Sharpening the Saw this Summer

 

Some of us have just started summer break while others might be on the cusp of it starting. As agricultural educators, there sometimes seems to be no end to our tasks, even when summer comes. Maybe there are supervised agricultural experience visits, county fairs, curriculum work, school committees, mandatory training to keep certificates current, and I know the list could go on.

This summer, I challenge all of you to "Sharpen the Saw" as Steven Covey wrote about in his book the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

Maybe you want to sharpen your physical saw by joining the New Jersey FFA Alumni as they honor John and Laurie Neyhart during the June 27th Golf Tournament. Check out EventBrite or Facebook for more info. 

Currently, I'm part of the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Virtual Book Club. We're reading "Start. Right. Now." and this is allowing me to sharpen my mental saw, but also my social/ emotional as I connect with other educators engaged in the discussion over the course of the summer. It's not too late to join the discussion there plus you get professional development hours.

Nearly since its inception, I've participate in #TeachAgChat which also lets me sharpen my saw. If you want to dabble in Twitter, there will be a "Slow Chat" in early July. You can answer any or all of the prompts there are. This chat reflects to some degree on the idea of sharpening the saw.

It can sometimes get easy to sharpen the saw in our professional lives, even in summer and forget that self-renewal comes in other areas as well. Stephen Covey mentions the spiritual saw as well. This could mean getting outside and taking a hike, unearthing some of your art supplies, or engaging in some quiet meditation.

It's up to you to take care of you. I'd love to hear what you're doing this summer as you sharpen your saw.