By Julie Tomascik
Editor
Regardless of the subject, agriculture has a place in the classroom, and teachers received tools and resources needed to incorporate agriculture into their curriculum during Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) Teacher Ag Academy last month.
“Teachers are always looking for resources, no matter if you’ve been teaching for one year or 12 years,” Pam Hennigan, a fourth grade math and science teacher at Dodd Elementary in Wylie, said. “We’re looking for activities that are fun for the students, but new resources also brings back excitement for us as teachers. This event was fast-paced and engaging. It made learning fun on a Saturday morning.”
The Teacher Ag Academy was a virtual professional development event designed to show teachers how to bring agriculture to life in the classroom and allow them to ask questions and network with other educators.
The free event included three presentations and a virtual farm tour.
“Professional development opportunities are vital to having educators expand and diversify the material taught in the classroom. Our goal at Texas Farm Bureau is to provide valuable opportunities that allow teachers to learn what resources are available and how to truly utilize those resources to increase agricultural literacy,” Jordan Walker, TFB director of Educational Outreach, said. “This opportunity allowed teachers from across the state, no matter their location, to engage in learning from experts and other educators without traveling a far distance or incurring expenses.”
Presenters took the educators on a virtual nature walk and conducted science experiments. Each session showed how concepts students are learning in the classroom can relate to agriculture.
The teachers toured Volleman’s Dairy in Gustine to see how farmers and ranchers use science and technology. The live question-and-answer session allowed them to better understand modern agricultural practices.
“I’m pioneering a STEM class. All of what I learned, I can work into that course,” said Alyssa Mathes, a science, history and STEM teacher at Tom Bean Middle School. “The dairy tour, which was the last part, was the culmination of everything we learned. What that farmer does involves social studies, science and STEM. He has to have marketing skills. He has to understand technology and adapt. He’s always learning.”
The workshop also sparked ideas on how teachers can build relationships with area farmers and county Farm Bureau offices.
“It inspired me to think about how I can work with local farmers and have them share information with us. It could be virtual. They could come to the classroom. I’d like to connect my students more with the community and with the agriculture in our area,” Alyssa said. “I think I learned enough information from this one workshop to keep incorporating into lessons for years to come.”
The program offered teachers a few hours to engage, learn and gather agricultural resources from TFB and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture.
“Students need to be engaged, and that puts pressure on teachers. We’re constantly adapting, and the online resources Farm Bureau showed us will be great to have as I look for ways to incorporate agriculture in what I teach in my classroom,” Hennigan said.
Teachers earned continuing professional education credits during the Oct. 12 virtual event, and each participant received a TFB Commodity Map that shows where various commodities are grown and raised in the state.
For more information on educational opportunities, the Teacher Ag Academy and other Ag in the Classroom materials, visit texasfarmbureau.org/aitc.