Teachers Get Lesson... Down on the Farm

Mardi Ford, Observer

CITY GIRLS GO COUNTRY: Elementary school teachers Dee Groethe of Lake Oswego and Cathi Young of Tigard share a laugh over their unadulterated enthusiasm at being students during the Summer Ag Institute for teachers.

The Observer/MARDI FORD

From 12 counties scattered throughout Oregon, 15 teachers gathered in Union County Sunday for a week's immersion in agriculture at the Summer Ag Institute.

Mike Becker teaches math and science at Hood River Middle School, applying those core subjects in the school's large garden and arboretum.

"I'm here to steal as many ideas as possible — I want to understand the big picture of agriculture operations," he says.

That big picture will be exposed through field trips and classroom time showcasing the diversity of Oregon's agriculture. Planned activities on ag production and processing are varied and include a tour of both a working cattle ranch and a dairy in Baker County, as well as a visit to the Smith Frozen Food factory in Athena and a mint distillery in Summerville.

Teachers will also tour sugar beet, wheat, cattle, grass seed and mint operations in the Grande Ronde Valley, giving them opportunities to interact with producers and growers.

Highlights of resource management and sustainability in agriculture include a water restoration and timber management project tour at Mill Creek. Numerous presentations will be given by a variety of staff from both OSU's Ag Research Center and Extension Service and the U.S. and Oregon departments of agriculture. Subjects range from soils, water quality and fire management to livestock predation and wildlife interaction.

For most of these K-12 teachers, it is their first time at the institute.

"We're city girls — so this is very exciting," says Dee Groethe, Lake Oswego.

Seated next to her is friend and coworker Cathi Young from Tigard. Both women teach at MITCH — Multi-sensory Instruction Teaching Children Hands-on — Charter School in Tigard. Since the charter school has an agriculture focus, the institute was mandatory for both teachers. However, they say they're thrilled with the opportunity to participate in something they would have wanted to do anyway. The institute, Young says, reinforces the gratitude she has for farmers and ranchers.

"I already feel so much more connected," she explains.

Groethe, whose teacher parents both grew up on farms, was somewhat disturbed when she realized the depth of her students' lack of knowledge of rural America. While reading from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, she discovered her third-graders were having trouble forming basic mental pictures of what she read, making some aspects of the story incomprehensible.

"Well, for instance, they had no idea what a barn stall was — a basic barn stall. But, they'd never seen one, so what can you expect? I am really starting from ground zero," Groethe says.

Groethe and Young are confident the institute will provide them with tools, resources and contacts to bridge the urban and rural divide. They say their desire is to help their students make and appreciate the connection between agriculture and lunch.

"I'm going to ask them — OK, now, what did we just eat and where did it come from? Then, if I suggest we write thank-you notes to those counties for sharing their food — well, I've just tied agriculture with geography and language arts," Young says with a triumphant smile.

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Teachers Get Lesson... Down on the Farm | MITCH Charter School