Hailee Toone

Hailee Toone
Weber High School

Subjects you teach: I teach Ag Bio, Floriculture, Greenhouse, and Natural Resources.
Education and or Experience. I grew up on a cow/calf operation in Juab County. My family raises Angus/Simmental cattle and farms alfalfa hay. I went through an exceptional program at Juab High School facilitated by Mr. Calvin Baird. My FFA program was very community driven and completely student ran. After graduating high school I attended Utah State University and made my way, slowly, through the Agriculture Education Program.
How many years have you been teaching? This is my first year
What do you love most about being an Ag. Teacher? There are lots of things I love about being an Agriculture Educator. I love providing students with hands-on opportunities to be involved in agriculture in some way. I love the camaraderie among fellow Ag. teachers in my school, district, and the state as a whole. I love being the "go-to" person from fellow staff in the school for all their plant, animal, and agriculture in general questions. Most of all, I love the relationships I have with my students. Sometimes it feels like our importance in their lives is so small and it very well may be. But I think even on the days we feel like we are at our wits end, there is at lest one person in the room who is genuinely happy to be there and happy to know us.
What is your biggest challenge as an Ag. Teacher? I think that my personal biggest challenge as a first year Ag. teacher is time management and the feeling of inadequacy. I feel like teachers in general worry about getting through to students or making sure classes are worth while. Teaching an array of different subjects is fun but also very tiring because there's so much to do, so much to learn, and so much to teach. There is never enough prep time or day time to complete every task on my list and that has become something I've had to just let go and let it wait until the next day.
What most prepared you for being an agriculture educator? I feel as though everything in my life prepared me to be an Ag. teacher. My up bringing in a small community and living on a farm prepared me. I learned responsibility and hard work at a young age and that transferred over to the rest of my life. My high school experience and FFA advisor prepared me. My time as a Utah State FFA officer prepared and ultimately lead me to being an Ag teacher. I got to meet FFA advisors around the state and looked up to them immensely. They all had a big part in preparing me for my career whether they knew it or not. And also the Agriculture Education program at Utah State University. Spending time in classrooms for clinicals and student teaching with the great Katie Silcox, Megan Haslam, and Tyrell Stephens shaped me into the young teacher that I am.
What does a typical day look like for you? A typical day, for me, is pretty much running around like a mad woman all day. I get to Weber and greet my class bunny, Otis. I write my "what's" and "why's" for each class that day on my white board and tidy up my room. I check my emails and get some pandora playing. I pull up all the materials I will need for the day. I check in with other Ag. teachers and see what's going on for the day. I greet my students and teach my classes. I use my entire prep time between teacher duties and advisor duties. I eat a quick lunch with the other Ag. teachers at my school and then get back to teaching and my to-do list. After the last bell rings I start working on other tasks for my to-do lists and for the next day's activities. When I finally decide I've reached a good stopping point I leave the school to go home and do my home duties.
If you could describe your career in two to three words what would they be? Everyday may not be good, but there is good in everyday. (Sorry I need like 11 words)
If you could relive one of your most memorable days as a teacher, which day would it be and why? I would re-live the first day of state convention as a student teacher. Mountain Crest teachers do a fine job at preparing their members for contests and interviews. I had helped prepare some students for the upcoming state convention and each of us had specific students or teams that we were trying to prepare and all of us had a hand in each team. The members attending convention were all competing in some sort of LDE, scholarship interview, or ag science fair. The first day was crazy and we were all running all over making sure students were where they were supposed to be. I, along with Mr. Tyrell Stephens, had spent a lot of time with the creed speaker and he ended up winning state. Hearing him announced as the winner was a feeling I can't describe. I may have even cried a little. Another student who had won ag science fair with his cousin was just smiling from ear to ear and said "This is the best night I've had in a long time". This day has been on a loop in my mind when I think about the "bad" days I've had as a teacher and I would relive it in a heartbeat.
What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession? I think it is important to be organized and responsible but also adaptable and charismatic. It is important to be "ready" for the classes you teach and upcoming FFA responsibilities. But also, because kids are involved, there is a lot of things that can pop up that you just have to roll with in and out of the classroom.
What would you say to an individual who is considering this profession? Saddle up! This is an all or nothing type of career and I feel you either have to be all in or all out. It kind of engulfs you in a good way and once you've done it you'll never want to stop. Also, don't forget at the end of the day it is about the students. Everything should be done with them in mind. Without them, our career doesn't exist.
What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching?. Well, being a first year teacher, I haven't really met this mark yet. I always joke that I don't know what I don't know and it's the truth. I know there is a whole wealth of knowledge still to be learned from experience and guidance from other Ag. teachers. I look forward to the experience and skills I will gain from the coming years and I may be able to answer this one in a few years from now.