WEBVTT 00:00:02.786 --> 00:00:04.873 Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 00:00:04.873 --> 00:00:19.969 In this show, the Texas FFA Foundation will take on a journey of exploration into agricultural science, education, leadership development and insights from subject matter experts and sponsors who provide the fuel to make dreams come true. 00:00:19.969 --> 00:00:22.422 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 00:00:30.147 --> 00:00:39.235 Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening or whenever you may be tuning in to the Growing Our Future podcast Number one, thank you. 00:00:39.235 --> 00:00:40.536 Thank you for stopping by. 00:00:40.536 --> 00:00:53.168 I mean you're sharing a little bit of your time with us and hopefully we're sharing something of value to kind of occupy that time. 00:00:53.168 --> 00:00:55.453 You know, in the world of agriculture, I always tell people if you want to know what the future is, grow it. 00:00:55.453 --> 00:00:56.448 If you want to know what the future is, you got to grow it. 00:00:56.448 --> 00:01:03.496 But to do that, you got to plant the right seeds, you got to take care of them, you got to harvest it and you got to share it. 00:01:04.195 --> 00:01:08.106 But we got to start by planting the right seeds, which is what this podcast is about. 00:01:08.106 --> 00:01:22.444 It's about bringing people on who share their experiences, their insights, their just things of life that they've experienced, that they say, hey, let me tell you about this, in hopes that it gives us a little seed of greatness that can make us better. 00:01:22.444 --> 00:01:24.108 Today we're honored. 00:01:24.108 --> 00:01:25.430 You're going to find out here in a second. 00:01:25.430 --> 00:01:26.573 You're going to see why I'm a fan. 00:01:26.573 --> 00:01:37.066 Y'all are about to meet Dr Justin Terry and I got to tell you he's an exciting individual, he's an innovator and his enthusiasm is contagious, and you're about to experience that. 00:01:37.066 --> 00:01:40.501 So, Dr Terry, thank you for being on the podcast today. 00:01:41.203 --> 00:01:48.968 Oh, thanks so much for having me, and, man, I'm a little worried about that buildup in the conversation we're about to have, but we'll do our best. 00:01:48.968 --> 00:01:50.030 How about that Not? 00:01:50.090 --> 00:01:50.751 worried at all. 00:01:50.751 --> 00:01:51.882 You're going to deliver. 00:01:51.882 --> 00:01:53.364 Trust me, you're going to deliver. 00:01:53.364 --> 00:01:58.323 So with that, I like to start every podcast, every podcast, Matter of fact. 00:01:58.323 --> 00:02:06.611 I think we should all start every day with this question, and that question is Dr Terry, what are you grateful for today? 00:02:07.460 --> 00:02:17.052 Oh, man, you know, ironically, we always start every classroom, every meeting, anything we do in our school district, with good things, and it is about appreciation. 00:02:17.052 --> 00:02:27.573 You know, and today I'll be honest with you, we just left a great Easter weekend and I am grateful for family today and the beautiful weather and the time that we had to spend together. 00:02:27.573 --> 00:02:29.326 So thank you for asking. 00:02:30.923 --> 00:02:32.187 By the way, I agree with you too. 00:02:32.187 --> 00:02:39.430 I told my kids not too long ago, this last Thanksgiving, I told them to look around. 00:02:39.430 --> 00:02:42.715 And we're sitting there getting ready to eat Thanksgiving dinner and they go what I said look around. 00:02:42.715 --> 00:02:46.724 And they're like what I said y'all, it just dawned on me. 00:02:46.724 --> 00:02:48.991 I said I'm 58 years old and it just dawned on me. 00:02:48.991 --> 00:02:56.221 I said I can't remember a single Thanksgiving as a kid growing up, because we were too poor, we never had it. 00:02:56.221 --> 00:02:59.366 My mom, we never traveled with other family. 00:03:00.106 --> 00:03:05.414 And I said I want y'all to look around and realize that there's good times and bad times in life. 00:03:05.414 --> 00:03:10.012 But if you'll just reflect, you got a family, that's right. 00:03:10.012 --> 00:03:12.768 You got something to be grateful for, we got food. 00:03:12.768 --> 00:03:16.968 We're not going to starve, just be grateful, be grateful. 00:03:16.968 --> 00:03:19.106 So thank you so much for sharing that. 00:03:19.106 --> 00:03:23.448 And you got a beautiful family and I appreciate you sharing that too. 00:03:23.448 --> 00:03:24.150 So thank you. 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:27.480 Yes, sir, all right. 00:03:27.480 --> 00:03:31.611 So, dr Justin, terry, that just automatically lets us know that there's some credentials there. 00:03:31.611 --> 00:03:36.594 And I know for a fact, I know for a fact you did not just fall into that seat. 00:03:36.594 --> 00:03:47.854 So something tells me there was a journey, there was a path, something that led you to the superintendent role of the Forney ISD, just outside of Dallas, texas. 00:03:47.854 --> 00:03:50.389 So, dr Terry, kind of take us through that. 00:03:50.389 --> 00:03:54.752 How did you end up on this career path that landed you in that seat? 00:03:55.780 --> 00:04:01.243 You know, aaron, I get this question a lot and, to be honest with you, you know the one thing I would always tell you I don't think it's anything I ever did. 00:04:01.243 --> 00:04:04.407 One thing I would always tell you it's it's I don't think it's anything I ever did. 00:04:04.407 --> 00:04:10.496 I think it's it has to do with the people that I've been blessed and surrounded with along my journey. 00:04:10.496 --> 00:04:20.343 And I was a grew up in an educator's household. 00:04:20.343 --> 00:04:28.579 My father was a baseball coach and teacher and professor, and so I ended up as a baseball coach and teacher in a little small town, a little small town right outside of Corsicana called Mildred. 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:47.375 And at that point in time, you know, I was blessed to have a superintendent that invested in me and he saw something in me as a, as a leader, and he, he kind of took me under his wing and grew me as not only an educator but just as a leader in general. 00:04:48.341 --> 00:05:06.846 And then one day he looked at me and he said you know, there's somebody I want you to meet, and he passed me off to another mentor you know, gene Burton down the road in Rockwall and a little larger district, and you know my path made it back up to the Metroplex at that time as an administration and assistant, principalships and principalships. 00:05:06.846 --> 00:05:15.528 And then I was blessed to have another mentor as a superintendent that took me under his wing, john Fuller, and then time after time again. 00:05:15.528 --> 00:05:44.963 What I would just always encourage others as you begin to explore your journey is to find a mentor, find a coach along the way, and find two, if you're really blessed one that's within the organization that you're working within, so that they understand your goals and aspirations and can help you achieve those, but also one that's outside of your organization that brings light into maybe a different perspective that they're seeing that may not be in a narrow field. 00:05:44.963 --> 00:05:53.163 So again, it's nothing that I've done, I've just been really blessed along the way to have good people that have guided my path. 00:05:53.184 --> 00:05:54.766 Well, I don't disagree with you that at all. 00:05:54.766 --> 00:05:57.952 As a matter of fact, I've always told people life's not a solo project. 00:05:57.952 --> 00:06:04.485 We were not created to be the Lone Rangers, and early on I had a mentor. 00:06:04.485 --> 00:06:07.322 Interestingly enough, early on, I had a mentor and he told me something very similar. 00:06:07.322 --> 00:06:11.702 He said I want you to always have 10 friends older than you and 10 friends younger than you. 00:06:11.702 --> 00:06:17.547 He goes the 10 friends older than you're going to tell you where we've been, 10 friends younger than you're going to tell you where we're headed. 00:06:17.547 --> 00:06:22.286 And I thought that was some pretty good advice, pretty good insight. 00:06:22.706 --> 00:06:28.526 No, then we are met we were talking before we started a good friend and board member, cleo Franklin. 00:06:28.526 --> 00:06:31.091 Uh, cleo always tells the kids. 00:06:31.091 --> 00:06:33.526 He said I want you to get your own personal board of directors. 00:06:33.526 --> 00:06:38.867 He said I want you to get a group of people around you that become your board of directors and make you better. 00:06:38.867 --> 00:06:43.245 And, uh, I just thought that was good, good wisdom as well. 00:06:43.245 --> 00:06:46.533 So so, yeah, there's a thing. 00:06:46.533 --> 00:07:04.831 What I appreciate about what you just said, though, already, is you've already given credit that life's not a solo project, that we're in this together and if we can find people that can make us better, find people that can build our networks, expose us to opportunities. 00:07:04.831 --> 00:07:07.144 But you've got to be paying attention. 00:07:07.144 --> 00:07:08.610 They're not just good. 00:07:08.610 --> 00:07:10.668 I don't think anything just fell in your lap. 00:07:10.668 --> 00:07:12.687 Something tells me you had to have a little want to. 00:07:13.660 --> 00:07:24.305 Well, you know, and they've got to see that you want to for sure, and because I don't know that others are going to invest in you if they don't see that their investment of their time and their effort will pay off. 00:07:24.545 --> 00:07:37.151 And so you know work ethic and you know is a pretty powerful and important thing, and I think others do see that they see talents in you, whether you know it or not. 00:07:37.151 --> 00:07:41.091 You know we talk a lot in our organization that you know there's a lot of opportunity for growth. 00:07:41.091 --> 00:07:46.762 We're a really fast-gr, fast growth district and career growth is pretty easy to see. 00:07:46.762 --> 00:07:49.928 We have 200 plus 300 new positions every year. 00:07:49.928 --> 00:08:08.529 And what I think especially young people sometimes don't realize is every time you walk down a hallway, every time you are on the job, you're in an interview and people are watching, whether you know it or not, and so you just hope that they see you on your best day, for sure, most of the time. 00:08:08.529 --> 00:08:14.531 But when it's consistent and you're having great, great, good days all the time, then they usually find you, that's for sure. 00:08:15.459 --> 00:08:17.084 See, this is where great minds think alike. 00:08:17.084 --> 00:08:23.267 So one of the things I always ask the FFA kids when we're talking about leadership is I always say tell me about your business. 00:08:23.267 --> 00:08:25.052 And they just look at me. 00:08:25.052 --> 00:08:26.324 They say I don't have a business. 00:08:26.324 --> 00:08:27.668 I said, yeah, you do, you're it. 00:08:27.668 --> 00:08:30.047 I said, what time do you open in the morning? 00:08:30.047 --> 00:08:33.750 I mean, what kind of customer service do you deliver? 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:35.885 You know, are you on time? 00:08:35.885 --> 00:08:37.527 I mean, you are your business. 00:08:37.527 --> 00:08:40.524 By the way, that's why everybody that knows me knows I go by this. 00:08:40.524 --> 00:08:44.211 My handle is live your brand, because I believe that it's. 00:08:44.211 --> 00:08:46.802 It's how we live and what we share and what we do. 00:08:46.802 --> 00:08:54.610 That's how people get to know what our brand is and and just like a fingerprint that that how you live your brand, that's your fingerprint on this world. 00:08:54.610 --> 00:08:57.023 And, like you just said, I loved it. 00:08:57.023 --> 00:09:00.392 Even when you're walking down the hallway, somebody's watching. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:01.761 That's right. 00:09:01.761 --> 00:09:05.150 Those actions speak so much more powerful than words in many cases. 00:09:05.150 --> 00:09:10.071 And people are always watching and they notice some of the sometimes the smallest little things. 00:09:10.071 --> 00:09:19.885 And, man, I tell you what, with the audience here in the FFA and agriculture, your business starts early and and I tell you what, that's impressive. 00:09:19.885 --> 00:09:24.902 I watch a lot of our students here in our, you know, animal science program. 00:09:24.902 --> 00:09:32.828 We run a doggy daycare and just amazed I mean, they're creating you know little reels out there to kind of promote the business that we're running. 00:09:32.828 --> 00:09:34.770 And they're doing it at 6 am on their own. 00:09:34.770 --> 00:09:40.996 And you guys are some pretty special, pretty special group, so proud to be a part of this, thank you. 00:09:41.157 --> 00:09:44.043 That's awful, I agree with you. 00:09:44.043 --> 00:09:45.649 I learned it not by choice. 00:09:45.649 --> 00:09:48.241 I learned it when I went to Boy's Ranch and I'll never forget. 00:09:48.241 --> 00:09:58.953 My dorm parent, mr Chandler, brought me a sledgehammer one day and he told me I needed to drive to the other side of the ranch, which was five miles in a blizzard and bust the water trough for the horses. 00:09:58.953 --> 00:10:02.363 And I pitched a fit and I said, mr Chandler, I don't want to go. 00:10:02.363 --> 00:10:07.370 It's cold out there, it's a blizzard, the wind's whipping Feels like a razor, I could get lost. 00:10:07.370 --> 00:10:09.215 And I'll never forget it. 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:13.586 Mr Chandler, in his old country wisdom he said, darling, do you get thirsty when it's cold? 00:10:13.586 --> 00:10:14.890 I said, yes, sir. 00:10:14.890 --> 00:10:17.067 He said, don't you think those horses get thirsty too? 00:10:17.067 --> 00:10:35.380 I said, aaron, what separates y'all's kids from everybody else? 00:10:35.380 --> 00:10:38.005 Doesn't UIL teach speech and debate? 00:10:38.005 --> 00:10:39.909 Doesn't band teach ensemble? 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:41.900 Doesn't athletics teach teamwork? 00:10:41.900 --> 00:10:43.966 What is it that y'all think you do in ag? 00:10:43.966 --> 00:10:45.191 That nobody else does? 00:10:45.191 --> 00:10:46.687 And I always tell them. 00:10:46.687 --> 00:10:50.869 I said, because in the world of agriculture, if we don't do our job, something dies. 00:10:50.869 --> 00:11:00.749 When you can give that to a kid, that becomes something intrinsic, that, like you just said, it'll stand out. 00:11:00.749 --> 00:11:08.980 It'll stand out when something depends on you to do your job, so good catch on your part, by the way. 00:11:09.062 --> 00:11:11.005 So no, absolutely. 00:11:11.005 --> 00:11:15.706 Yeah, you know, and that is something that's great about this organization I never thought about. 00:11:15.706 --> 00:11:18.477 But what you just said is very powerful is you know? 00:11:18.477 --> 00:11:35.624 It's not many organizations, not many fields of study, are so focused on supporting others and living things and growing things, and it is just amazing that the whole, really the whole organization you're describing, is really about supporting others. 00:11:35.624 --> 00:11:43.684 And man, the golden rule in life will take you a long way, and so a lot of great lessons learned here, for sure. 00:11:44.225 --> 00:11:50.221 Well, I'm a man of faith and the one thing I can tell you there's a lot in the Bible about agriculture. 00:11:50.221 --> 00:11:55.660 So I just kind of followed that direction a little bit and it seems to work out okay. 00:11:55.660 --> 00:11:58.206 That's right. 00:11:58.206 --> 00:12:20.365 You know, for folks that aren't familiar with Dr Terry and his role at the Forney ISD, they have an incredible school district and one of the things that we want to point you to, and I want to tell you firsthand I've experienced it more than once is a place called the OC, and I got to tell you I don't know, Dr Terry, maybe one of these days you and I ought to compare notes. 00:12:20.365 --> 00:12:21.028 I might have you. 00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:25.070 I don't know of a lot of people that have been in more schools in the state of Texas than I have. 00:12:25.070 --> 00:12:29.782 I don't know how many people have probably seen more facilities nationwide than I have. 00:12:29.782 --> 00:12:31.346 I'm blessed, by the way. 00:12:31.346 --> 00:12:33.672 That's not bragging, I'm telling you I'm blessed. 00:12:33.672 --> 00:12:40.211 But I had seen this video about this Opportunity Central building in Forney. 00:12:40.211 --> 00:12:54.374 I saw a video and then we have a meeting there and all I can tell you is I stepped on my lip, I stepped on my jaw because it was hung down the whole time, because this place is phenomenal. 00:12:54.374 --> 00:13:11.831 I don't know I want to be careful how I say this I'm not so sure that I couldn't legitimately say that this facility could be the future of career technical education and I would challenge anybody to take a look at it and if there's something else out there, share it with me because I'd like to know about it. 00:13:11.831 --> 00:13:18.573 But, Dr Terry, y'all's vision and what y'all have done with that Opportunity Central building is phenomenal. 00:13:18.573 --> 00:13:21.328 Would you just take a moment and tell us a little bit about that? 00:13:22.100 --> 00:13:24.972 Sure and Aaron, thanks so much for the kind words. 00:13:24.972 --> 00:13:31.991 It's definitely something that we take a lot of pride in here in Forney and you know it's really a. 00:13:31.991 --> 00:13:54.331 It's a facility that's about 350,000 square feet and the goal is that every square foot of this facility is, you know, it's got some core tenets to it and that it's career, college and community focused, but it's also multipurposed and future proof, and so there's this entrepreneurial spirit that really runs throughout the entire building. 00:13:54.331 --> 00:13:58.210 And you know it doesn't really matter the career pathway that you're in. 00:13:58.210 --> 00:14:07.293 We have auto shop, we have cosmetology, we have, you know, a great horticultural program through our Blooms floral design students. 00:14:07.293 --> 00:14:12.611 You know we have bologna yards, but it doesn't really matter what the career pathway is. 00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:30.163 The goal is that we're bringing our community and our students together to learn together from three years old to 103 with these skills that we all need, 103 with these skills that we all need. 00:14:30.163 --> 00:14:37.509 Whether you know you're going to be a veterinarian or you're going to be a beautician one day, there's some commonalities that we all have and we continue to call them this entrepreneurial path. 00:14:37.509 --> 00:15:03.004 You know communication skills and collaboration and critical thinking, and you know how to shake somebody's hand and look them in the eye and have good customer service and serve others and not be afraid to pick up a piece of trash on the floor, whatever it may be that, no matter what business you're in, those are the skills that people are watching for and that'll help you succeed, and so that's what we try and accomplish within that facility. 00:15:03.004 --> 00:15:11.392 It's also the largest event center on the east side of the Metroplex, so our goal is that it's a completely student-run facility in every aspect. 00:15:11.980 --> 00:15:13.125 It's got a theater in it. 00:15:13.125 --> 00:15:16.009 I mean, y'all can disperse that thing into a theater. 00:15:16.009 --> 00:15:18.207 They do pickleball tournaments. 00:15:18.207 --> 00:15:20.167 This thing is phenomenal. 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:26.393 You know, there's pro wrestling this weekend, I believe, in the theater as well. 00:15:26.393 --> 00:15:28.648 So yeah, it's very much multi-purposed. 00:15:28.648 --> 00:15:35.553 We've had Taekwondo National Championships and Pickleball, the graduations you name it Concerts. 00:15:35.553 --> 00:15:42.783 It's got a 79-yard-a-seat arena in the middle of it, so it's a lot of fun and brings community together, which is one of the most powerful things we do. 00:15:43.583 --> 00:15:54.331 Yeah, I flipped through your social media on your Facebook one day and I'm just scrolling through, you know, and some pictures catch my eye and all of a sudden I see something very theatrical and I go, wow, that looks pretty good. 00:15:54.331 --> 00:16:01.216 It was the OC, y'all were having some theatrical presentation and the visual was stunning. 00:16:07.640 --> 00:16:32.589 It was the AV and I think there was a Shrek Junior House Shrek performance the other day that they brought in projection mapping and kids had a part to setting all the lights and staging and it's got a walkable grid and so, again, pretty much every aspect of every career you can imagine, there's the ability to somehow participate in that facility and really let our students be the leaders of the entire facility, no matter what's happening. 00:16:34.091 --> 00:16:36.773 Well, I hope everybody hears loud and clear. 00:16:36.773 --> 00:16:43.438 If you're a teacher and you want to be inspired, go check this out. 00:16:43.438 --> 00:17:10.365 If you're a student and you're wondering, one of the guests that have been on this podcast is Mike Rowe, and when Mike and I talked, we talked about what if, and so I hope that a student may watch this and they may go to the OC and say, wow, because one day they're going to be a taxpayer, they're going to live in a community, and wouldn't it be cool to see somebody that watches this partner with their local school district and say, what if we could do something like that? 00:17:10.365 --> 00:17:17.503 And it doesn't have to be the OC, but good ideas are scalable. 00:17:17.503 --> 00:17:22.570 Good ideas are scalable and they can be honed to fit an audience. 00:17:22.570 --> 00:17:26.781 But I just want to make sure everybody hears me loud and clear, and I think you did. 00:17:26.781 --> 00:17:28.311 Go check out the OC. 00:17:28.311 --> 00:17:32.057 But, dr Terry, there's something even bigger than your OC. 00:17:33.661 --> 00:17:39.059 So every summer, we take a group of teachers on a week-long leadership development experience. 00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:42.420 I take three teachers from each of the 12 areas of Texas. 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:54.823 We'll travel over a thousand miles, they'll visit about 15 locations and they'll hear from over 70 speakers and one of the things that we do when we pull up to a location is I tell the teachers okay, here's your assignment. 00:17:54.823 --> 00:17:58.920 I want you to go inside and I want you to look around and see what's on the walls. 00:17:58.920 --> 00:18:00.624 What messages do you see? 00:18:00.624 --> 00:18:07.642 And then I want you to talk to the people and I want you to see if their messaging is consistent with what's on the walls. 00:18:07.642 --> 00:18:13.561 And then we all get back on the bus and I said now tell me what you saw, tell me what you heard. 00:18:14.230 --> 00:18:19.554 And then we talk about culture and you said that's what's called organizational culture. 00:18:19.554 --> 00:18:27.479 And the one thing that I commend you on and the district on and share with all your teachers is it is very. 00:18:27.479 --> 00:18:46.375 You walk around and you see messages of empowerment, of encouragement, and then you talk to the people and nobody's having a bad day. 00:18:46.375 --> 00:18:47.932 I mean everybody. 00:18:47.932 --> 00:18:53.357 If they are having a bad day, they're hiding it really good, because they're just very polite. 00:18:53.357 --> 00:18:54.320 And let me help you. 00:18:54.320 --> 00:18:57.637 And here's where you go and thank you for stopping by to see us. 00:18:57.637 --> 00:18:58.832 And this is teachers. 00:18:58.832 --> 00:19:01.758 Everybody that's in the facility. 00:19:01.758 --> 00:19:06.756 So I just want to say thank you for creating such an incredible culture, because I know that's important to you. 00:19:07.397 --> 00:19:10.836 Oh, man, that may be one of the biggest compliments you could have ever given. 00:19:10.836 --> 00:19:11.460 It really is. 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:15.473 I wish we could all have a perfect day every day in Forney, trust me. 00:19:15.473 --> 00:19:17.077 But you know, you know we do. 00:19:17.459 --> 00:19:30.498 Uh, you know there's a couple of values that that that we really focus on here, and the first one is people first and taking care of others, and and we kind of talked about that early on, and so that's uh, we believe that our, our values should drive our behaviors. 00:19:30.959 --> 00:19:46.700 Um, and and so we, we have some conversations about this all the time, about really building relationships first with our, our, our people, whether it's our, our classroom that we're working with, or our peers or our community. 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:57.094 So that's, that's a huge compliment, and you know, to your point about, just you know, the messaging that we try and get across too, is it, we hope, to inspire innovation and 40, and sometimes it's facilities. 00:19:57.094 --> 00:20:08.059 But, to your point, we actually named two roads after our vision statement, and I think branding your values and what you believe in hopefully also drives some of those behaviors. 00:20:08.059 --> 00:20:23.919 And so we you drive in on either innovation way or inspiration boulevard, because our vision statement here is inspiring students through innovative education, and we try and really dream big and make it happen, and that's a second value that we really hold dear. 00:20:23.919 --> 00:20:26.895 So I appreciate that that means a lot to me. 00:20:26.895 --> 00:20:28.998 I know it will to our community as well. 00:20:30.349 --> 00:20:38.291 Well, y'all have done it, Having traveled around the country it's something that you just said that really I'm going to share this with you. 00:20:38.291 --> 00:20:39.752 I remember my son. 00:20:39.752 --> 00:20:49.836 I took him on a 12-university tour to look at some universities when he was very young, as a freshman and sophomore, because I want him to start understanding the concept of college and what that looks like. 00:20:49.836 --> 00:20:53.778 And one of the places that we went was Clemson University. 00:20:53.778 --> 00:21:01.300 Oh, I've been there so you know when you're driving it's championship way. 00:21:01.300 --> 00:21:01.901 That's right. 00:21:01.901 --> 00:21:03.182 Oh, been there. 00:21:03.182 --> 00:21:03.961 They're in Forney. 00:21:03.981 --> 00:21:05.603 You said something a while ago. 00:21:05.603 --> 00:21:28.778 I want to just kind of jump back to this and we'll start kind of wrapping up, but I like to ask the kids. 00:21:28.778 --> 00:21:30.786 I said how many high schools are in the state of Texas? 00:21:30.786 --> 00:21:33.653 And they always chuckle and they'll say a lot, and I'm like, yeah, there's a lot. 00:21:33.653 --> 00:21:37.122 There's actually over 3000 high schools in the state of Texas. 00:21:37.122 --> 00:21:42.474 And I said how many of them are going to have a graduating class this year? 00:21:42.474 --> 00:21:42.955 Oh, I guess all of them. 00:21:42.955 --> 00:21:43.778 I said that's right. 00:21:43.778 --> 00:21:44.819 I said now, think about that. 00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:45.782 Everybody's going to get out. 00:21:45.782 --> 00:21:51.746 They're going to be looking for a job, a scholarship or an opportunity. 00:21:51.746 --> 00:21:53.030 And so I always ask them. 00:21:53.050 --> 00:22:01.056 I said what's your competitive edge, what separates you from everybody else that's going to be getting out looking for something, and so I guess that's kind of what my question to you is. 00:22:01.056 --> 00:22:07.740 If you were going to give kids some advice on honing a competitive edge, what would you tell them? 00:22:07.740 --> 00:22:13.044 Now, you kind of alluded to it by pay attention to what you show the world, because there are going to be people watching you. 00:22:13.044 --> 00:22:18.686 But what else would you say to a student to say here's how you hone the competitive edge. 00:22:27.349 --> 00:22:28.612 Well, you know, I really believe in man. 00:22:28.612 --> 00:22:29.794 I could probably talk about this all day Aaron and it's. 00:22:29.794 --> 00:22:38.244 I really believe we all have a gift and you know it's just many times that I think it's a lot of the adult's job, especially in education, to help students begin to unwrap what that gift is. 00:22:38.244 --> 00:22:42.297 They may not know what it is as they're going through school. 00:22:42.297 --> 00:23:02.655 And so I think, really looking at and we do strength finders here I'm sure you all are familiar with that but to help us try and find what strengths that you have that you really can succeed in, that uh that God blessed you with and and that um that you can take and run with. 00:23:02.655 --> 00:23:07.996 And so I think many times when you talk about a competitive edge, I think a lot of it is just understanding yourself. 00:23:07.996 --> 00:23:33.221 Uh, you know we talk about our strengths, but we also understand you know I'm limited on my constraints to um flip, flipping, um shares a lot about that and um that and a lot of his research that he's done, and so understanding who you are will help you portray, in my opinion, who you can be the best at and what you can be the best at, who you are as a person. 00:23:33.221 --> 00:23:37.819 I think there's a couple other things that go along with that, when it really talks about the future of work. 00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:39.286 I just, I think there's a couple other things that go along with that. 00:23:39.286 --> 00:23:42.881 When it really talks about the future of work, I just, I think there's a new. 00:23:42.921 --> 00:24:00.843 I'm reading a book right now called the Entrepreneurial Leader and I really think that there are a couple components to setting ourselves apart as leaders in the future, or workforce or whatever, and one is that we're going to all have to have a creative, entrepreneurial mindset. 00:24:00.843 --> 00:24:02.692 George Chiros behind me. 00:24:02.692 --> 00:24:09.019 He talks about the innovator's mindset and we argue all the time about whether or not that's the right name. 00:24:09.019 --> 00:24:12.391 You know, innovator's mindset or entrepreneurial mindset but it's. 00:24:12.391 --> 00:24:27.462 You know there's going to be a lot of rote, standard processes that are going to be natural and that technology will absorb, but the creativity of an innovator's mindset or an entrepreneurial mindset, I think is something that we've all got to embrace. 00:24:28.450 --> 00:24:32.951 And then I think we're going to have to understand and be able to change. 00:24:32.951 --> 00:24:47.417 The world is changing at such a rapid pace that, even if again, understanding who you are and what your constraints and strengths are, even if you know it's not natural for you to embrace change. 00:24:47.417 --> 00:24:53.440 You have to be adaptable to it, because it is going to be, it's inevitable, and if not, we're standing still. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:25:22.292 And then, finally, I would just tell you, you know, I think what cannot ever leave us, no matter what AI comes in or technology comes in is there's always a human side, and the relational component of who you are and how you portray yourself and how you communicate to me is what will always set you apart from others, and it is. 00:25:22.292 --> 00:25:27.833 It's something that I think is a skill set that we have to tackle and focus on, and, even though these screens are comfortable, humans are the thing that are going to really drive us forward. 00:25:29.836 --> 00:25:30.838 Well, I agree with that. 00:25:30.838 --> 00:25:43.701 Again, I don't think any of us were created to be the Lone Ranger and there's no doubt what you just said we were created to be in communion with one another and to recognize that and to tap into that kind of strength. 00:25:43.701 --> 00:25:46.653 I like to say none of us is as strong as all of us. 00:25:46.653 --> 00:25:52.570 That's true mentally, academically, physically, emotionally, spiritually. 00:25:52.570 --> 00:25:54.315 There's power in numbers. 00:25:54.315 --> 00:25:57.221 And I love what you said about creativity. 00:25:57.221 --> 00:25:58.384 See, great minds, think alike. 00:25:58.384 --> 00:25:59.102 I'm telling you creativity, see great minds, think alike. 00:25:59.102 --> 00:26:00.630 I'm telling you, dr Terry, great minds, think alike. 00:26:01.152 --> 00:26:05.275 I actually have an inkblot that I carry when I give presentations. 00:26:05.275 --> 00:26:07.548 I'll share this with you because you might want to use this. 00:26:07.548 --> 00:26:14.179 But I carry this inkblot and I hold it up and I ask the crowd to tell me what it is, and it never fails. 00:26:14.179 --> 00:26:15.480 Somebody will say what's an inkblot? 00:26:15.480 --> 00:26:16.261 I said great. 00:26:16.261 --> 00:26:18.365 I said let me tell you about this inkblot. 00:26:18.365 --> 00:26:25.078 I took this inkblot into a classroom of 25 kindergartners and I asked 25 kindergartners what is this? 00:26:25.078 --> 00:26:27.053 How many hands do you think went up? 00:26:27.053 --> 00:26:31.863 All of them, how many is? 00:26:31.903 --> 00:26:34.432 that 22,. 00:26:34.432 --> 00:26:36.920 Usually 50. 00:26:37.029 --> 00:26:38.616 How do kindergartners raise their hands? 00:26:38.616 --> 00:26:42.038 They're stomping their feet, saying call on me. 00:26:42.038 --> 00:26:45.780 25 kindergartners gave me 76 responses. 00:26:45.780 --> 00:26:47.717 That's what that inkblot was. 00:26:47.717 --> 00:26:52.522 It was a cross-section of wood hole in the snow, spit on the street, bug on a windshield. 00:26:52.522 --> 00:26:54.496 One little boy looks under his desk. 00:26:54.496 --> 00:26:55.459 He goes, it's under here. 00:26:55.459 --> 00:26:57.557 76 responses. 00:26:57.557 --> 00:27:02.380 And then I took the same inkblot into the largest civic club in my community. 00:27:02.701 --> 00:27:04.434 I tried and I said what is this? 00:27:04.434 --> 00:27:05.906 They said it's an eight blot. 00:27:05.906 --> 00:27:12.864 And there's an old saying that said we enter this world as question marks and we leave this world as exclamation points. 00:27:12.864 --> 00:27:19.319 And so to your point challenge people to have that competitive edge of creativity. 00:27:19.881 --> 00:27:25.277 That's right Of innovation To think outside of the box. 00:27:25.277 --> 00:27:27.701 Unless you're in Forney, then we're going to think inside Forney. 00:27:27.701 --> 00:27:31.597 So I love what you said. 00:27:31.597 --> 00:27:40.532 You know one more thing that I'd like to share with you, because I think you're creating this culture there, and I want to again compliment you. 00:27:40.573 --> 00:27:49.971 But I used the story of when I went to a Friday night football game and I love hearing people chuckle when I say that and I said, yeah, I went to one, it was really good. 00:27:49.971 --> 00:27:56.192 I said there were seven coaches on the side and I said at halftime three more came out of the press box. 00:27:56.192 --> 00:28:04.298 And then I found out there were three more out that were scouting other teams and I said, now do the math on that it's 13 coaches. 00:28:04.298 --> 00:28:05.942 For what? 00:28:05.942 --> 00:28:13.242 For one season and one sport on one field of that kid's life. 00:28:13.242 --> 00:28:16.479 Yet they've got their entire future ahead of them. 00:28:16.479 --> 00:28:23.238 They put all that effort in to compete, and so I challenge educators. 00:28:23.238 --> 00:28:28.959 I said what are you doing to compete for the minds of your kids when you walk into that classroom every day? 00:28:28.959 --> 00:28:37.741 It's not about checking a box so I can turn in an assignment, a classroom to show my principal that I did my assignments. 00:28:37.741 --> 00:28:45.840 It's about competing for the minds of those kids because they've got their whole field of life ahead of them. 00:28:45.840 --> 00:29:01.717 The whole game is still ahead of them and we need to compete for their attention, the same way we compete in sports, in band, in fine arts, in ag, it doesn't matter, I don't care what it is, it's not just about chasing the banner or the trophy. 00:29:02.759 --> 00:29:08.782 I tell people all the time we're not trying to race champion animals in ag and FFA, we're trying to race champion kids. 00:29:08.782 --> 00:29:12.958 Well, to race champion kids, I got to compete for their minds. 00:29:12.958 --> 00:29:14.451 I got to compete for their attention. 00:29:14.451 --> 00:29:17.974 I got to have them doing what you're doing and that's thinking what if? 00:29:17.974 --> 00:29:19.457 Compete for their attention? 00:29:19.457 --> 00:29:20.878 I got to have them doing what you're doing and that's thinking what if? 00:29:20.878 --> 00:29:22.361 Think about possibilities? 00:29:22.361 --> 00:29:32.990 And because of what you do with your district, you've inspired that in your teachers. 00:29:32.990 --> 00:29:34.032 So then, what are your teachers doing? 00:29:34.053 --> 00:29:57.426 They're doing that exact same thing and something tells me, if they're not, not, they may be moving to another school district, but it's because that's the culture that's trying to be created well, and I appreciate you saying that, aaron, and you know you hit on this concept of risk taking and I think it's something that we all have to do, especially moving forward in in the of education. 00:29:57.426 --> 00:30:10.853 It's a transforming beast that we're all going to have to figure out together and what that looks like and you know what you keep talking about it really comes down to one word to me, and it's called engagement. 00:30:10.853 --> 00:30:26.082 Whether it's a Friday night football game or whether you're, you know, in the barn in the mornings at 6 am shoveling manure, you know, I mean my gosh, my daughter did that and she raised a pig and she loved it right. 00:30:26.082 --> 00:30:33.012 She was thinking she would sit there and have more fun shoveling manure than I did hitting a baseball, I promise you. 00:30:33.073 --> 00:30:40.560 But it's finding what that engagement is in that connection for those kids and you hit on that and it's so important that we compete for that. 00:30:40.560 --> 00:30:43.069 But I'm going to broaden it a little wider. 00:30:43.069 --> 00:30:51.714 I think we're also now getting in the world of it's not just about the engagement of the student, but it's also going to be about the engagement of the family. 00:30:51.714 --> 00:31:05.743 That is something that, from a mindset standpoint, we're going to have to broaden our perspective and approach, because I think it's going to be more of a collective decision and engagement that we're going to have to really go tackle together. 00:31:05.743 --> 00:31:07.664 So just a thought. 00:31:07.986 --> 00:31:09.446 No, no, let me tell you something. 00:31:09.446 --> 00:31:18.814 Let me tell you how far ahead you are with what you just said, mr Walrath, dick Walrath, very, very we're very appreciative of his philanthropy. 00:31:18.814 --> 00:31:19.857 They made a movie about him. 00:31:19.857 --> 00:31:25.362 He's given over $30 million to 4-H and FFA kids just right here in the state of Texas. 00:31:25.362 --> 00:31:31.231 But I remember he and I were sitting and talking one day and he was telling me exactly what you just said he goes, aaron, he goes. 00:31:31.231 --> 00:31:34.038 Times have changed, he goes used to. 00:31:34.701 --> 00:31:40.319 You'd sit down with your grandparents and the older people and they'd tell you about life and things he said. 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:47.516 Now, technology and information, the kids are sharing information with people older than them. 00:31:47.516 --> 00:31:53.915 They're showing their grandparents how to get on FaceTime and how to use an app, and I mean so. 00:31:53.915 --> 00:32:02.557 There's no question to your point that the dynamics of family and communication have changed, and you can stand in front of it. 00:32:02.557 --> 00:32:05.278 You can say stop, it's like a big millstone rolling downhill. 00:32:05.278 --> 00:32:07.897 Yeah, you're going to get squished, that's right. 00:32:07.897 --> 00:32:11.211 Maybe you can get on one side or the other To your point. 00:32:11.211 --> 00:32:16.971 Maybe help direct it to where we want it to go, dr Terry. 00:32:16.971 --> 00:32:19.058 So one last question here leadership. 00:32:19.058 --> 00:32:24.494 Real quick, give me three leadership tips If you were going to give somebody three leadership tips, what would you tell them? 00:32:27.663 --> 00:32:29.846 I think I hit on some of this earlier, probably. 00:32:29.846 --> 00:32:35.454 But you know, I would say, embrace and be adaptable to change and not be risk adverse. 00:32:35.454 --> 00:32:36.362 You've got. 00:32:36.362 --> 00:32:37.586 You've got to be ready for it. 00:32:37.586 --> 00:32:43.792 You know, have an open mind to the possibilities and be willing to tackle the future. 00:32:43.792 --> 00:33:04.761 And probably then, most important, the core component is always going to be you know, take care of others and build relationships with those around you and no matter what business that you're in, and no matter you know, what decision you're trying to tackle or tough conversation that you're trying to approach, you can always be kind. 00:33:04.761 --> 00:33:06.885 You can always be kind. 00:33:06.885 --> 00:33:25.930 That is something that I think will pay dividends in the long run, even when it's a challenging conversation that you're trying to tackle and you may not like that person as much as maybe somebody else that's sitting across from you, but we can always be kind and it sets a stage for them to return that favor. 00:33:25.930 --> 00:33:27.794 Sometimes that'll take you a long way. 00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:29.742 I'm going to have to send it to you. 00:33:29.742 --> 00:33:33.833 So you remember the great motivational speaker, zig Ziglar. 00:33:33.833 --> 00:33:38.832 So Zig's son, tom Ziglar, serves on our board of directors. 00:33:38.832 --> 00:33:43.450 I'm drinking my coffee one Saturday morning, the phone rings. 00:33:43.450 --> 00:33:45.182 It's Tom and he goes. 00:33:45.262 --> 00:33:48.387 Aaron, I've been watching the news and I've been watching and listening to social media. 00:33:48.387 --> 00:33:49.843 I've been following everything that's going on. 00:33:49.843 --> 00:33:50.023 He goes. 00:33:50.023 --> 00:33:53.972 I want you to know that I'm choosing to identify as a virtuist. 00:33:53.972 --> 00:33:57.005 And I said, okay, you got my attention. 00:33:57.005 --> 00:33:59.009 This is what he said. 00:33:59.009 --> 00:34:00.472 He said, aaron, he goes. 00:34:00.472 --> 00:34:05.009 If I were blind and if I were deaf, he goes. 00:34:05.068 --> 00:34:13.813 What difference would your politics make, or your color of your skin, or your religion, or your sexual orientation? 00:34:13.813 --> 00:34:15.045 He just goes through this whole list. 00:34:15.045 --> 00:34:17.327 He goes, aaron, I think if I were in that position, he goes. 00:34:17.327 --> 00:34:20.586 The only thing that would matter is the way that you treat me. 00:34:20.586 --> 00:34:21.630 That's right. 00:34:21.630 --> 00:34:29.833 And then he goes through his list of 10 virtues and I told him I said, tom, hang up, go call copyright copyright, that, because that's really good. 00:34:29.833 --> 00:34:31.644 And he did. 00:34:31.684 --> 00:34:48.324 But to your point, at the end of the day, it's really those virtues of kindness, of how we treat people I can still be progressive, but I can do it with patience, that's right, dignity. 00:34:48.324 --> 00:34:53.201 And I can be open-minded, by the way, y'all like the open-minded thing. 00:34:53.201 --> 00:34:55.344 Just don't be so open-minded, your brain falls out. 00:34:55.344 --> 00:34:57.489 So be open. 00:34:57.489 --> 00:35:06.864 You know, dr Terry, I've I've only gotten to know Dr Terry over the past couple of years and I just got to tell you, um, I like talking to him. 00:35:06.864 --> 00:35:09.168 He energizes me because of the way that he thinks. 00:35:09.168 --> 00:35:14.978 And um, talking to him, he energizes me because of the way that he thinks. 00:35:14.978 --> 00:35:23.849 And um, you know, we always and around our shop we always say the essence of leadership is to plant trees under whose shade we may never sit. 00:35:23.889 --> 00:35:29.143 And when we're we're in the work that we're in, by the way, dr Terry, I told Tom Ziegler one time he said tell me what you do. 00:35:29.143 --> 00:35:31.146 And I said I'm in the future business. 00:35:31.146 --> 00:35:33.230 And he said what do you mean? 00:35:33.230 --> 00:35:34.391 I said I'm in the kid business. 00:35:36.353 --> 00:35:55.748 And when I think about what a privilege it is to do that and to do it with some passion and to do it with some innovation, and do it because we want to make it better for those that are going to follow in our footsteps, to create trees under whose shade we may never sit, I just want you to know that I appreciate you in that vein. 00:35:55.748 --> 00:35:56.952 I appreciate what you do. 00:35:56.952 --> 00:36:00.425 I know it's not easy to be a campus administrator. 00:36:00.425 --> 00:36:02.911 It's a thankless job. 00:36:02.911 --> 00:36:04.422 It's probably like an elected official. 00:36:04.422 --> 00:36:13.443 People that don't know all the intricacies of what goes into that of managing personnels and facilities and parents and community standards. 00:36:13.443 --> 00:36:14.445 I mean, oh my gosh. 00:36:14.445 --> 00:36:24.262 I have no idea the politics that you deal with, but something tells me you do it because you want to give back and make it better for the people that are in your care. 00:36:25.625 --> 00:36:28.873 You know, there's no doubt you know school districts make great speed bumps. 00:36:28.873 --> 00:36:34.161 No doubt you know school districts make great speed bumps. 00:36:34.161 --> 00:36:35.501 We really do, and no matter what the topic of conversation. 00:36:35.501 --> 00:36:36.081 But, as you said, it's a. 00:36:36.081 --> 00:36:40.505 It's a challenging, thankless job that educators take on, but it's the most important. 00:36:40.505 --> 00:36:55.737 In my opinion, my humble opinion the most important career in the world, because every career starts in the teacher's classroom and those students that run through those classrooms they're worth it and even on the tough days they are worth it. 00:36:55.737 --> 00:37:05.280 So we appreciate you and appreciate what FFA and our agricultural programs do across Texas and our nation. 00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:10.092 It's amazing the skill sets that you guys are putting in and instilling in our students and staff. 00:37:10.092 --> 00:37:11.184 So thank you, guys. 00:37:12.121 --> 00:37:15.126 We appreciate that and we're not done. 00:37:15.126 --> 00:37:16.813 Keep working on, that's right. 00:37:16.813 --> 00:37:22.447 Yeah, and I echo what Dr Terry said Teachers, you're never going to be told thank you enough. 00:37:22.447 --> 00:37:24.565 But let me tell you something. 00:37:24.565 --> 00:37:26.967 There's a guy right there, dr Terry. 00:37:26.967 --> 00:37:29.248 There's a guy right there, aaron Alejandro. 00:37:29.248 --> 00:37:32.744 Y'all made a difference, so now we're trying to do that. 00:37:32.744 --> 00:37:34.905 So you never know how you touch the future. 00:37:34.905 --> 00:37:36.387 That's what Krista McCullough said. 00:37:36.387 --> 00:37:38.590 She said I touch the future, I teach. 00:37:38.590 --> 00:37:42.255 So anyway, all right, dr Terry. 00:37:42.255 --> 00:37:43.516 One last fun question. 00:37:43.516 --> 00:37:52.721 Oh no, I'm just curious, dr Terry, what is the best concert? 00:37:53.780 --> 00:37:54.282 you've ever been to. 00:37:54.282 --> 00:37:57.784 Oh man, this is one area that I am not real strong in. 00:37:57.784 --> 00:38:11.014 My wife makes fun of me constantly because I just make up the words to my own music and I never can tell you who sang it, but usually when I sing it in my head, it's always better than the way I heard it. 00:38:11.014 --> 00:38:12.735