First Day of School - Featuring National Coffee Day

My "First Day of School Pic" - for you Gram and Momma!

Well, another year has passed and the first day of school has come and gone. Once again, I can’t believe summer is already over! It seems like the summer season ends faster each year.

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.

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!