Social Cognitive Approaches to Health Issues

The realists will tell you research shows that we can expect to lose between 50 and 80 % of early career teachers (National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, 2003). They will tell you that the teaching profession has a turnover rate that out paces nearly all other professions (Ingersoll, 2003). There is an even longer list of studies that identify every factor that causes teachers to seek another career.Despite increasing demands and conflicts created by professional expectations and personal life pressures, the reality is that agricultural educators do make the choice to continue teaching, learning, and impacting young people. I propose that the reasons to stay go a lot deeper and wider than any list outlining attrition. First, let us examine the reasons we are agricultural educators by choice, not by chance, and then how we can use that knowledge to increase the number of retained agricultural educators in the years to come.Professional Life PhaseA researcher named Christopher Day (2008) conducted a multi-year study of teachers that identified stages of the educators' professional career. From the information presented in Table 1, it is possible to quickly identify which phase you fall into or in which phase you may be an outlier (you fit into the phase but not the description).What does all that mean and how can we use that to retain teachers? To borrow a catch phrase from my generation's Saturday morning cartoons "Knowing is half the battle." Knowing what professional life phase you fall into will help you 1) feel less alone as you manage your roles as teacher, spouse, parent, etc., and 2) understand that collectively our careers do follow a pattern of motivation and engagement. At a summer conference, I once observed the power of teachers discussing these phases with each other in relationship to their experiences. After the teachers grouped themselves into these phases, they then deeply discussed the issues they were facing, while sharing ideas and strategies. It was great to see every emotion from relief to hilarious laughter, from sympathy to shared anger. It was obvious the teachers felt better just knowing that others were experiencing the same trials and victories they were, enjoying the opportunity to one-up each other's stories. They benefited from a shared sense of community based on their professional life phase.Work-Life BalanceThe professional life phase descriptions allude to conflicts of work with our personal lives. Anyone who has gotten married, had children, gone to graduate school, or cared for ailing family members will say that there is stress created when our commitment to our personal life slams into our career. Creating work-life balance refers to one's ability to manage the conflict between the pressures of work and family roles. Any conflict, whether it is work intruding on personal roles or personal issues overriding work duties, can negatively impact the decision to continue teaching. Dr. Day (2008) stated that teachers' personal lives are intimately linked to their professional lives. It is no secret that agricultural educators have always experienced this overlap. I have heard stories of spouses bringing supper and children to the agricultural sciences building so the family could spend time together while the teacher supervised CDE practices or made livestock show preparations. There are many teachers who see their family only at bedtime because they are gone before the children get up in the morning and return late into the evening.The good news is that as we gain experience we develop skills and appreciation for making accommodations in our work and personal roles to reduce the conflict. Many teachers are not satisfied with the conflict and take steps to reduce it. They limit the number of CDE teams they train, get parents and alumni to assume more duties for preparation and hauling of livestock, or put a time limit on how late they stay after school. …

I Am an Agricultural Educator by Choice and Not by Chance

"Where are we going as a Profession?" Few teachers have time to ponder this question as we engage ourselves and our students in our daily activities, and neither did we until we were asked. We discussed how agricultural education has advanced and changed from its inception until now and will continue to change in the future. Tim described agricultural education as being much like a chain, only as strong as its weakest link. These links are the current teachers in professional leadership, administrators, students, and alumni/community supporters who are dedicated to agriculture. Current Teachers As teachers we have an impact on all the links in the chain. Our influence, work, attitude, and determination will have an effect on all the other links of the chain. Therefore, it all leads back to the agricultural teacher who must run a quality total program consisting of FFA, SAE, and a strong classroom/lab experience. Many teachers in our field lose their focus and devote much of their attention to activities outside their program, and their program suffers. As teachers, we are also much like entertainers in our modern teaching environments. Activities that once motivated students may not have the same effect, but we must still keep things fun and keep our students interested. At Hobbton High School, we offer a fall festival in which we give out prizes for the best ear of corn and largest jumbo sweet potato. During FFA week we participate in Ag Olympics in which the students compete in the areas of the fastest drill, longest tire toss, and so on. During the fall, horticulture students grow a crop of lettuce, harvest the lettuce, and have a salad party. Our shop classes build pig cooker grills, trailers, picnic tables, and many other metal projects. In the last five years, we have helped to train four student teachers, and have been shadowed by six students during the summer and eight sophomores during the fall. As agriculture teachers we have modeled the characteristics we have stressed. We have, hopefully, influenced the next generation of educators to ran a total program. As professionals, our skills are constantly improved and refined. By attending in-service meetings, workshops, and training related to our curriculum, we have been able to increase our effectiveness as teachers. Professional Leadership As educators, we are privileged to have several organizations that advocate our crusade as teachers, but only one organization for agricultural educators. Many teachers complain about the obstacles they encounter but never actually try to make a difference. We believe that by joining and participating in one's professional organization that both Mr. Warren and I can address concerns and make our voices known. We have both been members of the North Carolina Agricultural Teachers Association since entering the field and have been active in committees and other activities important to the organization. This allows us to be more a part of the decision-making process that directs our future. It also provides a network of contacts throughout the profession. Mr. Davis coordinates a cooperative, of sorts, in which teachers in the area buy plants and materials in bulk, allowing smaller schools to buy materials or supplies that they may not have been able to purchase individually due to minimum orders many wholesalers have. Administrators Many educators have the misconception that the administration at their respective schools are "out to get them," but this is far from the point. …

Where Are We Going as a Profession

While growing up and attending numerous state and county fairs, I was always amazed at the sideshow jugglers I still remember there were jugglers who juggled balls, pins, bowling balls, and even the occasional chainsaw! It was even more exciting to see the juggler when they were on stilts Trying to understand how one individual managed to keep all the items in the air while balancing and walking on sticks seemed exciting and completely magical to me at the time As I reflect, their act wasn't that magical or different from the life of an agricultural educator It seems that the average agricultural educator is constantly being asked to juggle many different parts of their life Agricultural educators, of course, must manage and juggle the everyday instruction that occurs in class It takes planning and forethought to grow plants large enough and flowering before they can even be dissected as a part of a plant science lab And I can assure you that no agricultural educator wakes up and decides to conduct a large animal science lab that day Not every agricultural educator can juggle the timing inside the classroom either Many inexperienced teachers juggle planning for a specific amount of instruction that will take place I distinctly remember writing this amazing and engaging lesson plan for my first day of teaching school I had completed my lesson, activity, and the flex activity within 30 minutes of a 50 minute class I had 28 sets of eyeballs looking back at me waiting for more instruction or to rip me and my recently decorated classroom apart with such a large amount of "down time" Quick thinking allowed me to survive to teach another day Another major issue that agricultural educators juggle is balancing their personal lives, professional lives, spiritual lives, and health One key to remember is that just like the sideshow juggler, being able to balance or juggle all portions of your life is a process that is not easily mastered It seems that when you think you have all portions balanced and revolving through the air perfectly, one little misstep can cause havoc There are some steps that can be taken to help maintain all of the portions in balance Prioritize Marian Thomas wrote that "The good news is superwoman is dead The bad news is she left behind an entire generation of women who are still struggling to figure out how to balance home and work" The same can be said for any agricultural educator trying to be the superhuman Most agricultural educators eventually realize they aren't superhuman and can't do it all This is when being able to prioritize tasks becomes extremely important Having a system can be as simple as asking yourself "Is this urgent? Is this important?" Doing so can minimize wasted time on tasks that may not be urgent and important at the time Many tasks which need to be done, but aren't as important, can be delegated to others It is also important to prioritize family events It is hard to think about more activities knowing that you have so many activities with your professional life planned already However, making activities like family reunions, vacations, and other family functions a priority shows the individuals in your family they do come first Communicate One essential activity to creating balance is communicating with your spouse/partner regarding the activities you have prioritized This can include going over the schedule for the week so any changes in who may be picking up the children or caring for the animals can be covered If you or your spouse/partner's work schedule is more erratic than others, a daily planning session to establish the following day can be more effective Communication can also lead to sharing responsibilities of household duties At last check, most men were not allergic to work in the kitchen and women were not allergic to yard work Instead of making those distinct and historical gender differences, share in those responsibilities and value the work done by each other …

Juggler? Can I Add That to My Resume?

...................................................................................... ii DEDICATION .................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................... v CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES ............................................. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................... x CHAPTER

Sommerlatte Lowes

Papers

Making It Work: A Qualitative Study of Work-Life Balance of Agricultural Science Teachers.