02/23/06 Ag instructors

Ag Instructors It's National FFA week. A week showcasing the agricultural education youth organization recognized by the official blue and gold jackets members wear. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to tell you the main reason students can wear those jackets. 475,000 students are now members of the National FFA. To belong to FFA, a student must be enrolled in vocational agriculture classes and the reason there is vo-ag education is the instructors. These instructors are a unique breed of educators. About one thousand years ago when I was in high school, there was only one vocational agriculture teach at our school and the curriculum was a very structured four-year program. To teach the classes included in those four years, the vo-ag instructor had to be a math and science teacher, know soils and plant physiology, understand parliamentary procedure, be a speech and language instructor, know domestic livestock species and diseases, understand feeds and feeding, and be able to teach shop classes including welding and electrical training. I'm sure I forgot something, but you get an idea of how complete an educator a vocational agriculture teacher is. There are a lot of dedicated teachers that go above and beyond, but these vocational agriculture instructors are there for students 12 months a year. So you members that wear those blue and gold jackets take some time to appreciate your vo-ag instructors that teach those classes required to be an FFA member. I'm Jeff Keane.