Morrison teacher’s desire to teach agriculture to students earns her award – Oklahoman.com

MORRISON — Curiosity drives discussion in teacher Tammy Will’s classroom.

Will, who has taught at Morrison Public Schools for 14 years, is 2020’s Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

“I quickly learned that even though my students come from rural backgrounds, they have little understanding of agriculture production and processes,” Will said. “One day, I discussed a lesson that involved farming practices. As I began to explain what I thought was common knowledge, it was clear that my students’ curiosity was driving the discussion.”

Roots run deep

Will’s agriculture roots run deep and early in her teaching career. She quickly learned pairing her experience in the industry with teaching would open a world of possibilities to her students.

“I began by teaching my eighth grade students about soil pH using cabbage indicators in the lesson ‘Bubbles in Cabbage Juice,’” Will said. “My classes loved the hands-on labs. Another day, I brought stalks of wheat from our farm to discuss how it grows, where to locate seeds and extract wheat DNA in the ‘Hunger Fighter’ lesson.”

Will, who teaches chemistry, physical science and STEM courses, said she pursues teaching agriculture in the classroom various ways, always looking for new ideas by attending workshops, tours and conferences across the state.

“Teaching AITC lessons to my classes has definitely helped make connections in agriculture literacy,” Will said.

“Whether I sort my students into ‘Houses of Agriculture’ or use bulletin boards with agriculture careers, there continues to be an effort to educate my students.

“My desire is to help them become agriculture literate and to communicate the society significance of agriculture.”

Will even created the hashtag #farmtownscience to help showcase the correlation between science and agriculture.

‘A great passion’

“Mrs. Will has a great passion for agriculture and very often uses agriculture to bring science to life for her students,” said Brent Haken, Morrison Public Schools’ superintendent.

“She has brought professionalism, creativity, and life to faculty and students alike,” said Haken. “We are fortunate to have such a great role model for our students and she brings her best every day for the students.”

She has earned accolades throughout her career, including being a runner-up for the award she won this year in 2019.

Will also was a 2019 roundtable member for the U.S. Congress Science, Space and Technology Committee for Rural STEM.

Officials said Will be honored at the Capitol on April 14 as part of the annual Ag Day Celebration there.

Teacher of the Year sponsors include Oklahoma Ag Credit, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry.

Visit agclassroom.org/ok to learn more about Ag in the Classroom curriculum.