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Question for the Profession
Are You Letting Students Practice What You Preach?
When it comes to community service and serving our fellow man or woman, do we really talk to our students about it? Or do we just hope that they pick it up vicariously from us as we model the behavior? Sure, we talk a good game, telling everyone about how agricultural education teaches our students about good character, decency and practicing good morals, but what do we consciously do to make sure that happens?
I know, I know…we’ve got all kinds of leadership textbooks and lessons that are supposed to bring our students up to speed on how important it is to engage diverse populations, do good deeds, and become model citizens. But aren’t we missing a great opportunity that lies in taking those lessons and turning them into Service-Learning? Ever had the experience where you and a couple of officers do all the work to make a great community service activity and then only a handful of students show up? Happened to me and I couldn’t figure it out. I just blamed it on the fact that I didn’t do a good enough job communicating the importance of service. The fact is, the activity wasn’t theirs; it was mine. I wasn’t letting them Practice what I was Preaching. I didn’t let them choose the need to fill, the people to help, the resources to use.
This month’s issue of Making a Difference is all about instilling service as a habit of the heart. Read articles that illustrate how important and how easy it is to engage our students in service-learning and make a real impact that will last a lifetime, not just an afternoon. Be sure to check out the resources that are available from the grants page from ffa.org for lessons, documents and templates for really teaching service-learning.
Don’t forget to contribute to NAAE’s Communities of Practice by sharing how you are “Letting students practice what you preach.”