Nourish the Future—a national education initiative developed by science teachers for science teachers—has put out the call for the next round of Teacher Leaders! This national leadership program is a year-long cohort experience especially designed for middle and high school teachers. The Teacher Leader Community (TLC) program is limited to 20 teachers, and the deadline for TLC IV application is December 1, 2022. The leadership experience begins in January 2023 with a virtual celebration and introduction to the Nourish the Future (NTF) program.
NCGA believes agriculture is a vital partner in engaging students in STEM concepts in ways that directly and indirectly impact their lives. Not only does teaching ag-based curriculum in the science classroom inspire students to solve real-world science issues, but reaching students is critical to address the job gap in agriculture-related careers, many of which go unfilled. But don’t just take our word for it! Two East Coast educators from the TLC III class recently shared their insights on how Nourish the Future’s curricula are impacting student perspectives on agriculture, sustainability and innovation.
“Water and soil are natural resources that we cannot take for granted. Students need to become more aware of the water crisis that not only affects local communities but is a global problem. The food that they eat depends on healthy soil,” said Dinean Batchelder, a science teacher at Toms River Intermediate School South in New Jersey. “Through education and exposure to these topics, students can begin to collaborate and creatively hone their problem-solving skills to develop solutions and plans for improving water and soil quality. Educating our students is the first step to developing future global citizens who can change the world.”
Jerry Citron teaches biology, AP environmental science and anatomy and physiology at Stuyvesant High School in New York. “My NYC public school students are very unaware of agriculture; they don’t think about where food comes from,” said Citron. “The lessons that I can incorporate, after talking to farmers and people in the industry and learning about the science, will be an interesting hook to get my students involved in these careers, in the aspects of agriculture that they really necessarily know.”
Nourish the Future is made possible through the assistance of the National Corn Growers Association, the nation’s corn farmers, and their state corn checkoff programs. For more information on additional workshops, events and curriculum, visit nourishthefuture.org.