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AdvertisementKFAC's Teacher of Year experiences National Ag in the Classroom ConferenceKansas For Walton teacher Kathy Murphy, this summer provided an opportunity for her to continue incorporating agriculture into her classroom. As the 2009 Janet Sims Memorial Teacher of the Year, Murphy traveled to the annual National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference held June 24 to 27 at the Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis, Mo. She was recognized for her agricultural education efforts during the conference. At the conference, Murphy, a teacher at the 21st Century Rural Life Center, was able to network with teachers from across the country and learn new ways to teach her students. She attended workshop sessions on cotton and honey bees, and she gathered useful information from the Interest Approach Fair, which was a "make-and-take" session with lesson plans and activity ideas available for attendees. For her traveling workshop, Murphy visited Soulard Market, the National Great Rivers Museum and Lock and Dam, and the ADM River Terminal. Murphy's experiences at the conference helped her prepare for the new school year. This fall, she moved from teaching fifth grade to teaching third grade, which is a new challenge for her. "This requires me to learn a new curriculum and new ideas for agriculture projects for younger students," said Murphy. During the conference, she sought projects appropriate for her students, which included ways to incorporate agriculture into U.S. history lessons, a topic particularly useful at the new grade level. "I know Kathy will incorporate ideas she gained at the conference. She targeted some of the sessions she attended for the grade level she will be teaching (this) year," added Natise Vogt, Murphy's principal. Several teachers from Murphy's school were also able to experience the conference. "I'm glad our entire staff was able to attend. I hope we can come up with funding to do it again. I would encourage other teachers to attend," said Vogt. "It has been a great honor to be selected to receive [the 2009 Janet Sims Teacher of the Year] award. I would challenge teachers to find ways to help students make connections between agriculture and their lives," said Murphy. "This award and my sponsor allowed me to attend the conference, where I received many opportunities to learn about agriculture and ways to teach students about agriculture." Murphy's national conference experience was sponsored by High Plains Journal Inc. Applications for the 2010 Janet Sims Memorial Teacher of the Year and more information about the award are available on the KFAC website, www.ksagclassroom.org. Any K-12 teacher who is teaching in a Kansas certified school in a non-vocational classroom setting and who is integrating agricultural concepts into non-agricultural curricula is encouraged to apply. Applications, along with a letter of recommendation, must be postmarked by Dec. 4. Advertisement
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