Students from the School of Agriculture at Tennessee Tech University are getting some hands-on experience in their field while also benefitting children in the extended learning programs at Jere Whitson Elementary School and Prescott South Middle School, both in Cookeville.
Recently several Tech students met the third and fourth graders at Jere Whitson Elementary with their teacher, Bev Hall, at the outdoor agriculture lab located on the elementary school’s property. There, among raised beds that have held plants such as potatoes, corn, beans, squash, eggplant, okra, blueberries and strawberries, the kids listened to a short lesson about soil before being handed small shovels and invited to go dig up the dirt in part of the lab to see for themselves what they’d just learned.
“They need to know where our food comes from and how to grow it,” said Hall, who is also a part of Farm Bureau Women. “Plus, they need to get outside and run around. Kids now can be so removed from nature. It’s great to give them this opportunity to play and learn outdoors.”
For the Tech students who are all working towards a degree involving teaching, it has been an opportunity to get experience in their field while still in school and to keep their passion for their major strong as they see the effect their teaching has on the young students.
“I love seeing how excited they get when they do hands-on activities, like when they got to dig their hole to see the soil profile,” said Selena-Lee Hensley, a junior agriculture education major from Sparta. “I think that introducing elementary school kids to agriculture is very important. I hope to see more elementary schools with agriculture programs soon.”
Freshman agriscience education major, Skylar Parrish from Lebanon agreed.
“Teaching the students at Jere Whitson has shown me that teaching is something I actually want to do, and I chose the right career path,” she said. “I have enjoyed bonding with the students and loved seeing them getting involved and actually enjoying what we are teaching them.”
Fellow agriculture education major, Briona Agee of Smithville, a sophomore, says she hopes to be a high school teacher and advisor with Future Farmers of America.
“Working with these kids has been the highlight of my semester,” Agee said. “I love the way their faces light up when we are outside working and learning new things. This experience has been helping me with knowing how to interact with kids in a classroom setting.”
Dennis Duncan, professor of agricultural education, helped coordinate his students’ work with the local schools.
"I have always felt it important for my Tech students to be engaged in the Cookeville community and by providing them with opportunities to collaborate with teachers at Jere Whitson elementary and Prescott South middle school, my Tech students are able to share their gifts and talents with a diverse population of Putnam County youth,” he said.
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