Teaching
Teacher: Miss Brenda Woker
School: Jefferson Elementary School, DeKalb
Grade: 4th Grade
Subjects: All
Number of years teaching: 21 years at Jefferson Elementary
Farm Bureau/Ag Literacy connection: I use Ag Literacy materials in my classroom and take my students on farm field trips. I have also participated in the following: Ag Literacy Committee, 18 years; ...
Summer Ag Institute over the years: 1999-2019
By the numbers…
20 Summer Ag Institutes conducted (1 cancelled)
391 Teachers participated (240 unduplicated)
39 Percentage of teachers who have repeated the course
91 Farms and ag-related businesses toured
118 Speakers and panelists
56 Total schools represented (35 in-county, 21 out-of-county)
19 Average class size
Every year ...
Ten inquisitive educators gathered in June for a unique opportunity that has taken place in DeKalb County for two decades.
The teachers were participants in the 20th Summer Ag Institute (SAI), a graduate course and professional development opportunity designed for educators. “Exploring STEM Tools in Food & Farming” was the theme ...
“I smell something!” It’s a common reaction when non-farm kids disembark their school bus on a farm field trip.
Unaccustomed to the aromas of livestock, many students initially cover their noses when they first arrive at the farm. Soon the newness of the odors is forgotten as students eagerly accompany their ...
Growing Knowledge of Agriculture in the Classroom
Personal
Hometown: I was born in Baltimore, MD and have lived in DeKalb, IL for 41 years.
Family: My husband Kevin & I have been married 39 years. We have 3 married children and 10 grandchildren: Stephen (Abby) with Cecilia, Eero and Joe; Jessica Lehan (Jim) ...
DeKalb students experience Ag History Expo
“In the hallways I hear kids talking about getting in the combine, as well as getting their hands in the soil!”
DeKalb School District instructional coach Emily Weller still hears students converse about the memorable History Expo that took place at Farm Bureau this spring. About ...
For nearly 30 years, DeKalb County children have been invited to illustrate their agricultural knowledge.
First introduced as a poster contest in 1990, then as a t-shirt design challenge from 1993 to 2002, the Food for Thought Placemat Design Contest encourages elementary teachers across the county to incorporate lessons about agriculture.
Teachers ...
Eric Lawler is simply "amaizing." For more than two decades he's been talking about corn in the classroom.
Armed with a bushel basket full of corn-related materials and a lesson, Eric Lawler visits elementary schools to help grow young minds and share kernels of knowledge.
“It’s important to get in front of ...
“My sister and I went to school here. When we were here, it was surrounded by cornfields,” Susan Deihs informed a class of eager fourth grade students.
Susan and her sister, Kathy Stice, gave Ag in the Classroom (AITC) presentations at Southeast Elementary School in Sycamore, the same school they attended ...
In February, nearly 3,300 first through fourth grade students throughout DeKalb County experienced unique, hands-on lessons through Ag in the Classroom (AITC) presentations.
The presentations, delivered by volunteer farmers, agriculture professionals, and FFA members, focused on assorted aspects of ag including corn, dairy, and Illinois agriculture products.
DeKalb County Farm Bureau has ...
