By Jessica Jordan
Juda Dairy Queen
FFA week, Feb. 18 to 25, is a week that gives FFA members a chance to educate the public about agriculture and is also a time to appreciate and realize the importance of our FFA advisors. I believe the future of agriculture is strongly influenced by these teachers and that people should realize and honor this, especially during FFA week.
Mr. Ralph Johnson, Juda Ag teacher and FFA advisor, is one of those teachers that should be honored during FFA week. Mr. Johnson, also 2011 Crystal Apple Award winner, inspired me along with many other students in Juda to learn more about agriculture and FFA.
Mr. J does a lot for the students in Juda, from teaching Ag classes in school to taking students to FFA contests or conferences outside of school. He helps his students learn by doing so many hands-on activities and by making us think more. He is always having us think of ways that we can make the projects we do in class better and more affective. This year I'm in Aquaculture Wildlife and Horticulture with him, and I think they are two of the coolest classes I have taken. In aquaculture, my classmates and I get the experience to take care of the different kinds of fish by weighing them and feeding them according to their weight, thinking of new ideas on how to improve the filters, and the coolest thing, I think, is learning how to test the water levels for ammonia and nitrite. Horticulture class is another fun class to be in. Horticulture, for those who don't know, is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants. Ever since I was little, I've enjoyed growing flowers and watching everything I have planted grow. Even though Horticulture class just started this year second semester, Mr. J already has me excited about getting started in the greenhouse. He had the class pick out which flowers and how many of each to grow and sell for the sale that the horticulture class has each year. It's fun because he wants us to be creative with it, and that's just another reason why he's such an amazing teacher. In my opinion, Mr. Johnson makes his classes fun by not only encouraging his students to do more, but he also gives his students the opportunity to have the hands-on experiences.
Mr. Johnson is one of many Ag teachers who inspire me and others students to do more, learn more, and act more within agriculture and FFA. Mr. Johnson also inspired me to become the Juda Dairy Queen. Without Mr. J, none of these amazing opportunities that I have had would have been possible. I have always looked up to him and I always will. He teaches me everything I need to know and more, and he's a big inspiration in my life that I will always be thankful for. So this FFA week, we need to be thankful for Mr. Johnson and all the other Ag teachers and their dedication to the field of Agriculture.
Juda Dairy Queen
FFA week, Feb. 18 to 25, is a week that gives FFA members a chance to educate the public about agriculture and is also a time to appreciate and realize the importance of our FFA advisors. I believe the future of agriculture is strongly influenced by these teachers and that people should realize and honor this, especially during FFA week.
Mr. Ralph Johnson, Juda Ag teacher and FFA advisor, is one of those teachers that should be honored during FFA week. Mr. Johnson, also 2011 Crystal Apple Award winner, inspired me along with many other students in Juda to learn more about agriculture and FFA.
Mr. J does a lot for the students in Juda, from teaching Ag classes in school to taking students to FFA contests or conferences outside of school. He helps his students learn by doing so many hands-on activities and by making us think more. He is always having us think of ways that we can make the projects we do in class better and more affective. This year I'm in Aquaculture Wildlife and Horticulture with him, and I think they are two of the coolest classes I have taken. In aquaculture, my classmates and I get the experience to take care of the different kinds of fish by weighing them and feeding them according to their weight, thinking of new ideas on how to improve the filters, and the coolest thing, I think, is learning how to test the water levels for ammonia and nitrite. Horticulture class is another fun class to be in. Horticulture, for those who don't know, is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants. Ever since I was little, I've enjoyed growing flowers and watching everything I have planted grow. Even though Horticulture class just started this year second semester, Mr. J already has me excited about getting started in the greenhouse. He had the class pick out which flowers and how many of each to grow and sell for the sale that the horticulture class has each year. It's fun because he wants us to be creative with it, and that's just another reason why he's such an amazing teacher. In my opinion, Mr. Johnson makes his classes fun by not only encouraging his students to do more, but he also gives his students the opportunity to have the hands-on experiences.
Mr. Johnson is one of many Ag teachers who inspire me and others students to do more, learn more, and act more within agriculture and FFA. Mr. Johnson also inspired me to become the Juda Dairy Queen. Without Mr. J, none of these amazing opportunities that I have had would have been possible. I have always looked up to him and I always will. He teaches me everything I need to know and more, and he's a big inspiration in my life that I will always be thankful for. So this FFA week, we need to be thankful for Mr. Johnson and all the other Ag teachers and their dedication to the field of Agriculture.
