During the opening ceremony of a FFA meeting the vice-president states that he or she is stationed at the plow – a symbol of labor and tillage of the soil. However, in Tennessee there is another meaning of PLOW for FFA members – Passing Literacy OnWard.
Figure 1. The PLOW logo
In this Footnote we will learn more about the two facets of PLOW. This Footnote is a continuation of a series of Footnotes that started in November to celebrate Family Literacy Month.
What is Passing Literacy Onward?
The Tennessee FFA website has a four page document describing the PLOW program. I particularly like the second paragraph of the document which provides a rationale for PLOW:
Like the soil, we must labor to till or cultivate the mind in order that knowledge and wisdom can accomplish the great achievements of mankind. We must labor to insure that the foundation of our minds, the ability to read, is cultivated and passed onward from generation to generation. Reading is the key to all educational processes. It is the foundation from which we explore so many new opportunities, hopes, and dreams. Without labor, we cannot accomplish much. The gift of literacy is the foundation of life of the mind, the soil from which we cultivate our lives. Future generations are depending upon us to labor in preserving and promoting the ability to read, learn, and apply our knowledge and wisdom in promoting and preserving mankind.
The objective of PLOW is to promote reading literacy and comprehension in agricultural education programs across the state of Tennessee. Individual FFA members can be recognized for their efforts to improve their own reading literacy. There is also recognition for chapters who engage in activities designed to promote reading literacy in others.
What Exactly is PLOW?
According to the information on the Tennessee FFA website:
PLOW is an organized effort to promote the excitement and improvement of literacy in our agricultural education programs in Tennessee. PLOW encourages FFA members to join with their fellow chapter members and others across the state in developing their reading skills to a level of confidence and competency never achieved by mandatory programs. PLOW establishes an awards process through which FFA members and chapters are recognized for their accomplishments on an annual basis. Members and chapters are eligible for Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum awards. Every member and chapter is eligible for the awards and recognition each year.
Figure 2: From the Tennessean (Nashville, Sept. 28, 2005)
PLOW (Basic Program) Requirements
The basic PLOW program conducted at the local chapter level consists of the following requirements:
1. A PLOW committee shall be established at the chapter level. This committee will assist the chapter officers and advisor(s) in planning, promoting, and conducting the PLOW program.
2. Documentation of student involvement shall be recorded and maintained in the chapter files.
3. A member participant recognition program shall be established at the chapter level that meets the following categories of recognition:
BRONZE Award: 30 Hours of personal reading beyond the regular academic requirements.
SILVER Award: 45 Hours of personal reading beyond the regular academic requirements.
GOLD Award: 60 Hours of personal reading beyond the regular academic requirements.
PLATINUM Award: 75 hours of personal reading beyond the regular academic requirements.
PLOW (Chapter Recognition) Requirements
Chapters participating in the PLOW program at the local level may apply for state awards to be presented at the State FFA Convention. Chapter awards are based on teams or groups of members organizing and conducting activities and projects at the chapter, school, and/or community levels. The awards are progressive depending upon the degree of participation and the number of activities conducted. There are four levels of awards at the state level for chapters.
State BRONZE: Winning chapters must meet the requirements of the basic PLOW program at the local chapter level plus a minimum of one (1) reading literacy activity within the chapter membership promoting membership involvement in the PLOW program.
State SILVER: Winning chapters must meet basic PLOW, State BRONZE, plus organizing and conducting a minimum of one (1) school-wide reading literacy activity.
State GOLD: Winning chapters must meet basic PLOW, State SILVER, plus organizing and conducting a minimum of one (1) community reading literacy activity.
State PLATINUM: Winning chapters must meet basic PLOW, State GOLD, plus four additional requirements such as submitting newspaper articles, including letters of recognition from school or community officials, helping other school clubs with literacy efforts, or conducting additional literacy projects above the minimum.
In 2021 the Platinum award was earned by 13 FFA chapters, 18 received Gold recognition, and there was one Silver chapter.
Figure 3., From the Gallatin, TN News-Examiner, February 25, 2009
Concluding Remarks
Wow! The PLOW program is something FFA chapters across the country should be doing. While it has elements of the PALS program it goes above and beyond that.
In the early days of the FFA there was a concerted effort to promote reading among the members. FFA members were encouraged to have home libraries and thousands of FFA chapters had chapter libraries. But over time this effort seemed to wane. Perhaps it is time to revisit the idea and place a renewed emphasis on encouraging our students to read. Possibly there could be a monthly reading day where students spend the entire class period reading. Or maybe we could implement a PLOW program in our chapters.
During the Pandemic my favorite quote was “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”