Like most other addictions, there are highs and then crashing lows. Any medical professional will tell you that addictive behavior isn't healthy; extreme highs, followed by crashing lows are NOT healthy. But I continue...why? Because the highs are worth it.
So what's my addiction? Drugs? Alcohol? Shopping? Close on the shopping, but no, my addiction is my job. Let me start over: "Hi, I'm Jess, and I'm an Ag teacher."
You read that right; I'm addicted to my job, it destroys my health, my personal life, and reeks havoc on my family, but I can't stop...trust me, I've tried. I have an AgCareers profile and everything; I've tried to leave teaching more times than I can count...but I never do. Why? The highs.
There's a tremendous rush in seeing thousands of FFA members stand together, and in unison say "To practice brotherhood, honor agricultural opportunities and responsibilities, and develop those qualities of leadership, which an FFA member should possess." Sounds crazy, but it really gets the blood pumping.
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| This is what roughly 10,000 FFA members speaking in unison looks like. |
It doesn't stop there; watching my FFA members work their tails off, crunch numbers until they can't see straight, and count every last penny and hour to finally walk across the stage and receive their State or American FFA Degree brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
My students work hard to represent their chapter, they take pride in what they accomplish, and they will fight you to the death if you ever tried to tell them it was a waste of their time. These moments make my heart sing, and make me wonder what kind of crazy person would ever want to leave this profession.
With every addiction comes a crash; my crashes, however, come after I've spent a week at the National FFA Convention, running on 5 hours of sleep, so my FFA members can have an experience they'll never forget. They come after agonizing over what to do about a particular student or situation, and actually losing sleep over it. They come after weeks of feeling like no one cares how much time my FFA members and I put in to serving the community, and screaming into my pillow at night, "Why am I putting myself through this? Is it really worth it?" After my husband expresses his frustration of having another weekend where his wife is absent, carting FFA members around the state while he's left at home with children who want their mommy. The crashes happen, and they happen a lot...and my health records show it; but I continue on.
Because if I don't who will? Oh there's always another Ag teacher out there, The Ohio State University churns them out every year; but I took on the task of building this program, and turning it's members into future leaders that will represent the industry of agriculture, and represent it well; and fortunately, the highs are outweighing the lows at this point.
So, as we close on FFA Week 2015, clip and save all of the newspaper articles about your chapter, congratulate and thank those that work hard to represent the FFA, and know that somewhere out there, is an Ag teacher hoping they can make it to spring with at least a shred of their sanity left.
Happy National FFA Week!
