events all year. Clever, huh? (Thank you Mr. Fite at Safford!) My freshmen students had to turn their permission slips in to register for a conference, and their permission slip was their place holder. I only had 18 spots, and 35+ freshmen competing for those spots. The next morning I had a steady stream of students stop by to drop their forms off before school started. While this is happening, I had one student talking to his mom on the phone trying to complete the information. He is almost finished and one of the last things he has to do is print the day's date. Simple, right? He asks her, "What is today? The 32nd?" What? Huh? I turn to look at him and he totally wrote that it was August 32! I guess there are worse things than knowing that 32 comes after 31, except when it pertains to days of the month.
A slippery slope
Yesterday was my first day of SAE visits where I essentially visit the project location of each student of mine. This is probably one of the most favorite parts of my job, if not THE most favorite. A senior student of mine built his own greenhouse, yep that's right, built it. Not from a kit mind you. From his own ingenuity. He's a pretty smart kid....probably smarter than me and I don't mind admitting that. Anyway, as I'm pulling up to his house he calls me to tell me that the greenhouse flooded. I reply telling him that it is okay, and I'll still check things out. His mom was nice enough to bring me a pair of rubber boots - after wading through the soggy mess and checking out the plethora of plants he has propagated, I exit the greenhouse. My exit wasn't that graceful though because there was a sink hole that I happened to find with my left foot! I slipped and and definitely had water up to my mid thigh. It was pretty funny, especially considering that his dad and older brother were there to observe my grace. I was just thankful I didn't drop my camera!
What day is it?
Last week I distributed permission slips to all my students. To ease the burden of turning around 20 sets of permission slips in a year, we have students complete one that applies to all FFA events all year. Clever, huh? (Thank you Mr. Fite at Safford!) My freshmen students had to turn their permission slips in to register for a conference, and their permission slip was their place holder. I only had 18 spots, and 35+ freshmen competing for those spots. The next morning I had a steady stream of students stop by to drop their forms off before school started. While this is happening, I had one student talking to his mom on the phone trying to complete the information. He is almost finished and one of the last things he has to do is print the day's date. Simple, right? He asks her, "What is today? The 32nd?" What? Huh? I turn to look at him and he totally wrote that it was August 32! I guess there are worse things than knowing that 32 comes after 31, except when it pertains to days of the month.
A slippery slope
Yesterday was my first day of SAE visits where I essentially visit the project location of each student of mine. This is probably one of the most favorite parts of my job, if not THE most favorite. A senior student of mine built his own greenhouse, yep that's right, built it. Not from a kit mind you. From his own ingenuity. He's a pretty smart kid....probably smarter than me and I don't mind admitting that. Anyway, as I'm pulling up to his house he calls me to tell me that the greenhouse flooded. I reply telling him that it is okay, and I'll still check things out. His mom was nice enough to bring me a pair of rubber boots - after wading through the soggy mess and checking out the plethora of plants he has propagated, I exit the greenhouse. My exit wasn't that graceful though because there was a sink hole that I happened to find with my left foot! I slipped and and definitely had water up to my mid thigh. It was pretty funny, especially considering that his dad and older brother were there to observe my grace. I was just thankful I didn't drop my camera!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Today's Folly
I definitely released my first hour class 25 minutes early today. That's right, 25. It wasn't on purpose either. For some reason, I thought class got out at 9:35....and we had finished a few minutes early. Thankfully there was one honest kid in the bunch. As they are all walking out the door, he says "I think we get out at 9:55."
Awesome. Combine that mistake with my whiny sophomore class and it makes for a grand morning!
Blessings to you!
Awesome. Combine that mistake with my whiny sophomore class and it makes for a grand morning!
Blessings to you!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tender Mercies
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23
My study this morning revolved around God's mercy - it's yet another aspect of God that confounds what the world says. Forgive 70 times 7 says the Lord. (Matthew...I think. I'm sorry, I can't think of that address of the top of my head this morning.) I'm not much on explanations this morning, but I couldn't not share. For your benefit and God's glory, meditate on the tender mercy of the Lord this morning - neither of us deserved it, but it was given at no cost to us, yet we reap the benefits of it through God's forgiveness.
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23
My study this morning revolved around God's mercy - it's yet another aspect of God that confounds what the world says. Forgive 70 times 7 says the Lord. (Matthew...I think. I'm sorry, I can't think of that address of the top of my head this morning.) I'm not much on explanations this morning, but I couldn't not share. For your benefit and God's glory, meditate on the tender mercy of the Lord this morning - neither of us deserved it, but it was given at no cost to us, yet we reap the benefits of it through God's forgiveness.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The End of Accomplishment
Apparently I have no original thoughts to share at this point. Ha. I'm just kidding....I think I'd rather give you excerpts from articles rather than work on articulating my own brilliant thoughts into text. For now, it will suffice. Maybe after school gets underway and my student teacher begins teaching I'll get back on track with my own thoughts. Oh wait, my student teacher doesn't come for another five months. Boo. Well then, article excerpts it is for the time being.
The following excerpts were taken from Janie B. Cheaney's article "The End of Accomplishment" in the July 31, 2010 edition of WORLD magazine.
With bureaucracy's triumph over excellence, big and important projects have stalled.
(after talking about landing on the moon for the first time...)
The rest is history, but history may have turned downhill. Bruce Charlton, blogger and university professor, believes it did. "The landing of men on the moon and bringing them back alive was the supreme achievement of human capability...and I suggest the real reason we have not been to the moon since 1972 is that we cannot any longer do it. Humans have lost the capability."
Three reasons why: a preference for diversity over excellence in hiring, the expansion of committees and regulatory agencies, and the erosion of individual responsibility. These were the trends that had begun decades before, but by 1970 "the human spirit began to be overwhelmed by bureaucracy."
That's a depressing thought. But one mighty force remains, of individual souls freed from bondage, pledged to a common cause, inspired by a common vision, under perfect leadership. It's called the church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, much less the muddle of bureaucracy. Where human progress falters, there the church rises. We have God's word on that; it's time to believe it.
(Katy's note: Amen!)
The following excerpts were taken from Janie B. Cheaney's article "The End of Accomplishment" in the July 31, 2010 edition of WORLD magazine.
With bureaucracy's triumph over excellence, big and important projects have stalled.
(after talking about landing on the moon for the first time...)
The rest is history, but history may have turned downhill. Bruce Charlton, blogger and university professor, believes it did. "The landing of men on the moon and bringing them back alive was the supreme achievement of human capability...and I suggest the real reason we have not been to the moon since 1972 is that we cannot any longer do it. Humans have lost the capability."
Three reasons why: a preference for diversity over excellence in hiring, the expansion of committees and regulatory agencies, and the erosion of individual responsibility. These were the trends that had begun decades before, but by 1970 "the human spirit began to be overwhelmed by bureaucracy."
That's a depressing thought. But one mighty force remains, of individual souls freed from bondage, pledged to a common cause, inspired by a common vision, under perfect leadership. It's called the church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, much less the muddle of bureaucracy. Where human progress falters, there the church rises. We have God's word on that; it's time to believe it.
(Katy's note: Amen!)
Friday, July 30, 2010
The Dawn of a New Year & Old Mediocrity
I know this is an odd title, especially since I haven't posted a blog in almost a month. A month!! Can you believe that? The month of July swallowed me, spit me out and now I'm back at school. This summer was crazy busy, but the busy-ness allowed me to pack as many visits with family, friends and conferences as I could into 10 weeks. Today was my first day "officially" back on the job and it was a good one at that. I am planning on posting more in the coming weeks, but I can't promise anything. Anyway, I thought I'd share an excerpt from an interesting article that a fellow Ag teacher and friend passed along to me....it's sad to read, especially since I am a high school teacher from the state mentioned in the article. Please pray for our educators, our legislators...and me as I begin a new year!
Turning around Arizona's reputation for educational mediocrity
Published on Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Copyright (c) 2010 Inside Tucson Business
According to a new study, Arizona is winning a race, not to the top but to the bottom - we are about to lead the nation in jobs for high school dropouts. To help reverse this dangerous trend, the state must reshape its higher education system to attract, serve and graduate more college students. (Katy's note: not every kid needs to go to college, but they better not drop out of high school!!)
The study by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce tells us that Arizonans are at-risk of being locked out of the middle class. (Katy's note: who is Uncle Sam gonna use to pick up the slack when it comes to taxes if we don't have a middle class? [Insert evil laugh.]) It predicts that Arizona will have enough jobs for high school dropouts, but soon we will be woefully deficient in the number of college graduates needed to fill the high wage, modern jobs that businesses demand.
What may be most concerning about this report is that it speaks to a persistent mediocrity in our state. Already, 45 percent of Arizona's high school students do not pursue any form of higher education after high school - the lowest rate among 50 states. Only 25 percent of Arizonan's hold bachelor's degrees.
Turning around Arizona's reputation for educational mediocrity
Published on Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Copyright (c) 2010 Inside Tucson Business
According to a new study, Arizona is winning a race, not to the top but to the bottom - we are about to lead the nation in jobs for high school dropouts. To help reverse this dangerous trend, the state must reshape its higher education system to attract, serve and graduate more college students. (Katy's note: not every kid needs to go to college, but they better not drop out of high school!!)
The study by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce tells us that Arizonans are at-risk of being locked out of the middle class. (Katy's note: who is Uncle Sam gonna use to pick up the slack when it comes to taxes if we don't have a middle class? [Insert evil laugh.]) It predicts that Arizona will have enough jobs for high school dropouts, but soon we will be woefully deficient in the number of college graduates needed to fill the high wage, modern jobs that businesses demand.
What may be most concerning about this report is that it speaks to a persistent mediocrity in our state. Already, 45 percent of Arizona's high school students do not pursue any form of higher education after high school - the lowest rate among 50 states. Only 25 percent of Arizonan's hold bachelor's degrees.
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