Teacher Feature
Welcome to Teacher Feature: Celebrating Wisconsin's Community of Agricultural Literacy Educators
Welcome to Teacher Feature, your go-to blog for all things related to Wisconsin's Agriculture in the Classroom program! Here, we shine a spotlight on the dedicated educators who are cultivating a love for agriculture among their students. Our mission is to share inspiring stories, innovative teaching strategies, and valuable resources that empower teachers to incorporate agricultural education into their classrooms.
Whether you're an experienced educator or just starting your journey, Teacher Feature is here to support you in fostering a deeper understanding of agriculture and its importance in our everyday lives.
Photo Courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
I am sure that all of us can remember at some point going to the store during Covid and seeing empty shelves. For me, that was the first time in my life I had experienced that. It was a reminder that we need to be able to provide more food independence for ourselves through incorporating agriculture more fully into our daily lives.
I teach in an urban school district, and while some people may think agriculture is only for rural communities, we all eat and thus relate to agriculture. My grandparents lived in Puerto Rico. When I visited as a young boy, in their backyard they had banana trees. More than we could ever eat. The neighbors had limes. Another had oranges. Each had more than enough for themselves, and they would share the surplus with the community. This model continues to inspire me to utilize agriculture education in daily life and lessons, even in the city, my students and I can create better, healthier food options and independence- much the way that my grandparents' community in Puerto Rico did.
If you're like me, you probably search high and low each year to find great ideas for lessons. I continually find myself coming back to Agriculture in the Classroom website because of all the amazing lesson plans and ideas that I can use in my classroom. The free lesson plans on the classroom matrix provide project-based learning opportunities that make teaching easier for me and more fun for my students.
The lessons on the matrix help to make my instruction more dynamic and effective. At my school, probably like most others, the students generally do not enjoy vegetables at lunch. Much of it ends up not being eaten. However, we started growing lettuce with a single hydroponics tower. The students learned what hydroponics is and how seeds grow. We grew lettuce, and they couldn't wait to eat what they had grown. Now we are up to five towers and the students love eating all sorts of greens and herbs. We even have enough to send home with the parents. Through agriculture education, my students are learning more, having fun, and making healthier choices.
It may seem daunting to try to bring agriculture into classroom instruction. While I may not be the world's foremost expert on education or agriculture, I have learned with Agriculture in the Classroom that I do have knowledge that I can impart to my students to increase their understanding of agriculture, while at the same time knowing that I can continue to learn more through educator workshops, classroom grant opportunities and conferences.
Agriculture in the Classroom is a terrific resource that provides support for teachers and students' learning. The lessons that students learn will affect and improve their lives for years to come – whether they pursue agricultural careers, become more informed consumers or choose to grow in their own community!
Josh Gonzalez is a 2nd Grade Teacher at River Trail School for Agricultural Sciences, Milwaukee Public School District, in Milwaukee, WI.