Summer is the time of the year when educators often have well-deserved time off as well as take in learning yourself. Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom has the perfect mix of continuing education units (CEUs) while enjoying new experiences! Our team works hard to ensure that our Summer Teacher Tours provide value for you and your students.
So why is attending a Summer Teacher Tour a valuable experience? Don’t just take it from us, hear it from a fellow teacher like yourself. We asked two teachers to give us a glimpse into their Teacher Tour Experiences to help. Our featured teachers who shared their experience:
Amy Mastin has taught elementary for 17 years, middle school science and middle and high school agriculture for 5 years. While teaching elementary, she began adding agriculture into my curriculum which included building a school and community garden.
Beth Sletta an elementary teacher for 37 years. During her tenure as the STEM teacher, she helped students create a large schoolyard garden complete with flowers, vegetables, trees, herbs, and a beautiful outdoor learning space. Beth currently teaches 2nd and 3rd grades for Minnesota Virtual Academy as an online teacher.
So what do they have to say? Read on!
Educator reponses to teacher tours
Amy is most excited about: “This year I am excited to go on the “Day in the Life of a Farmer” tour. We talk about all of these aspects in my classes - especially ethanol. The tour of the ethanol plant is what I am most looking forward to! Seeing the process and being in the plant is way more engaging than reading about the process in a book. The photos that I have taken during my tours always end up in my presentations to my students. Real world connections are so important!”
Beth stated, “I consider myself a lifelong learner and I feel it is imperative that educators continue to learn throughout their careers. The Teacher Tours provide me with opportunities to learn about ag related topics that I can infuse into my reading, ELA, science, and social studies lessons. Learning from other educators is another big part of my participation in multiple tours. I have learned so much networking with other teachers.”
Amy confirmed the benefits that she has noticed from attending the teacher tours, “The biggest benefit has been the connections I have made with industry professionals and teachers. I continue to connect with people from the tours today. Some of them have helped me create some amazing lessons for my students and others have been speakers or tour guides for field trips.”
Amy was excited to apply what she learned in Teacher Tours to her classroom and responded, “Absolutely! I still refer to tours when I teach certain lessons. For example, I often refer to the New Sweden Dairy tour when I discuss the dairy industry with my students. Because of this, my class wants to visit an automated dairy farm which we will be doing in May. “
Beth provided us with a list of her favorite memories: “I have so many fond memories of learning on Teacher Tours.
- Driving a combine on Wanda’s farm
- Driving a tractor - but I can’t remember the location - it wasn’t at Wanda’s farm
- Touring the AGCO factory in Jackson
- Brainstorming with other teachers on the bus rides
- The strawberry farm was extremely interesting. I still go back to that farm to pick berries.
- I vividly remember the smell of the shrimp farm. Teehee
- The bison farm in Sleepy Eye was cool”
Attend your next learning experience
Thank you to Amy and Beth for sharing their experiences! Ready to sign up? With limited spots available check out the four great tours we have available at Teachers Tours. Can’t decide which one to go to? Sign up for more than one!
