Ashley Rodden

I decided to become an Agriculture teacher because of the teachers I had in High School. I knew I wanted and agricultural job, but I was stumped on which direction to go. After thinking about it, I looked back at the teachers I had that were always there for me, no matter what my situation was. I wanted to return the feeling of hope to the next generation that they gave me. Now, I work at the high school I graduated from and some of those same teachers are my coworkers.

I would say my most memorable moment of my teaching career was when my senior student, who is also our FFA President this year told me she wanted to become an Ag Teacher. In that moment I knew I had not only impacted her high school career, but I had impacted her life. That is what teaching is truly about. Caring about where the kids go after they graduate and following their journey to success. It was then that I knew I was doing my job to the best of my ability and truly making a difference.

The first thing I would do with the money is pay off my car loan. Afterwards I would catch up on medical bills. Being diagnosed with May-Thurners Syndrome right before I finished college took a lot out of me, but I never let it stop me. It just puts a damper on my income. Lasty, like every teacher does, I would buy supplies for my classroom and make a donation to our FFA chapter towards our rodeo we host. I even compete in it myself. Hosting that event for our community ever year is an honor.