Tammy and I have been at this ag teaching game for several decades. \u00a0I started my career by serving a 3 year sentence at Billings, OK. \u00a0This was a great place for me to start. \u00a0The superintendent was the former ag teacher. \u00a0There was a group of parents and students that were ready for a young, energetic, brash kid to take over. \u00a0I didn’t know what I was doing, but I wasn’t afraid to learn. \u00a0And that we did.<\/p>\n
Then we moved to Waynoka in 1996. \u00a0I loved that place. \u00a0We won A LOT! \u00a0I had a LOT of FUN! \u00a0 I could write books about my tenure at Waynoka. \u00a0It was really good and I still have a place in my heart for that place and those people. \u00a0But I was burnt slap out.<\/p>\n
So, I took a job at Fairview. \u00a0This was a great move for Kela. \u00a0Me, not so much. \u00a0There were a lot of great kids and I learned while there. \u00a0I just wasn’t having fun. \u00a0 But, that is also when the goat deal exploded for us.<\/p>\n
Then, I took a really, really good job selling green tractors. \u00a0And the goat deal just kept getting better. \u00a0So, I quit that job to focus on goats and a few other things. \u00a0And that’s when I got suckered into this Shattuck gig. \u00a0I agreed to one year and here I am finishing up year # 6. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Good kids. \u00a0That’s it.<\/p>\n
However, I have come to realize that I have had good kids at every school. \u00a0All four schools and towns are way different. \u00a0But, the same results because of really good kids. \u00a0My hypothesis is that there are good kids everywhere, if you are willing to work with them.<\/p>\n
I routinely get calls from former students to ask me questions about this, that or the other. \u00a0I LOVE these calls. \u00a0They aren’t going around their current ag teacher. \u00a0They just need to ask a source that they know and trust. \u00a0They call Tammy as much or more. \u00a0It is a great feeling.<\/p>\n
My personal dealings with former students goes like this. \u00a0Our accountant is a former student. \u00a0We have investments with a former student. \u00a0My dad, brother, Duke and I buy bulls from a former student. \u00a0I hired a former student as a salesman for Western Equipment. \u00a0And when I quit Western, that former student is who replaced me as a store manager. \u00a0I’ve shared fun stories of selling large equipment to former students and then going on the Gold Key tours at the John Deere Combine & Tractor factories with them. \u00a0When, I was out of teaching, I hooked up a family that I now currently teach, with a former student for show cattle. \u00a0(That sentence may be confusing.) \u00a0That was a super-successful hookup, even after that former student’s untimely death. \u00a0–We all miss those Bedwell boys.–<\/p>\n
I traveled to Phoenix with a former student and his family this past year. \u00a0Tammy was at the Woodward District pig show to watch former student’s kids show pigs. \u00a0It was way cool to see former students & parents that came to Duke’s graduation.<\/p>\n
I’m competitive enough and confident in my own abilities enough (NOT arrogant) that I can tell you everything that any students of mine has ever won. \u00a0But, I would way rather tell you about the kids and the stories that got us to the win. \u00a0I have so, so many great stories from the cab of an ag pickup, while working with an animal, practicing a speech or working on a shop project.<\/p>\n
My love for showing animals is what led me to become an ag teacher. \u00a0Our success with goats is what led you, the reader, to come to this website to read this crap. \u00a0But, it is the kids and their families along with the connection to my family that keeps me going in this game.<\/p>\n
People, I’m only an ag mechanics show and a barrow show through this district event. \u00a0I hurt. \u00a0Physically. \u00a0I’m not as good as I used to be but I just might be at the top of my game. \u00a0It doesn’t make sense. \u00a0But it does. \u00a0I know what fuels me and it isn’t a banner. \u00a0It is the work, the effort and the relationships that go into working towards a banner.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On a side note: \u00a0I went to the Daylight Donuts in Woodward this morning. \u00a0By the way, this is the best Daylight Donuts. \u00a0I don’t know what they do different but they are WICKED good! \u00a0I had a 9 year old hog showman just pounding donuts. \u00a0I knew that he had eaten more than 5. \u00a0I saw him with another donut in hand. \u00a0I asked him, “How many have you had?”<\/p>\n
His reply. \u00a0“Mr. Kelln, I have ate eight donuts.” \u00a0Then he ate one more to make it nine. \u00a0Ate plus one equals nine.<\/p>\n
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Tammy and I have been at this ag teaching game for several decades. \u00a0I started my career by serving a 3 year sentence at Billings, OK. \u00a0This was a great place for me to start. \u00a0The superintendent was the former ag teacher. \u00a0There was a group of parents and students […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3431"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3431"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3432,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3431\/revisions\/3432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}