Page 8B August 7, 2019
Ri l orter
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.nef
Skyler Alexander is One of
the new teachers who wel-
comed students to Monroe
County dassrooms as the
2019-20 school year started
on Aug. 2. Like a number of
others, she is a new college
graduate and is excited to be
starting her teaching career.
But Skyler's position is new
this year and the story of her
new job and how she became
qualified for it has some
interesting Monroe County
connections.
Skyler is teaching agri-
culture classes to 6th, 7th
and 8th graders at Monroe
County Middle School. She
will give her students a basic
knowledge of plants, wildlife,
forestry and other aspects of
agriculture and will advise the
middle school FFA Club.
Mary Persons has offered
agriculture classes for many
years. Bill Waldrep's dasses
became so popular there was
a waiting list for students who
wanted to take them, and
some of Mary Persons' top
students named his classes
as favorites even though they
weren't following careers in
agriculture. The continuing
success Mary Persons FFA
had in competitions brought
more notoriety to the Mary
Persons agriculture program.
ABAC alum Skyler Alexan-
der will be teaching agri-
culture classes to middle
schoolers in 2019-20.
A few years ago, Mon-
roe County Schools hired
Ryan White to split his time
between teaching agriculture
classes at Mary Persons and before Johnson got to ABAC. UGA and became a profes-
starting a program, indud- He turned over to Johnson sor at ABAC. He didn't have
ing FFA, at Monroe County the task of getting it approved experience with agriculture;
Middle School. By last year by the state university system he brought the education part
the interest in the classes had and by federal standards for of the package to developing
grown so that Superintendent teaching certification,the AgEd degree. Many of the
Dr. Mike Hickman asked "It's been a long process" ag education teachers have
the school board to approve said Johnson. "We graduated been teaching without certi-
an additional agriculture our first cohort this spring." ficatlon because of the lack of
teacher so that White can Johnson said of the 26 programs to train them.
teach at Mary Persons full students in the program, all Johnson said with the push
time and there can be a full 24 who wanted to teach were to move ag education to the
time teacher at the middle quickly hired. The other two elementary school level, the
school to introduce students opted for other agriculture need for trained teachers
to agriculture classes, jobs. He said about half are in the field is set to increase
The board approved the teaching in South Georgia, even more. Many elementary
position and subsequently a quarter in Central Georgia schools are piloting agricul-
hired Skyler. The interest in and a quarter in Atlanta. ture programs that spring
agriculture and the growing There are now about 200from their existing STEM
career opportunities it offers students in the ag education programs. (The popular
has exploded throughout major at ABAC with about 25 hydroponetics lab/garden at
Georgia. Hickman came to set to graduate next year from Hubbard Elementary and the
the board and asked that the the four-year program, location of Monroe County's
school system be allowed to ' gricultural Education has new Ag Science building be-
hire someone for the job as been understaffed for years in tween the middle school and
soon as possible because the the state, but in the first year T.G. Scott Elementary seem
demand for ag teachers is out- of the program, ABAC has to foreshadow elementary
pacing the supply of qualified become the largest producer agriculture classes in Monroe
graduates in the state, of AgEd students east of the County in the near future.)
That fact was something Dr. Mississippi" said Johnson. Johnson said one reason
Mark Johnson, now Direc- He said the first cohort was ABAC's program is so suc-
tor of Faculty Development a good crop of students and cessful is that the school has
and the Center for Teaching Skyler was among the best. a long time reputation for a
and Learning at Abraham "She relates well to people," quality, affordable agriculture
Baldwin Agricultural College he said. "She'll do well/' program. Another reason is
in Tifton, realized a few years He was glad that she isthat many of the agriculture
ago. He said that while inter- teaching in Monroe County teachers around Georgia have
est in agriculture education because he taught at Monroe connections with ABAC. Also
has been boomln8 in the Academy for five ),ear~ ~nd me "~,ishbor waiver" allox~-8
state and there were about made a lot of friends in the students from other states,
60 job openings for agricul- area. From 2003-08 Johnson especially Tennessee, Florida
ture teachers last year, there taught social studies, coached and Alabama, to come into
was an average of only 18 high school and middle the program.
graduates in the field annually school football, baseball and Not having a background in
over the past five years. Only golf and started the wrestling agriculture himself, Johnson
two institutions in the state, program at Monroe Academy. said he has been fascinated by
University of Georgia and Johnson grew up in the how much the students like
Fort Valley State University, Tifton area, graduated from their agriculture classes. He is
offered a major in ag educa- Tift County High School, using his observations in his
tion, and Fort Valley awarded attended Georgia Military present position as he teaches
only a couple of degrees in College, earned degrees in faculty how to teach students
the field each year. philosophy and psychology to become teachers.
Johnson said ABAC Presi- at University of Georgia, He said that getting the ag-
dent David Bridges saw the taught in South Georgia, riculture education program
need and started the process then Forsyth, then Athens. at ABAC in place was an
of developing the major He earned his doctorate at enormous amount of work
and much of it was done by
others, like professors Frank
Flanders and Sallie McHugh.
Johnson said they probably
would have decided they
couldn't do it ffthey had
realized all that would be
involved, but since they didn't
know they couldn't do it, they
got it done.
We see the product, and it'
pretty awesome," he said. '
Slo/ler, who is from Hous- '
ton County, described her :
experience in the program as,
amazing. She said she always :
wanted to be a teacher but did
not find an interest in agri- :
culture until she got involved,
in FFA after she started high ',
school. She attended Gov, '
ernor's Honors Program in '
i
Ag-Science and realized how:
many students have little
knowledge of agriculture. ,
She said she grew up hunt-
ing and fishing with her dad
but didn't know much about
other aspects of agriculture :
until she got into high school.
FFA gave her a chance to
develop speaking skills and
become more articulate.
She said her students at
Monroe County Middle
School are going to love
learning about using drones
in agriculture, land judg-
mS, checking on weeds and
pesticides, tractors that drive
themselves and planters that "
set seeds.
' kBAC gave me a lot of
freedom to adapt to myself
and the students" said Skyler.
She said she and her fellow,
students developed close
bonds and are staying in
touch to give one another '
ideas and support in their firs
year of teaching.
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