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| My "First Day of School Pic" - for you Gram and Momma! |
Growing up as an ag kid, the first day of school meant so
many different things to me. No, it wasn’t as exciting as it was for Nemo.
Still, I always saw it as a way to make the most of my
education. Tending to fields and taking care of livestock taught me to always
try my best. Here is an incomplete list of what school means to an ag kid.
Been there,
done that
From driving (through the hay fields) to doing simple
addition (by measuring grain and hay), I always had more experience than the
other ‘city kids’ in my classes. I was taught valuable life skills at an early
age, so school seemed to come easy to me.
Early (or
should I say “earlier”) Mornings
Believe it or not, there are some kids who don’t sleep
in. Ag kids. School starting just means that we have to wake up even earlier to
get our chores done before class. Whether it’s feeding livestock, irrigating,
rinsing our cattle, or milking the cows, it still has to get done. Every now and then, I would get lucky and my
Papa would let me keep my head on the pillow for just a bit longer. But, for
the most part, it was alarms every morning!
Late(r) Nights
On the opposite end, it also meant my head hit the pillow
later at night. Like I said, we still have to do our chores. But, when school
starts…so does homework. I got home from school, went to the barn, worked with
my livestock, fed and watered the animals, came inside, had dinner with the
family, annnnnnddddddd thennnnnn got to do my homework. Farmers and ranchers
don’t get a day off.
Having to Clean
Boots
Lucky for my boots, starting school meant they got a nice
cleaning. Nothing’s worse than walking into a classroom and having manure glued
to the bottom of your shoes. I’ll let your imagination do the work on this one.
Friends!
I always loved starting school because it meant I finally
got to spend time with my friends! For most students, this resembled
summertime. But for me, I was always so busy working on the farm, I never got
to just "hang out" all day. School was a time for me to spend this time together.
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| Probably what my friends secretly thought of me |
Missing School
Ironically, starting school for an ag kid means missing
school. Sounds confusing – but let me explain. Ag kids are some of the most
involved students in the community. Starting school meant traveling to livestock
shows, FFA competitions, and whatever else came up. Just today, I’ve informed
my teachers about numerous days I’ll be missing class for my livestock judging
team.
Also ironically, my first day of school happened to be
National Coffee Day! Surprisingly, I only drank 3 cups today. But, they were much needed. Without farmers,
we wouldn’t have this delicious drink in our lives. Below are some fun facts
about coffee. I hope you’re enjoying your education as much as I am. Don’t
forget to THANK A FARMER!
