Hafkey learned how to educate in Grand Canyon State

Iowa educators don’t learn how to teach in a vacuum — they freely exchange ideas with each other, and try to find out what’s being done across the country.

Trish Hafkey of the Jasper County Farm Bureau recently got to see what’s going on with agriculture educators from around Iowa while learning new methods and techniques at a major teaching event in late June. She was one of 14 Iowans to attend a weeklong learning about agriculture at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Litchfield Park, Ariz., near Phoenix.

The conference attracted more than 400 attendees from all across the country — mainly teachers who will integrate agriculture into their classroom curriculum. Using agriculture, teachers can teach science, social studies, language arts and many other subjects.

The conference included many tours and examples of Arizona agriculture.

Hafkey attended the conference on behalf of Jasper County Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program.

“In today’s environment, teachers are asked to do so much,” Hafkey said. “It is helpful to meet with teachers and see how I can develop our resources to ensure they are ready to use and meet state benchmarks.”

Will Fett, the executive director of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation, also went on the trip, and had great praise for both the networking and curriculum aspects of these types of annual conferences.

“The conference is a great way to network with other passionate educators and bring new ideas back to Iowa,” Fett said. “Professional development and continued learning are ways for teachers to stay current with new material that will help their students.”

The conference focused on hands-on educational activities and making science and social studies concepts seem more relevant.

Iowa’s state teacher award winner, John Seiser of Hamilton County, was recognized at the conference for his exemplary work in integrating agriculture into his fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade science classes.

The conference included tours of Arizona agriculture including dairies, feedlots, olive mills, local schools, watermelon farms and organic vegetable farms. There was also a trip to the University of Phoenix Stadium — home of the Arizona Cardinals — to look at the unique turfgrass management.

Workshops focused on integrating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts as well as language arts and social studies. The conference is an annual event and will be held next year in Kansas City, Mo. on June 20-23, 2017. The conference is organized and hosted by the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization that is a non-profit organization that is affiliated with the United States Department of Agriculture.

The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation, or IALF, serves as a central resource for educators and volunteers who want to teach Iowa’s students about agriculture. The mission is to educate Iowans, with a focus on youth, regarding the breadth and global significance of agriculture.

Hafkey said she’s grateful to have seen so many different ways to same basic concepts and subjects can be taught.

“My attendance at the event allowed me to discuss ideas and programs with a wide variety of educators from across the country,” Hafkey said. “I attended several breakout sessions that focused on lessons to help teachers enhance topics they are already covering in their classrooms through hands on activity.”

The Farm Bureau's resources and activities are free to any Jasper County educators and licensed daycare facilities. Questions about the types of programs or activities provided can be answered by contacting Hafkey at 641-792-6253 or Jasper.County@ifbf.org.

“We provide ready to use lesson plans, hands on activities and materials and virtual field trips utilizing Skype technology,” Hafkey said.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at
641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or
jbrooks@newtondailynews.com