By Rachael Sturgeon
As my peers and I file into our second period Ag Leadership class, we take our seats and look to the board for our daily bell work. Usually, we are ready to have a speech to write or to get ready for an interview but that was not the case today. The board read “Grab a birdhouse packet and start to read about the tools.” Reading this I thought why are we reading about a drill and a hammer? But as I continued to look through out the packet I noticed that it wasn't going to be so easy. Knowing what a miter saw and a drill press are isn't my cup of tea. After Miss. Schaefer read over all of the tools and equipment that we were going to be looking at, she mentions that we will be using these tools to build our very own birdhouse!
If you were to see our faces you'd think we saw a ghost. Once the classroom became calm again, we took a tour through the woodshop and got the opportunity to try out the machinery. This for sure made my classmates and myself more comfortable with the idea of using them. Being able to practice before hand made the first day of getting our boards measured and cut a hole lot less nerve racking. We filed into the woodshop with our safety glasses on our faces and boards in hand. Being the first in line, I was eager to be able to build a birdhouse for the most part on my own. Once we had all of our pieces cut and measured to fit perfectly we have to assemble!
Later this week and in the beginning of next we will be finishing up our birdhouse and our long but life changing experience with our amazing student teacher and friend. After the long weeks and many FFA trips with Miss. Schaefer I have to say that I have learned a lot about her as a teacher, person and friend. She has also taught and showed me a lot about myself and who I want to become in the next couple of years. I hope to be following her foot steps and taking all of her wonderful advice on becoming the best agriculture educator I can be in the coming years.
