\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I originally wrote this last Tuesday evening.\u00a0 Then, it got lost.\u00a0 Now, I’ve had a week to think about it.\u00a0 Maybe I shouldn’t do this?\u00a0 No, no. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to enlighten others.\u00a0 There are plenty that agree with me (most, if not all).\u00a0 Let’s wrap these last couple of posts up in a nice little package that makes sense.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Nobody wants to have their time wasted.\u00a0 Especially busy people.\u00a0 Not that all ag teachers are busy, yet we all want our time to be used wisely.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ag Ed Summer Conference 2021 was a colossal waste<\/strong> of time.\u00a0 This is not just my opinion but the majority.\u00a0 Send out some cute little survey and ask all OK ag teachers “Was this year’s summer conference worthwhile?”\u00a0 It was nothing but a waste of time and missed opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0“Whoa there cowboy!”\u00a0 \u00a0 One might say, “Well hell Kelln.\u00a0 You didn’t even attend the first session.”\u00a0 And you, my friend,\u00a0 would be correct.\u00a0 I looked at the schedule, saw that the first session was for 1 hour on Monday morning and then NO more sessions until Tuesday.\u00a0 Nice time management.\u00a0 Plus, there was nothing on the agenda for that session except some years of service certificates.\u00a0 And my name got called for 20 years.\u00a0 Yet, I have taught 22 and this is the second time in the past five years that the state office has got it wrong.\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 That 1 hour session only lasted 40 minutes.\u00a0 Sure, I could have had somebody scan me in for attendance, yet that just ain’t my style.\u00a0 Summer Conference 2021 was a waste of time and a collection of missed opportunities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Missed Opportunity #1–Learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n The entire 2021 AgEd summer conference could have been sent in one email that only took a minute or two to read.\u00a0\u00a0It didn’t happen, learning that it is.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 The learning part was never offered.\u00a0 Don’t care who I offend but if any in charge would peruse the agenda that was offered and gave an honest response….well, they too would agree that it was very UN-educational.\u00a0 I could name two teachers that were attending for their first time.\u00a0 They VERY MUCH would have liked for me to be wrong when I told them that it was going to suck.\u00a0 They too will admit that it was not an educational atmosphere.\u00a0 Teach us something.\u00a0 Let us come up with one nugget that makes us a better teacher, build a better program, organize and manage our time better, something, anything.\u00a0 \u00a0Yet, nothing.\u00a0 It was a captive audience.\u00a0 Be a cheerleader and pump us up about the upcoming year.\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 Nothing.\u00a0 Flat line——————-<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Missed Opportunity #2–Here By The Owl<\/p>\n I wasn’t going to attend Tuesday morning but I thought that there was a chance of something.\u00a0 I even sat towards the front.\u00a0 Right next to Jack Staats and Dr. Mindi Clark.\u00a0 I was paying attention until I got bored.\u00a0 And then, thank GOD,\u00a0 there was a dog playing in the park across the street and then geese.\u00a0 ADD.\u00a0 \u00a0Anyways, they showed us a video, which we witnessed live at State FFA Convention this spring.\u00a0 Nonetheless, it was a cool moment of the first ever Here By The Owl awards.\u00a0 This was given to 6 very deserving ag teachers.\u00a0 These six teachers had taught for a combined 245 years.\u00a0 I know all six of them and they are very deserving.\u00a0 Yet all six are very different.\u00a0 Different people, different types of programs, different types of communities.\u00a0 Yet, the same types of successes and longevity.\u00a0 Stellar!\u00a0 Several years ago, I wrote about talking to a couple of old timers at the State Fair of OK.\u00a0 I loved their passion.\u00a0 I still carry some of the conversation with me, which happened in front of the decorated pumpkins at the state fair.\u00a0 These were 2 of the 6.<\/p>\n The video ended and we were given the info that 56% of all OK ag teachers have taught less than 10 years.\u00a0 No shit!\u00a0 One only needed to look around the room to realize that statistic.\u00a0 And this is the point that opportunity was beating the hell out of the door, yet no one in charge answered.\u00a0 We are, in the midst of 6 wise old OWLS sitting in the room with us.\u00a0 Put them on stage, have a moderator and let them do what they have done for decades–TEACH!!!\u00a0 \u00a0Ask them….ask them how, ask them why, what made you stay, is there a secret?\u00a0 \u00a0ASK!!!\u00a0 \u00a0I know these guys.\u00a0 They would have absolutely captivated the room.\u00a0 It could have lasted for 30 minutes or an hour or 30 minutes.\u00a0 Nobody would have complained.\u00a0 Everybody in the room would have learned something, anything, everything to take back.\u00a0 My goodness, Mr. Billy Scott is possibly the greatest ag teacher of all-time.\u00a0 45 years at Amber-Pocasset.\u00a0 And he probably has more state and national champions than he does years of service.\u00a0 You won’t get him to brag but people, that resource was one of the 6 wise OWLS.\u00a0 Every ag teacher wants to listen to somebody like him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jeez.\u00a0 \u00a0Coaches pay to listen to Nick Saban or Bill Belichick talk.\u00a0 We could have listened to these SIX OF OUR OWN educators for free.\u00a0 Serious!\u00a0 Ask them.\u00a0 Now, I’m thinking about organizing an event, charging admission and paying the 6.\u00a0 You know what?\u00a0 Ag teachers would pay, drive and learn.\u00a0 We paid and drove to summer conference but we didn’t receive the opportunity to learn.\u00a0 Instead, we lost hours of our lives that we will never get back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Missed Opportunity #3–Ag Teacher Hall Of Fame<\/p>\n This year’s recipient was Mr. John Kinney of Mooreland.\u00a0 OUTSTANDING!!\u00a0 Great man that ran a stellar program for decades.\u00a0 As good of an ag teacher as he was, an even better person.\u00a0 You can’t find anybody to say a negative thing about him.\u00a0 I’ve known who he was since the late 80s.\u00a0 Known him personally since the mid 90s.\u00a0 Very deserving.\u00a0 Great family.<\/p>\n A video was shown that had four of his former students talking about Mr. Kinney’s impact.\u00a0 I know three of these ladies.\u00a0 Their testament to the impact of Mr. Kinney on the students of Mooreland, I understand and enjoyed.\u00a0 The other, I did not know.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, sitting in the conference was a former student of Mr. Kinney’s that is an ag-ed teacher in Oklahoma.\u00a0 A very successful product of the Mr. Kinney led Mooreland FFA chapter.\u00a0 Maybe there is something there that I am not aware of, if so, alright.\u00a0 To me, it was a missed opportunity to NOT include this fellow teacher\/product of the honoree in the video.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Missed Opportunity #4–District Meetings—I mean Area Meetings<\/p>\n Then we moved into our area meetings.\u00a0 That was awe inspiring.\u00a0 Other the conversation with other teachers, worthless.\u00a0 Once again, another missed opportunity to provide something new, motivational or useful.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n This post may bother some.\u00a0 Fine.\u00a0 If you are reading this, you are already aware that I don’t care who I offend and will gladly say more in real life.\u00a0 But my mom and mother-in-law read this crap, so I’ll keep it clean.\u00a0<\/p>\n Can I fix the problem?\u00a0 \u00a0EASILY.\u00a0 I, nor any other ag teacher should have to.\u00a0 I’m not the one that hates my job or my life or my co-worker(s) or really isn’t qualified.\u00a0 It’s not my job to fix it but I, as well as others, can fix it.\u00a0 The people in charge need to remember that they work for the ag-ed teachers and students of Oklahoma.\u00a0 It is NOT the other way around.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n I enjoyed seeing other ag teachers.\u00a0 I enjoyed the DJ’s shrimp boil.\u00a0 I learned nothing from the AgEd sessions, yet learned from people that attended sessions in other divisions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n My point is simple.\u00a0 Hold a worthwhile event and gain the respect of ag teachers.\u00a0 I WANT to learn as do the majority.\u00a0 However, keep flushing turds at us like this past event and eventually the septic tank will back up.\u00a0 Nobody likes that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n I could gladly name names that agree with me or I could explicitly name names that are the problem.\u00a0 Not going to.\u00a0 I will simply own this and honestly say that the Ag Ed sessions of Summit (summer conference, whatever) were not worthwhile.\u00a0 Sure, these are not the words that I would use in a normal Kelln conversation.\u00a0 IFSBOAW!<\/p>\n Concerns, questions, comments, want to cuss at me…whatever.\u00a0 I can be reached at 580-571-5029.\u00a0 If I don’t answer, please leave a message or text as I am doing something worthwhile and educational.\u00a0 I WILL get back with you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Should I mention the tax $s wasted for 400+ teachers to attend this waste of time?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I originally wrote this last Tuesday evening.\u00a0 Then, it got lost.\u00a0 Now, I’ve had a week to think about it.\u00a0 Maybe I shouldn’t do this?\u00a0 No, no. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to enlighten others.\u00a0 There are plenty that agree with me (most, if […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4489"}],"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=4489"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4548,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4489\/revisions\/4548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}