Reminicing with Remnants

Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit my grandparents' farm in Central Indiana.  For years, my grandfather; Doyal, has farmed an 80-acre family farm.  The farm was established in 1941 and for 30 years, my grandfather worked full time in a local steel mill and farmed the 80 acres in the evenings and on the weekends.  He couldn't have done it without a faithful, dedicated, hardworking and loving wife; my grandmother Patsy. 

I always love our visits to the farm.  Now that I have my own kids; aged 7, 5, and 2, it's even more fun because they get to enjoy a way of life that we just don't get to experience much any more.  My grandpa is getting out of farming and for the last two seasons, he's rented the land to a local farmer who has done the farming.  Last spring he sold most of his equipment at a sale.  It was hard to hear about some of the implements and tractors that were sold.  Many of these items had been in the family for quite some time.  He still holds on to the equipment that has his heart!  A Farmall M from 1945 still rests in the shed and a 1979 Chevy C10, that is in immaculate shape also still calls the farm home.  Other than that, most of the old equipment is gone....it's kind of sad.

The highlight of the day for my kids is always when we get the tractors out for a ride.  As I was bringing the M back in with my son, I felt overwhelmed with a sad, reminiscent feeling. 

The reality is, small family farms like my grandparents' are fading away.  Slowly a way of life is becoming extinct.  Gone are the days when Dad works in the factory full time and farms evening and weekends.  Gone are the days when Mom and children get up early to do chores and get ready for school.  Today most farmland is cultivated by large operations that can maximize yields based on their resources.

In many ways we're experiencing the same phenomenon in education.  Over the last 50 years, education has changed drastically.  Now more than ever we are facing the reality that "life" as we know it in education is changing, whether we want it to or not.  As professional farmers had to adapt to stay in business, so we also must make changes to be successful.

Just like how I felt on that tractor ride this weekend, there is a part of me that feels sad about the fact that life as we know it in education will never be the same.  However, as we move forward we continue to maintain the values of our past; the values we stand for, yet embrace the changes we need to make in order to be successful...for our students!