The Importance of Ag in the Classroom for Teachers

The Importance of Ag in the Classroom for Teachers

                                                                    

October 12 is National Farmer’s Day. I’d decided to write something about Oklahoma’s wonderful Ag in the Classroom program for teachers when I noticed that there was a special day for farmers. We can’t do without our farmers. They feed the world. And, Ag in the Classroom helps us learn about agriculture and farming.

They say in the Ag in the Classroom program that you can’t have an Agless day. And, they’re right. From the food we eat, the clothing we wear, the bedding we sleep on, and the wood used to heat our homes and roast our marshmallows, all are a part of agriculture. In fact, Ag constantly touches our lives.

Ag in the Classroom has wonderful programs and lessons for teachers. Melody Aufill, Audrey Harmon, and Emily Ague are professional educational coordinators for the program. They visit Oklahoma schools, provide workshops, and write curriculum as needed to help teachers learn more about agriculture. Then, teachers have reliable sources, lessons, and activities for their classrooms which are aligned with state standards in English, Science, Social Studies and Math.

                                                                   

                                                              

Each year, there’s a summer bus tour to a different part of Oklahoma. The largest sponsor of the "On the Road with Ag in the Classroom" is the Oklahoma Beef Council. The three day tour helps teachers discover more about agriculture within the state. They tour farms and ranches and other areas of the state to improve their "Ag literacy". They learn how to incorporate their knowledge into lessons for their classrooms. There’s also a one day Ag in the Classroom Conference in the summer. I’ve been a part of Ag in the Classroom for many years, and I’ve been on the bus tours and spoken at some of the summer conferences. Both the summer tours and the summer institutes are very beneficial.

There are many lessons available for teachers. If you need more information about beans, bees, and beef, there are lessons for those topics. Do you need to know more about hogs, horses, or hay? There are lessons available. Do you know how to measure a horse in “hands”? There’s a lesson for that. The lessons provide needed information and have activities to accompany them.

                                                                                                      

Ag in the Classroom partners with many Ag resources and companies. Twice a year, the Pork Commission gives six $500.00 grants to teachers. The application is easy to fill out. The Beef Commission, the Noble Center, and the Wheat Commission, contribute to the Ag in the Classroom program. There are many more ag sources and sponsors too numerous to mention here. 

Although there are many topics to teach in schools, I feel that learning about agricultural products is important to our future farmers and consumers. One year, I received a commodities map of Oklahoma. It showed which Ag products were produced or grown in different counties. I hung it on a wall in a hallway, and the children were fascinated by it. They found that some counties in the state raised more beef while others counties raised more wheat or pecans. There was always a crowd around the map as children learned more about Oklahoma’s Ag products.

Ag is important. We couldn’t live without it. So, Happy Farmer's  Day! 

And, thanks, Ag in the Classroom, for what you do to help all of us learn more about agriculture.