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2008 AITC Teacher of the
Year
Year
‘Never Too Young’ Attitude
Focus of AITC Teacher of the Year
By MICHAEL DANNA
Farm Bureau News Staff Writer
EGAN -- It’s reading time for Frances Miller’s Pre-K class here at Egan Elementary
School. An alphabet book about agriculture is today’s literary selection.
The wide-eyed four-year-olds sit huddled
around their teacher on a rug featuring farm
scenes. They’re waiting for the story to begin.
They’ve heard it before, but it doesn’t matter.
It gives them an opportunity to show off their
knowledge of farming.
“Cows give milk,” one student exclaims as
Miller turns a page. “Bread comes from
wheat,” another interjects. Miller smiles and
urges them to raise their hands before they
comment.
It’s the end of the school year and these kids
know a lot about farming, thanks to Miller and
the Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom
program. Frances Miller has been named the
Louisiana Farm Bureau’s 2008 Ag in the
Classroom teacher of the year. The honor
is reserved for teachers who incorporate agriculture into their daily lesson plans, while
improving the educational opportunities of their students.
Egan Elementary is located in Acadia Parish, in the heart of rice growing country. But
do kids who live in one of the most diverse farming communities in the state need to
learn about where their food comes from?
“They absolutely do because they think everything comes from the grocery store,”
Miller says. “When we first started incorporating AITC materials into our lessons they
didn’t know where much of the food they ate came from. Right now I can see they
know a lot more about now than they did in the fall.”
Through the Ag in the Classroom program, Miller’s Pre-K students know cows
produce milk and meat, wheat is made into bread and cotton is made into clothing.
Miller said farmers and their place in both the food chain and the farm economy are
lessons not lost on her four-year olds.
“I have done that just by using everything in our everyday lives,” she says. “When we
go to lunch we talk about what’s on our plate. What animal did it come from? What
other products are made from that animal or plant. So it’s making an impact on them.
I want them to know that everything they touch and everything they eat had to come
from somewhere.”
Miller was chosen from teachers across Louisiana by a panel of educators, including
Lynda Danos, a veteran science teacher and director of the Farm Bureau’s Ag in the
Classroom program. Danos says Miller’s use of the program typifies how farming and
its importance can be used successfully in the classroom.
“It’s a way we can recognize and award teachers who are doing a good job in
agricultural literacy and integrating agriculture into their core curriculums,” Danos
said. “We can make Frances and teachers like her shining examples of how the
program works.”
Miller says she’s shared her AITC programs with other teachers, who, she says, see
the immediate benefits of such materials.
“When they see what we’ve done they want it,” she says. “We tell them all they have
to do is ask. We have the information and we’ll gladly make it available to them
because it’s a wonderful program.”
As the 2008 AITC Teacher of the Year Miller will attend the national AITC conference
in June in Costa Mesa, Calif. She also receives $500 cash, which she says she’ll
spend on materials for her classroom.
“I’ve used the program and will continue to use it,” Miller says. “I love it, but more
importantly, the kids love it.”
Focus of AITC Teacher of the Year
By MICHAEL DANNA
Farm Bureau News Staff Writer
EGAN -- It’s reading time for Frances Miller’s Pre-K class here at Egan Elementary
School. An alphabet book about agriculture is today’s literary selection.
The wide-eyed four-year-olds sit huddled
around their teacher on a rug featuring farm
scenes. They’re waiting for the story to begin.
They’ve heard it before, but it doesn’t matter.
It gives them an opportunity to show off their
knowledge of farming.
“Cows give milk,” one student exclaims as
Miller turns a page. “Bread comes from
wheat,” another interjects. Miller smiles and
urges them to raise their hands before they
comment.
It’s the end of the school year and these kids
know a lot about farming, thanks to Miller and
the Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom
program. Frances Miller has been named the
Louisiana Farm Bureau’s 2008 Ag in the
Classroom teacher of the year. The honor
is reserved for teachers who incorporate agriculture into their daily lesson plans, while
improving the educational opportunities of their students.
Egan Elementary is located in Acadia Parish, in the heart of rice growing country. But
do kids who live in one of the most diverse farming communities in the state need to
learn about where their food comes from?
“They absolutely do because they think everything comes from the grocery store,”
Miller says. “When we first started incorporating AITC materials into our lessons they
didn’t know where much of the food they ate came from. Right now I can see they
know a lot more about now than they did in the fall.”
Through the Ag in the Classroom program, Miller’s Pre-K students know cows
produce milk and meat, wheat is made into bread and cotton is made into clothing.
Miller said farmers and their place in both the food chain and the farm economy are
lessons not lost on her four-year olds.
“I have done that just by using everything in our everyday lives,” she says. “When we
go to lunch we talk about what’s on our plate. What animal did it come from? What
other products are made from that animal or plant. So it’s making an impact on them.
I want them to know that everything they touch and everything they eat had to come
from somewhere.”
Miller was chosen from teachers across Louisiana by a panel of educators, including
Lynda Danos, a veteran science teacher and director of the Farm Bureau’s Ag in the
Classroom program. Danos says Miller’s use of the program typifies how farming and
its importance can be used successfully in the classroom.
“It’s a way we can recognize and award teachers who are doing a good job in
agricultural literacy and integrating agriculture into their core curriculums,” Danos
said. “We can make Frances and teachers like her shining examples of how the
program works.”
Miller says she’s shared her AITC programs with other teachers, who, she says, see
the immediate benefits of such materials.
“When they see what we’ve done they want it,” she says. “We tell them all they have
to do is ask. We have the information and we’ll gladly make it available to them
because it’s a wonderful program.”
As the 2008 AITC Teacher of the Year Miller will attend the national AITC conference
in June in Costa Mesa, Calif. She also receives $500 cash, which she says she’ll
spend on materials for her classroom.
“I’ve used the program and will continue to use it,” Miller says. “I love it, but more
importantly, the kids love it.”
