4-H in the North Country
By John Mosley
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But perhaps the most impressive advert for 4-H comes last of all:
"Several years ago, there was a young man involved in our program who had an animal project," Jablonski begins, "He talked constantly about his sheep project in school, and his special education teacher asked to visit.When he and his teacher arrived at the farm, he was showing her the barn, his leased project animals and the way they needed to be cared for during the winter months. While he was there, he noticed a ewe that was in labor and having difficulty with the birth. The young man said to his teacher, 'I have to take care of this.' He called the owner... and the veterinarian, followed their instructions, and birthed the lamb before the vet or the owner arrived... The teacher... had never seen this side of this young man who had multiple learning challenges in the academic classroom setting. She was then able to work with his strengths to
further his education."
The teacher, as Jablonski was told, had never seen this side of a student who struggled with multiple learning disabilities. However, watching him perform under such pressure encouraged the teacher to work to his strengths to further his education-Jablonski happily reports that he has since gone on to college and become a young professional.
For Barker, the volunteers that make these moments possible are just as stirring as the tales of achievement themselves:
"The thing that inspires me the most is that the program is conducted wholly by volunteers. People take time from their schedules and volunteer. We have an office of one full-time and one part-time employee working with seventy to eighty volunteers, and we deliver to hundreds of students. Our program works because of our volunteers' quality and enthusiasm."
Listening to so many success stories, that quality isn't all that hard to notice.
If you'd like more information about NH 4-H, call the State 4-H office at (603) 862-2180.
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