That's why I'm glad we are having the labs. Perhaps one of the most positive educational experiences I have had in my life occurred during a three day visit to John Bown High School in Queens, New York. During my visit at John Bown, I discussed the importance of agricultural opportunities and how the National FFA Organization can help the students achieve their goals. This experience was educational for me in many ways. First of all, I grew up in a small traditional town located in Western New York with a population of 3,000.
Ethnic diversity is minimal to say the least.
The learning experience was synergistic as both myself as the presenter and the students learned about our ethnic cultures, our backgrounds, and what it was like to grow up in night and day environments. Ironically, being the facilitator during this experience was a true learning experience as I continually felt enlightened throughout my presentations. It was the openness of the students which made this experience effective. During the workshops we set goals, learned about conflict management, as well as the qualities of leadership. Even though we came from different backgrounds, the students and I shared many of the previous goals and objectives.