SC Farm Bureau teaches Agriculture in the Classroom to Darlington County Teachers
Charleston, SC – Darlington County teachers Diana Salehi and Christine Balissary were among fifty educators from across the South Carolina who recently learned how to bring agriculture into their classrooms. The South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation (SCFB) hosted its annual Ag in the Classroom Summer Teacher Institute June 5-9 in Charleston, SC, where teachers of grades pre-K through 8th grade in public and private schools learned the importance of family farms and farmers and how to teach agricultural lesson to their students.
Darlington County teachers Diana Salehi and Christine Balissary were among fifty educators from across the South Carolina who recently met in Charleston to learn how to bring agriculture into their classrooms. The South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation’s Ag in the Classroom Summer Teacher Institute allowed educators to tour farms and gain first-hand knowledge about agriculture.
“The Ag in the Classroom program has many benefits because we can educate teachers about the importance of agriculture, and those teachers are then going to take that back to their own classrooms of, sometimes, thirty students. The overall outreach of the program is unmatched,” said Harry Ott, SCFB President.
In addition to instruction about their learning and teaching styles, Institute participants heard from agriculture and education experts from Clemson University’s College Relations/Ag Careers Department, Department of Animal and Veterinary Science, the SC Ag Statistics Department, and the SC Department of Agriculture. Participants also experienced two days of farm tours in the lowcountry, including a USDA Research and Education Center, the Charleston Tea Plantation, Dantzler Farms in Santee, SC and Terry Thomas Dairy Farm in Bowman, SC.
“It is so important that students learn where their food and resources come from,” said Vonne Knight, SCFB Director of Ag Literacy. “Providing teachers with not only the information and lesson plans they need, but also the confidence to teach agriculture makes it easy for them to do just that.”
“I never cease to be amazed at the positive agricultural impact this course makes in the lives of teachers from across the state during this one week,” said Knight. “Teachers leave with a greater understanding of and appreciation for agriculture. I have never been part of a more rewarding higher education experience.”
Ag in the Classroom Institute participants received lesson plans aligned to the state curriculum standards to use in their own classroom this fall. They also left with resources they can use to teach students about agriculture and the benefits farmers add to the economy, the environment and the community.
Participants earned three hours of graduate credit for recertification from Winthrop University, courtesy of SCFB’s Ag in the Classroom Fund. Along with a modest registration fee, which many County Farm Bureau chapters reimburse to participants, sponsorships raised through the SCFB’s Ag in the Classroom Fund cover the cost of tuition, room and board, resource speakers and tours, and materials for the weeklong institute.
“If agriculture is to maintain its status as South Carolina’s largest business sector – providing more than 212,000 jobs and more than a $42 billion impact on South Carolina’s economy – we’ve got to help people understand the link between their food and fiber and the farm,” said Ott. “Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program is a tool to help us accomplish that goal through our state’s teachers, and in turn to our state’s children.”
The 2017 SCFB Ag in the Classroom Summer Teacher Institute was funded through generous support from the SC Ag in the Classroom Fund, SC Farm Bureau Federation, SC Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, SC Beef Council Plus Program, SC Soybean Board, the SC Peanut Board, Newberry Electric Cooperative, Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, Edisto Electric Cooperative, SC Cattlemen’s Foundation, SC Advocates for Agriculture and SC Greenhouse Growers Association.
SCFB’s Ag in the Classroom program also offers year-round no-cost in-service workshops to South Carolina pre-kindergarten through middle school teachers, schools, and school districts. To make a tax deductible contribution to the 501(c)(3) Ag in the Classroom program, for more information, or to schedule an in-service workshop, contact SCFB Ag Literacy Program Director Vonne Knight at 803-936-4409 or vknight@scfb.org.
The SC Farm Bureau Federation is a non-profit membership organization formed to promote and preserve the work of family farmers and rural lifestyles across the state. The organization serves nearly 100,000 member families in 47 chapters and has been around since 1944. Persons interested in supporting agricultural education are encouraged to contact their county Farm Bureau office or the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation at www.scfb.org.