Tag: Ohio ag speaker

Life

Modeling clay

rosehartschuh

Last week, Greg, the boys, and I were honored to spend time celebrating a new marriage of one of my past students. Surrounded by so many individuals who were influential in my early career, I couldn’t help but be transported back in time.

I stepped into the classroom right out of college. And, when I say right out of college, I mean, right out of college. I graduated Ohio State a couple of quarters early on a Sunday in December, and I started my position less than 24 hours later. I spent three days in the classroom before taking off the end of the week to get married. If you’re going through some life changes, why not do them all at once? Although my undergraduate education and a variety of internships had done a remarkable job of preparing me to teach, it was obvious I still had a lot to learn.

I walked into a less-than-ideal situation. The previous teacher was one of those larger than life legends in the community and across the state. Tragically, he passed away unexpectedly, leaving a void in many hearts and in a classroom he had served for decades. And, now, fresh out of college, I was going to take his position and attempt to win these teenagers over.

I could write volumes about the struggles I faced as the new kid on the block, yet in all honesty, I’ve set many of those challenges to the back of my mind. Last week, back in the midst of the people who supported me and walked alongside me in that period of my life, I didn’t remember the times I ended the day in tears or the frustrations I felt when I didn’t feel like I’d ever make progress. Instead, I remembered the kind words of encouragement from parents and the feelings of gratitude to students who helped me win over their peers. Above all, I felt blessed, for I was reminded of something incredible: each experience we face in life, good or bad, molds us into a stronger person.

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That’s like the expression I once heard someone say: every seven years, we are essentially a new person. All of the cells in our body are replaced by new ones, and we literally are no longer the same person we were seven years ago. I believe the same thing applies to our hearts and minds. Like modeling clay, we are constantly growing and developing into new people. The trick is to allow ourselves to be molded in a positive direction and to never harden our hearts and minds to the people and events we encounter.

I know some of my former students are reading this, and to you, I say thank you. I am grateful for the time we spent together, and I cherish the memories, both good and bad. Although I’m no longer in the classroom, I truly believe because of that experience, I am a better version of myself. While I was the teacher, it was you who were teaching me the virtues of patience, grace, preparedness, and so many others. I may only pray that I, too, helped mold you into the adults you are today.

Experience… it’s the teacher of all things.

Ag Keynote Speaker, Farm, Women in Agriculture

Celebrating women in ag

rosehartschuh

Today, I had the opportunity to join the women attending the Eastern Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference. I keynoted the event, sharing about Girl Power.

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As women in agriculture, we do play a unique role in the industry. We are the industry runners. We run for parts, run people between farms, run equipment, run food, run kids, run, run, run. We fill the gaps that nobody else does. We are the doers and the dreamers and the bearings that make the wheels go round.

I shared this video today, and it gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. Women in ag are defying stereotypes and creating their own destinies. Women, you rock!

Farm, Women in Agriculture

The million dollar question

rosehartschuh

It’s the question I get most often in my life, right after, “Mom, are my boots on the right feet?”

“What do you do?”

On the surface, it’s a pretty simple question. After all, it’s a fairly basic get-to-know-someone inquiry.

C_89roIU0AEkH4RFor someone like me, however, it’s a bit more complicated. You see, I’m one of those people who read in to everything. What’s the person looking for? What do they want to know? What’s going to resonate most with them? How much do I share? These questions and more float quickly through my brain, before I throw out a surface-deep answer. Usually, I respond something like, “Greg farms full-time, and I stay at home with our little ones.”

While that’s entirely true, and in of itself is quite enough most days, there’s more. Typically, I refrain from sharing the other bits and pieces, because while I can juggle the tasks before me, I know not everyone is wired the same way. I’m wired to have 13 different things on my plate; each takes up their own space, but at the end of the day, I love how they mesh and mold together.

If I were to tell the full story, I’d tell about four pieces of my life outside of farm wife and mom to two spectacular boys. I’d tell about the businesses and organizations listed here. I’d tell about how I love the life Greg and I are creating. I would tell about how I do get overwhelmed some days, but how I also love the complexity and variety each of these things bring. I’d tell about how there’s no industry quite like American agriculture. I’d tell about how for our life, each of these pieces fits together perfectly in one big picture puzzle.

I’d talk for seemingly hours about the things I’m passionate about. And, then, I’d simply say, “Tell me what sets your heart on fire.”