There was one class I attended in the year of 1989 that was a very new
experience to me. It as an Agriculture class, since this was a rural
farming community, it was a required course at least one year and an
elective for the remainder. The hallway
walls were covered in trophy cases that stretched to the end of the
corridor. While sports seemed to be a thing for folks to be passionate
about, they really seemed to have a better percentage in winning titles
in things like poultry judging, Ag mechanics, or soils.
My
teacher was named Mr Schaufler. I had never met a cooler guy than this
man in my relative young age. He seemed to be a preminent authority in
all things mechanic and farming. He was very laid back to an extent. He
would take these new freshman, and for the first quarter or so, we
would go through the individual fields that were under the FFA banner.
We would spend days sampling cheeses, for example, and there were some
that could taste the differences in Cheddars by the very definition they
memorized. It was very new and alien to me because though I hadn't been
living in a teaming metropolis before this move, we certainly didn't
have a lot of farming issues discussed in public restaurants, and it was
absent from any family conversation.
Mr Schaufler had a keen eye
for talent in certain fields. In one week, we went through a five
paragraph statement that was the FFA creed. It was an outline of the
groups goals and beliefs. I had an easier time retaining memory back
then, so I was able to memorize this five paragraph creed and recite it
in front of everyone. It was good enough for me to get enlisted into a
district contest, where our chapter would send delegates for different
contests to compete with other schools. If you placed first, you were an
automatic bid to the state's final on the U of M campus. If you had
gotten first there, it went to the national convention in Kansas City.
The creed only leveled out on the state plateau, but I wasn't having
visions of grandeur. I was concentrating for weeks before our contest,
not on having all the words memorized, but little things Mr Schaufler
had pointed out. Certain words in sentences needed some emphasis. You
needed to have a passion in what you said, sell it like you truly mean
it. It was meant to be inspiring for those that listened to it. The most
important bit of advice was to study this creed, because there would be
questions asked after you recite it. It's one thing to recite anything
verbatim, but then to answer questions on said item can be daunting,
particularly if you are unsure of the answer, or the context it was
given.
We ended going out to some school I forgot where, maybe in
nearby Austin for the days events. I waited patiently for my turn, as
others had gone in every direction for their particular contests. Mr
Schaufler assured me he thought I was going to do just fine, as long as I
kept my head and my nerves in check. I went into a small speaking hall,
where there were 3 judges sat at a long table. I walked up to the
podium... and began talking. I was powerful where I needed, and subtle
where it didn't look over dramatic. After wrapping up the creed, I stood
awaiting a barrage of questions, for which I received a few, but they
were simpler than I thought they would be, and I answered them as
thorough as possible, trying to maintain this overall look I was just
some simple kid from a farm in Mower county, instead of a transplant
bumpkin from Butler county in S.E. Missouri.
The wait leading to
the afternoon awards ceremony was arduous, and when you do something you
are proud of, but you aren't entirely sold you have the contest won,
your nerves start to work themselves over for a while. By the time we
had gotten to this auditorium for awards, I was a borderline wreck,
despite the assurances from Mr Schaufler as well as other kids that were
in my class. The speaker had gotten to the creed contest, listing from
3rd on up to 1st, my heart racing a bit faster with a name that wasn't
mine as 3rd, as 2nd. Panic for one brief moment when I realize the very
good possibility that I haven't placed at all. I was a failure in public
speaking.
And then for 1st, my name and school announced. I was
in shock to say the least. I had really no confidence in myself, in
talking to others, I thought I was going to be a lost cause, or shot in
the dark at the very least. I was taken back at how things went, how
easy it truly was for me to get up in front of complete strangers and
just talk about the future of farming. I think to this day that my
adviser Mr Schaufler had seen this potential in me for this one
particular contest. He saw a good placement, if not 1st. He had been the
adviser for the school for years, so he knew about winning and how to
achieve it, simply because those trophies and plaques lining the halls
to his room were won under his advisement. I ended up getting a ribbon
which I thought was the coolest thing, because outside of writing short
stories to entertain myself, I really didn't know of anything I was any
good at. I began to find these things though as a student under Mr
Schaufler's guidance. For that, I will be eternally grateful.
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