Teen teachers return to local elementary classrooms

[June 15, 2017]  LINCOLN - Once again this past school year, the Logan County Extension “Ag in the Classroom” program and the Logan County 4-H members partnered to bring “teen teachers” to Logan County elementary schools.

This year there were two teams of teen teachers who offered instruction about agriculture to a total of 227 students in 11 classrooms.



Team one included (pictured in back row, green shirts) left to right: Kylee Alexander, Amber Oliver, Natalie Phillips and Jayden Lawrence.

An example of the lessons taught include the team’s visit to Mrs. Birnbaum’s second grade class at Central School. There, the teachers offered instruction on livestock. Included in the lesson was a visit from a 2-week-old lamb that the children enjoyed very much.

During the lesson, students were divided into teams and conducted research on specific livestock species. Research assignments included sheep, beef cattle, pigs, and dairy cattle.

When their research was completed, the students then presented their findings to the entire class.

Team Two consisted of left to right: Dawn Irwin, Katie Lynn, Blake Bryant and Austin Dennison.

In Mrs. Bartley’s third grade class at Chester East Lincoln, the teen teachers taught the class about dairy cows by selecting a student volunteer to model the important parts of the dairy cow and milk production.

This team also conducted class with Mrs. Birnbaum’s students at Central School. There they taught the children about the anatomy of a pig and explained feed ratios.

The teen teachers conducted classes at Chester East Lincoln, Washington Monroe and Central Grade Schools.

This Ag in the Classroom program is sponsored by Agricultural Education Partnership (Logan, Menard and Sangamon) and Illinois 4-H Foundation.

[Amy Hyde, Logan County Extension, Ag in the Classroom instructor]