Tag Archives: Ag education

2023 Georgia Excellence in Ag Educator Winner Creating Unique Learning Environment for Students

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Carrollton, GA |

Just a short drive from Carrollton, across the state line, lies a forty-acre farm in Heflin, Alabama that’s become the hub of hands-on learning for Sam Camp and her family. However, Sam’s journey into the world of farming and teaching began long before she took over the STEM position at Mt. Zion Elementary.

“Grew up on a small farm. My grandfather raised pigeons and we had chickens, and at one point my dad even raised a raccoon. We just had all kind of birds and anything that we could get our hands on, even horses. So, while we didn’t actually farm necessarily, we did just have a love of animals and we grew up with that all around our house,” says Camp.

As the pandemic gripped the world, the Camp family found solace in the open spaces of their farm, providing an invaluable education for their daughter Laney. Learning the ins and outs of animal care, agriculture, and nurturing a passion for veterinary sciences, Sam realized the profound impact that farming and animal husbandry had on education.

“I have never even had the intention on ever leaving a general education classroom setting, and when this kind of came open, when I tell you I jumped on it without even thinking about it, I just ran literally to the office and was like, ‘I heard that this is open. Can I please have it?'”, says Camp.

“It was really the passion, because we knew we’re such a STEM-based school and county that I knew I needed somebody in that position that had a passion for it. Not just an interest, but a passion; Sam did. So, I knew if I put her in it, she was going to be as strong with the STEM as she was with the phonics. I knew ultimately our kids were going to benefit from that, but it did take me a while. It took me a little bit of time to convince myself to let her do it. I don’t regret it at all though. I have not ever regretted. It was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made since sitting in a principal position of letting her take that position,” says Melissa Dearman.

The fusion of STEM and agriculture became Sam’s passion. With the help of the local High School, and the Carroll County Farm Bureau, she dove headfirst into creating a unique learning environment. The connection between ‘Big Eagles’ and ‘Little Eagles’ in her class; bridging that gap between high school and elementary students became a cherished aspect of her teaching.

“Just hearing their conversations about things, seeing them handle the animals has been probably the thing I that has changed most for those kids. Just making them comfortable around animals. Seeing them properly hold a chicken and learning how to plant stuff and learning about composting. So, just seeing them live it, not just read about it on a text, has been a big change here for me,” says Camp.

Sam’s impact however didn’t stop at her classroom door. She also spearheaded safety initiatives, coordinated STEM programs across the school, and became an active representative in the agricultural community. From planning AG Days for hundreds of students, to earning grants for outdoor classrooms and gardens, Sam embodies the spirit of an educator dedicated to fostering a love for agriculture and learning.

“I just felt like there was an absence in elementary school and even somewhat into middle school. For me, when I decided to become a teacher, that was a decision I made in like first or second grade. That’s when I decided that. Sometimes you’ll ask kids to draw a picture of a farmer and you’re immediately going to get overalls and that kind of thing. So, I felt like if we didn’t do something early on and show these kids what farming actually is, then with our growing population, how are we going to survive, in the future?,” says Camp.

“I never envisioned it the way Sam had it in her head. I’m happy that she had that in her head of how she saw this being built. I just stepped back and said, ‘do it with how you want to’,” says Dearman.

By: Ray D’Alessio

FFA Chapter Diversifying Students’ Curriculum

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Dublin, GA

While rows of desks in front of a dry erase board might be your typical classroom landscape, FFA programs are looking to change that perception of learning by giving students practical experience in real life settings. Here at Dublin High School, their classroom can change by the minute.

“We’re in out greenhouse right now. They can learn about horticulture and the different things that go into growing plants in a greenhouse setting,” says Jason Halcombe, Director of Marketing for Dublin City Schools. “We also have some livestock with our goats. And we’ve also added ag mechanics and a bunch of other programs that we’re hoping to give kids as much opportunity to learn what it is that they want because primary purpose is high achieve and success for all students. We realize that shows itself in different ways. It just makes for a really fun environment for the kids where they see that learning doesn’t have to be restricted to a desk.”

This unique way of learning is not just designed to keep the students engaged, but also give them an appreciation for what the agricultural industry means to their everyday lives.

“We have a lot of children that are country adjacent but aren’t very familiar with what ag is or what agriculture is or the processes that go into creating the food and the products that we need to live on,” says Halcombe. “So, agriculture education is very vital to us and our work through CTAE and just through exposing children to the food and fiber systems that move their life.”

Recently, one student applied those lessons learned to save an abandoned baby goat. It was an unexpected experience that was the result of a split-second decision.

“We actually came out here during the storm and was under the shelter trying to get the baby to milk. And then we saw another little baby that just looked so tiny to the point where he just looked like he wasn’t getting any milk,” says Dublin FFA student, Emaley Landrum. “When Donelle came back out here to check on him he was like, ‘Emaley, he’s face down in the mud, mama is just not wanting him. Can you please come pick him up?’ So, I did and that’s how I got stuck with the goat.”

While both fun and rewarding, being the caretaker for an infant goat does present a common complaint for any newborn.

“It has taught me that a goat is exactly like having a child and it has taught me that every time he sleeps, I need to sleep, otherwise I’m not going to get sleep. But he has actually gotten a little bit better on sleeping, which is good,” says Landrum.

So, with the wide variety of topics this course touches on from animal care to business management, students get to see just how diverse the agricultural industry really is and how many different career paths it can provide.

“With agriculture being the number one industry in the state of Georgia, our kids need to be familiar because making sure that they’re college and career ready is one of our core purposes. And so, understanding that for some of our kids, if we expose them to agriculture and the agricultural opportunities, that could lead them down a path that gets them college or career ready,” says Halcombe.

By: Damon Jones

Deal Signs Green Agricultural Education Act into Law

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Macon, GA – History was made at this year’s Georgia FFA Convention as new legislation was signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal.

Governor Deal signed Senate Bill 330, or what is called the “Green Agricultural Education Act” in a ceremony during one of the general sessions.

“This piece of legislation puts into statute what FFA really has been doing for a very long time,” Deal said. “It puts it in a format where it can’t be tampered with very easily without changing the law.”

“Now across the state, any school system that offers and Ag course, also must offer FFA and SAE as part of the the instructional model, so basically, it puts our model of instruction into legislative code, which is very big for us,” said Chip Bridges, State FFA Advisor.

The bill sets up a pilot program to expand agricultural education into elementary schools. Currently, the FFA only has chapters at the middle school and high school levels, but SB 330 calls for a minimum of six elementary schools around the state to participate in the pilot program to determine whether and how an elementary agriculture education program could be implemented statewide.

The pilot is to begin with the 2019-2020 school year and will last three years, after which the DOE will report the results to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.

You can read over the entire bill by clicking here.