It’s Not Good Bye – It Is See You Later

As the bell rang at the end of the school year my door was flooded with footsteps and screams of – “Have a good summer Mrs. Prenger!”  I realized it would be the last time I would hear this.

For me, it had always been see you later, it was never goodbye. As an FFA advisor and agriculture teacher, I see my members all year round. We worked fundraisers in the summer, winter meetings and State degree applications, Big Surf, and many other activities. In FFA, we were never truly apart. But as I exited the door this time, it would be my last time to say have a good summer, see you soon – because I would not be seeing them soon as their Ag teacher or as their FFA advisor for much longer – this is the last time they would exit my classroom as my students.

For the last 10 years, I have served these students, given my heart and soul to them and truly impacted how they think about agriculture, their career, FFA and many other aspects of their life. I was so excited to be an agriculture teacher when I was growing up. It is truly the only thing I have ever wanted to do. I’d like to say I was that kid that never really stopped playing school. I would make my sister do worksheets just so I could grade them and then dismiss her to recess. As I entered into my elementary and high school career, I realized that teaching was still part of my passion; but agriculture is really where I wanted to impact kids and that’s where I went.

Even though my classroom door has closed for the last time with this group of students, I truly have not left the agriculture industry or the education career. I hope to continue to impact those around me and still provide them with curriculum, lessons, activities, labs, and many other resources to be able to impact students in other classrooms.

My passion truly lies in sharing my passion for agriculture with others. I will continue to do this through the lessons that I develop. They can be found on my website or through my teachers pay teachers store. I also have to provide guides to teachers to help them adequately prepare for events and activities such as national convention food science lab preps and many other aspects of things involved in the essay classroom and outside.

When we first start our career we never really know where it will take us, whose paths will cross ours, or how the life lessons and experiences that come our way will impact our choices in the direction of our own path. I have been blessed to do so many things as an agriculture teacher. I have spoken on the stage at National FFA convention and shared my story and love for my students in my classroom. I have taught lessons in Indianapolis in Washington DC with the National Association of Agriculture Educators and traveled to Asia, Singapore, and Malaysia with the National FFA. And as well as touched so many students’ lives and help them discover their own inner passion. So for me it is truly not shutting the door on the agriculture education industry, but just saying see you right now to the teaching profession in a classroom setting.