Annalyse Auxter named Michigan Farm Bureau’s 2024 Educator of the Year
IDA — Ida Elementary School STEM teacher Annalyse Auxter has been named Michigan Farm Bureau’s 2024 Educator of the Year.
The announcement comes in conjunction with National Agriculture Week, March 17-24.
Auxter will receive the award at MFB’s 105th State Annual Meeting in December.
In addition to the title, Auxter earned a grant to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference and $500 classroom grant from the Michigan Foundation for Agriculture, sponsored by AgroLiquid.
“So often what we teach is more abstract to students, but agriculture affects their everyday lives in clear ways,” Annalyse Auxter said in a written statement.
Auxter’s teaching practices extend beyond the classroom, with a passion for creating opportunities for students to explore the outdoors by integrating environmental learning with state academic standards.
When her students are not outside studying cloud patterns, releasing their hatched Monarch butterflies, or touring local farms, they continue learning through agriculture.
“The most rewarding part about sharing agriculture with my students is teaching them more about the world around them,” Auxter said.
“By teaching agriculture, I am taking them deeper in their understanding of their world and inspiring passions that can take them far into future opportunities. We are taking farming beyond the idea of a farmer standing in their field to a multitude of career-based paths.”
Auxter integrates agriculture into many of her lessons. A few key resources that she implements are lessons from the Michigan Agriculture in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix and FARM Crates. She’s also welcomed the FARM Science Lab to her school.
“To all educators K-12, I recommend using the Agriculture in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix and contacting your county Farm Bureau or local Farm Bureau agency,” Auxter said.
She said there are many ways to integrate agriculture into every subject, including math, science, reading, and STEM.
Auxter created a project, “Famous Farmer Wax Museum,” implementing curriculum standards using an agricultural lens, with students researching famous agriculture leaders, connecting them to important social events, the sharing their information in a mock wax museum.
MFB’s Educator of the Year Award recognizes teachers who excel at integrating agriculture and natural resource concepts into school curricula and who challenge students to develop critical thinking skills through the analysis of agricultural issues and information.
For the award, teachers are nominated annually by county Farm Bureaus.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Annalyse Auxter named Michigan Farm Bureau’s 2024 Educator of the Year
