Am I thankful?

My students signed a courage contract to start the year. I was so proud!

A student approached me today, and I uttered my now famous phrase, "I don't answer questions for students who are standing up." Exasperated she walked back to her seat, and raised her hand. I walked over to her and leaned down next to the desk to better hear her.

"Ms. H," she said. "Are you thankful we are your students?"

I quickly uttered an "of course" and walked away to deal with the students throwing the folded paper squares they call ninja stars across the class. My public relations training had kicked in and I told her exactly what she wanted to hear. Now that the day is done, I can't get her question out of my mind.

This week my focus has been on going home. I've been excited and thankful for the chance to see my family again after nearly 6 months. I'm also thankful that I'll have the chance to see the Huskers play and even just for 4 days off. Am I really thankful for these kids?

Yes, I am. Though I don't always show them, there are some very important reasons I'm grateful that those 132 sixth graders are mine.

The first is innocence. Most of my 6th graders maintain a sense of innocence that hasn't hardened them into teenagers yet. They still believe the world is supposed to be fair, and haven't had very many hard "adult" truths to face yet. The world around them is still largely a mystery, and they can't wait to discover the possibilities. The best bonus of innocence is that they still laugh at their teacher's antics.

Next is creativity and wonder. Every day I hear something new that makes me smile. I can't always share this laughter with my kids, but the things they say, and the things they write are never boring. Each day brings a new comment or question. Too often I dismiss these as annoyances because they interrupt my lesson, but they should be appreciated and celebrated. Lord grant me the patience to recognize that in the moment!

Finally I appreciate my kid's emotionality. I say that begrudgingly because most of the time I hate it. Middle school is a roller coaster for students AND teachers. They will cry big tears or scream at me in class, and the next day meet me at the door with a hug. While this makes me crazy, it also makes me grateful. It goes both ways. When I have a rough day, they are usually very accepting of my apology, and even are willing to laugh with me the next day.

No, they aren't perfect, but neither am I. My students fill each day with a challenge and a purpose. The biggest thing I'm thankful for is that they are truly showing me the miracles of prayer.

'till the cows come home,
Ellie

The things that matter.

To say my Facebook page has been blowing up this week would be an understatement. With so many things going on outside my "real" world, it was bound to seep into my life.

I'll start with Bo Pelini's expletives that rocked Husker nation. Too many of my friends responded with either "he's a dirtbag, fire him," or "Bo is the greatest thing that has ever happened to Nebraska." Frankly I don't believe either of those responses are correct, and ultimately public relations won out. Man, I sure hope they talked about this in Dr. Cannon's crisis communication class.

Secondly, Chipotle launched an advertisement that again attacked traditional farmers and ranchers. I found it hilarious that they again used a cartoon, because real footage isn't nearly as horrible as the graphics their designers created. The use of imagination was great too, because obviously that's where all the content for that ad came in. I could pick up my bull horn and begin shouting angrily, but I think enough people have covered this issue, which brings me to the point of this post.

I saw so much passion and anger over the two issues above, but they don't really matter. Football is just a game, and Chipotle is just a corporation. Things that get people riled up, but in the end don't have an incredible amount of value. The reality is that things don't matter, people do.

The other realities of my week include 120+ sixth graders who not only need to learn English standards, but are looking to me to teach them about life. I'll be honest it wasn't an easy week, and on more than one day I looked into tear-filled eyes with some mistiness in my own. Each of my students matter, and I want them to be certain of that, even when I have to be firm or stern. Instead of getting buried in data, and grading, I choose to get buried answering the letters they write, and answering questions that don't always apply to English class. 

It became very real that people matter on Sunday. I found out my high school class of 38 had lost our first classmate. His death was tragic and not only reminded me that I am far from home, but that life is short. I can either fill it with people or things, and I know what I want to choose.

Senior year musical!

'till the cows come home, 

Ellie

True Grit

Grit is a word I've heard tossed around a lot in Teach For America, and I think it's a pretty important quality in education. According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia grit is "an individual’s passion for a particular long-term goal or end state coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective." When it comes to changing kid's lives in a classroom, keeping that passion alive and staying motivated is vital.

I had occasions that tried my grit this summer, and I am certain this school year will include moments where I'm barely hanging on. Thankfully, I have a history with grit.

Showing cattle is a hobby that teaches grit each and every day. From early morning chores to late nights finishing up in the barn. I can't tell you how many times I grumbled about the feeding, rinsing, blowing, combing, and showing practice process at home. Each time my family reminded me again and again, that those mundane everyday tasks were building towards show ring success.

Except when they didn't. Because there were times when I not only placed dead last in class, but placed dead last after my heifer had stepped on me and escaped my control. Honestly it made no logical sense to keep showing, to dust off jeans, and plaster on a smile for the judge after those embarrassing disasters. That's when grit kicked in.

Don't get me wrong, I did have some great experiences and victories in the show ring, but the winning or losing was never the "long-term goal or end state" of showing cattle. Instead it was taking pride in my project, my family, and my industry. 

My days in the shavings are through, and I've traded my boots for some sensible classroom flats. I don't recall how I placed at every show, but I carry my grit with pride. For I know that no matter who (or what) knocks you down and steps on you in life, getting back up is the only thing that matters.

'till the cows come home,

Ellie

Song of the South

I don't even feel like the same person I was 2 weeks ago, boarding a small plane in Omaha for the unknown. After a week in South Carolina and now a week in Mississippi, I have grown leaps and bounds, and learned so much.

This past Friday I officially became Ms. Hoffschneider (Ms. H to my students). The first week was a crash course in lesson planning, community building, and behavior management. I felt like a sponge through most of the sessions, and now completely understand why there is so much emphasis on reflecting.

Growing up on a farm has certainly helped me this week, and not just with getting up early (my day starts at 5:00 am). The personal responsibility, work ethic, and perseverance will certainly serve me well in the classroom. While my students are significantly more intelligent than my show calves, I know that like the heifers, they won't always do exactly what I want.

I have always said that I treasure the culture in agriculture, and that is proving true with teaching as well. I love the people I work alongside as educators, and am extremely excited to meet my students on Monday. While our days might be long, they are infinitely more enjoyable because of the people I have met.

My motto for the summer is this beautiful quote by Elizabeth Elliot: "The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances". I've been complaining for the past couple of days since I discovered our classroom will not have air conditioning. This is the Mississippi Delta which means temperatures are significantly higher than Nebraska. This is only a minor inconvenience compared to the many struggles I know my students face, and the blessings I have been given. So with Christ in me, and a 90 degree classroom, I will set my focus on teaching and learning.

'till the cows come home,
Ellie

5 Things

My first Husker game as a student

I got hit by the nostalgia truck today. I was cruising my Facebook page, and it blindsided me. All the moments that made up my college career rushed at me. So instead of bawling over memories, I decided to blog. My college experience was truly defined by these five statements.

5. Friendships can feel a lot like family.

This is something my mom told me about. In college, friends are more than the people who hang out with me. They are the folks who can look at me and really see to my core. They don’t buy my BS. They believe in me, encourage me, and upset me because they know me.

4. Whether someone likes you or not is their problem, not yours.

In my dream world everyone I meet becomes my best friend. Making friends is one of my favorite past times, mostly because I get a new audience for old stories. However, I can’t control others’ feelings toward me and I have to be OK with that.

3. Always say yes to the things good stories are made of.

Good stories are intelligent, entertaining, and have heart. They are not always the result of epic adventures. I can’t explain how I knew when I had to say yes to a moment, but each time I had an inner feeling that said, “This is something you need to do.” Whether it was international travel, or simply seeing a play, I realized that to be an interesting person, one has to do interesting things.

2. You CAN agree to disagree.

Those who know me know I love a good argument. I relish debates and discussions. Because of that I often seek out people who are up for an intense exchange. My weakness is that I sometimes take these conversations too far. I can be a bully in my zeal for an issue or idea. Thankfully there are dear friends in my life who disagree with what I believe. They not only challenge me to establish a strong foundation for my opinions, but they also teach me compassion and respect for everyone, even people I think are wrong.

1.  Your passions give meaning to life.

In college I faced the stark reality that I was no longer defined by my accomplishments. College is a kind of re-birth. This terrified me at first, but soon became a spark for my spirit. I set out to discover what I truly valued, what made up my core. I then gave my values my voice. I would not be ashamed of who God had made me to be, and would passionately act to grow accordingly.

Just 1 Cow

An artist's rendering of my entire herd.       

I have a confession. For the three years that I have been writing this blog, I have offered my perspective as a gal who works on the front lines of raising food for the world. I have given opinions and advice to my fellow agriculture advocates (my journalism inner-self rejects the word "agvocate") as a girl who raises cattle. Well as of this year, I officially own just one cow.

Yup, my herd is down to simply one. When my brothers and I left home, dad's help went with us. Since we weren't around to provide labor, balancing his raising-cows hobby with his off-farm job became harder. The family herd shrunk to a more manageable size, and Jacob, Jud, and I reaped the monetary benefits of each sale. I certainly appreciated the financial boost at the time, but this year, I discovered the shocking truth that I was down to one cow.

I've always been proud of my identity as a beef producer. It is a community that is part of my heritage and home to me. So many of my greatest friendships have come through the medium of cattle shows or events. In fact this very blog is written as the "voice of a Nebraska cowgirl". 

The reality is that in May when I graduate, I won't be in a position to truly raise cattle. I'm moving 20 hours away (the Nebraska way of measuring time), and will probably be living in town. I'm pursuing a new passion, and can't bring a cow with me. My new role will mean saying goodbye to an old one, and I'll face the reality of buying beef that wasn't raised by my family.

A transition from cowgirl to consumer won't mean that I leave my voice behind. The number of cattle in my herd doesn't change the love I have for the industry or my desire to remain involved. My hope is to someday again have a herd to call my own, but until then, I'll keep in my heart the memories of the greatest sight on earth: black cows in a green pasture.

'till the cows come home,

Ellie

The Friendzone

**Disclaimer: This is not an ag blog post, this is a random thoughts post**

 As a freshman in college I had a particularly heated debate. On a mission trip I was telling stories about all my male friends and another guy stated, "you know, no guy is ever really 'just friends' with a girl. They either want to date you or use you." I went on to explain that I had a plethora of male friends who were not at all interested in a romantic or physical relationship with me. In the back of my mind, though, I worried that he was right.

After returning home, I had an awkward phone call with one of my closest male friends. I shared with him that I was interested in a friendship, nothing more. His equally awkward response put aside my fears and with a laugh we moved on to cover more important issues like the Cornhuskers. Today this friend and his awesome girlfriend are very near and dear to me.

Guy friendships have always felt like home to me. I grew up with brothers who didn't treat me like a tender flower, but a peer. I was teased, harassed, and challenged every day. Jake and Jud truly made me a stronger person and helped me learn to laugh at myself. It is my relationship with them that makes it so easy for me to be friends with guys.

My secret to healthy guy/girl friendships is this: know the relationship. As girls we can get caught up in fantasies thinking, "he is so nice, I bet we would make a great couple." The worst part is that fellow girls will fan this flame.  Not every guy who is nice to a girl wants to date her. If you are uncertain about the relationship, ASK. As awkward as it may be, it's important to DTR (define the relationship). If the relationship is headed for something more, he'll let you know. If it's not have a laugh and cherish that friendship.

Whether you are a guy or a girl, the friendzone is not a trap. It's a place to laugh, learn, and grow. Don't force your relationships to become something they're not. Be thankful for the people in your life no matter what their role is.

'till the cows come home,
Ellie

Don't speak too soon for the wheel's still in spin.

I'll admit it, my view of agriculture advocacy has changed over the past three years. In the beginning I believed many things about sharing my story. I thought my goal should be to educate consumers by telling them "fun facts" about farming. They just didn't know enough about their food to make educated decisions, and they needed to hear the right things from me. Anyone who disagreed with me simply didn't have the facts or was a menace to society.

Now I'm not saying that I've become a fan of HSUS or that farmers and ranchers should stop telling their stories. The issue is much more complex than I could have ever imagined. However the greatest change I have made is my approach to "teaching" consumers.

On MLK day I visited the journalism college to take part in a focus group to learn about students who do crafts or other projects. After the group was done, I heard a student at the end of the table begin talking about the new health food store in town. Soon another student piped up exclaiming, "I've gone to eating only grass-fed beef because it's healthier and doesn't have all of those chemicals and steroids, plus did you know the cow's stomach isn't meant to digest corn."

I'm not making that up, he actually said those words. No, my head didn't explode. Before I could lay some truth on the guy, a little voice in the back of my head asked, "Why would he listen to you, Ellie?" I decided that voice must know something I didn't, so instead I asked him some questions about why eating healthy was important to him, and why he valued grass-fed beef. The Chicago native said he simply felt better about eating things that were healthier and more natural. Only when he asked me about what I ate did I share that I lived on a farm and ate the corn-fed beef that we raised. I didn't get the chance to correct every portion of his earlier statement, but I left there having improved his view of the beef industry as a whole. Instead of appearing like a crazy defensive beef nerd, who loudly disapproved of his opinion, I shared a conversation like a perfectly sane journalism student.

It is vital that we as a community stop defending ourselves and start engaging in conversation. If we are constantly defending something, perhaps that practice needs to be evaluated. Is it something we do simply because it is tradition? Is there a better way to use technology to achieve the same results? If the answer to both is NO! Then we must find a way to explain the practice simply and quickly. Ultimately not everyone will fall in love with agriculture, but they should feel comfortable with whatever food choices they make. Before we get defensive and share our "facts" we need to share our lives.

'till the cows come home,
Ellie

Uncharted.

I love blogging, writing, and talking about ag, but this year I will set that aside to teach. I've joined the 2013 Teach For America Corps. I will be teaching high school english somewhere in South Carolina for two years. It may seem weird that after all of my effort toward ag journalism I'm taking on teaching instead of writing, speaking, or "Facebook-ing." To be honest 6 months ago I didn't plan on going anywhere near a classroom.

See God had different plans. He brought Teach for America into my life (I thought the first contact I had from them was spam). After giving the lovely recruiter 20 minutes of my day, I fully planned on forgetting the whole thing. I couldn't. For the next few weeks a passion I couldn't explain took over most of my spare thoughts. I'd never even considered that education inequality was an important issue. My passions were agriculture advocacy, not kids in classrooms. Suddenly all I could think about were the great teachers who had inspired me, and how it wasn't fair that where a kid lives determines the quality of their education.

Everywhere I looked, teachers, parents, and politicians were being blamed for the state of education. After the 6th article I decided enough talk, it was time to actually take action. Education is the foundation for society. So as an adult, who was single and flexible, I had a responsibility to take action to build the foundation. Teachers have the great responsibility of shaping those who are the future, and if I didn't like where the future was headed, why not take on the challenge of shaping it.

I know this isn't going to be easy, and I know that I will probably learn more from this experience than I could ever teach a class, but I'm committed to giving my very best to those kids. Kids who deserve a bright future, deserve great knowledge, and deserve a responsibility make a difference when they grow up. I don't know what the next two years will bring, but I do know that I will face them with strength that can only come from the Almighty. I refuse to abandon my love of the crops, cattle, and communities in farming and ranching, I'll just be adding to that passion the classroom.

'till the cows come home,

Ellie