As Ms. Sarah McDougald paces the room, she thinks of ways to introduce herself to her new students. The 2019-20 school year marks McDougald's first year at MISD in the agricultural department of Ben Barber.
“I was a late hire and had missed the week of new-teacher orientation,” McDougald said. “Thanks to a supportive administration and amazing teaching partners my first day at Ben Barber was great!”
McDougald’s first time as a teacher ended up more fun than she thought, but she was also overwhelmed after missing orientation.
“The first day of teaching was very exciting because I got to meet my students,” McDougald said. “All of my students were great and we did a lot of leadership and team-building games. [they] definitely make teaching fun.”
In agriculture, students become very overwhelmed with their new animals and all of their new responsibilities. Sophomore Rylie Gaither not only participates in FFA but also the rodeo team, which she goat ties in. Gaither began the sport in the summer of 2019.
“[FFA] was full of learning experiences,” Gaither said. “I found my people and my career path.”
FFA membership today is comprised of 669,989 student members in grades seven through 12 leading to over 300 career opportunities in the food, fiber, and natural resources industry. Student success remains the primary mission of FFA.
McDougald participated in FFA herself. She showed for her first time in middle school, an Angus heifer named Daisy. McDougald had been nervous but found her first show experience very rewarding.
“I never won any major shows with Daisy,” McDougald said. “But I definitely gained a lot of responsibility from the experience and I still have her in my current cattle herd today.”
Photos by Seth Miller