FFA grows students’ confidence, according to teacher Yamnitz

Sarah Yamnitz grew up loving everything about farming. She was pleasantly surprised as a freshman at Jackson High School when she discovered Agriculture 1 and the Future Farmers of America.

“I didn’t know they had classes like that.” Yamnitz says.

After high school she went to Southeast Missouri State University and started on an Animal Sciences degree but switched to SEMO’s Agricultural Education program in her sophomore year.

Today she is the AG teacher and FFA advisor at Meadow Heights High School.

Leadership training is a major focus of FFA, but Yamnitz points out that, when it comes to teaching these skills it all depends on the student and their comfort level.

“I feel like a lot of kids have low self-esteem, and they are masking it.” Yamnitz said.

Rarely will a student come to her and ask for help in leadership skills. Often a parent will come to Yamnitz and say, “I feel like my child can do this. They just need a little push.”

Yamnitz tries to find what each student is interested in and builds a contest around it. She finds ways to design contests to nudge students bit by bit toward taking a chance. Public speaking is one way but often the least favorite option for many students. Yamnitz knows how they feel.

“I did not enjoy it when I was a student either.” Yamnitz said, and she still feels a bit shy, but her experience with the FFA and working every day as a teacher forces her into action.

Presenting crops, livestock or agricultural mechanics in front of judges also helps build confidence and self-esteem in her students. Yamnitz presents them with real-world scenarios they will one day face such as filling out resumes and interviewing and being interviewed for jobs. Recently, Yamnitz procured a small engine and left it up to her students to figure out what is wrong with it and how to go about fixing it.

Even if Yamnitz’s students never have a career in agriculture she knows that her classes and the FFA will have taught them skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

At Meadow Heights next week Yamnitz and her students will be celebrating FFA Week with themed dress-up days and a digital scavenger hunt. On Tuesday, they host Meadow Heights elementary students and show different sectors of the AG industry by demonstrating the care and handling of trees, power tools, goats and popcorn crops. The youngsters will visit a petting zoo and will receive a little tree donated by the Missouri Conservation Society. Wednesday is “Drive Your Tractor to School Day,” and they will finish off the week with a fish fry on Friday with catfish purchased from Bollinger Farms.