Sorry you took my post that way. I refer to myself first as a Dairy Farmer, and then as an Ag Teacher - so please don't refer to me as "government type". I was raking hay in 2nd grade on the flat fields with a JD 520 so I didn't have to reach the clutch with my legs. Not sure if I know anything about work ethic, but my typical day during the school year starts at 4:00 when I go to the barn to milk, then I'm at school from 7:15-4:00, get home in time to milk at 4:30, and leave the barn around 7:00. When I get home I get a shower, have supper, grade papers if needed, and try to be a dad to my 2 kids and a husband to my wife. My 5 year old son helps broom in feed at the barn and does some teat dipping on the "good" cows(which "government types" would say is too risky for a kid his age...it probably is, but he's got to learn how to work sometime...). We rarely miss church Sundays and Wedesday nights, and because of my "Conservative Right" views concerning many social issues I'm not a fan of our liberal leaning teachers union. And I'll take 1 farm kid over 10 town kids any day in my classroom because I know they'll work for me.I took time to type up the reply I did because I have a brother who almost lost his leg in what could be called a "freak" silo accident when he was in 8th grade in a place he shouldn't have been - even though he was there dozens of times before without incident. At the time he was the fastest kid in his class, threw an 80 mph fast ball(yes - in 8th grade), and was the leading receiver/rusher on the football team. In 2 seconds all of that potential was shot down the tubes. He's had over 15 surgeries on his leg, and has another one coming up in the next month or two. That accident was 15 years ago, and it changed his life(and the rest of the family's) to this day. I don't teach the safety course that I do because I'm made to do so from someone in government - I do it voluntarily out of an obligation I feel to my community. And I do it because I feel that someone in my position as a teacher has the responsability to do what they can to try to educate people(kids especially) to do things as safely as possible. I've done things in the past that I know were not safe, and I'll do things in the future that I know aren't safe. My intention wasn't to come across as as a safety officer of some sort - just sharing my thoughts for what they were worth. Again - please accept my appologies if you felt I was somehow trying to tell the other gentleman how to raise his kid. Not my intentions at all - just trying to persuade him to think about it one more time before making that decision. Take care.
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