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New York Agriculture in the Classroom

Programs

2007 Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to our 2007 NYAITC Teacher of the Year
from The Children's Home, RTF, Susan Stradling!
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"The calming practice of gardening and working together to create beauty in nature has benefited our students beyond our hopes," says Susan Stradling, reading teacher at The Children's Home, RTF, in Chenango Forks. Susan has been chosen as New York Agriculture in the Classroom's Teacher of the Year in honor of her work during the 2007 school year.

Susan's role as a reading teacher allows her to reach students across all grade levels and subject areas, and she has made the most of that opportunity to educate her students about the significance of agriculture to their lives. Using resources from NYAITC and 4-H's Junior Master Gardener program, as well as mini-grants from NYAITC to establish a school food garden and bluebird boxes, Susan has blended agriculture with the residential school's curriculum requirements and provided experiential learning opportunities beneficial to the students.

In the interest of garden to real life use, student ate their own homegrown and handpicked vegetables and served them to others at school events, and took part in a local food bank. "I learned what grows best in our type of garden soil and our part of the country," said one student.

"My involvement with NYAITC has provided wonderful experience for my colleagues and myself," Susan continues. "It has opened doors to a wide source of community resources. It has provided a refreshing way to teach the core subject areas. Not only are the students learning, but the staff is as well."

Susan will be formally recognized as the 2007 New York Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year at the New York Farm Bureau's Spring Conference in Syracuse on April 18. She will represent New York State at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Costa Mesa, California in June.

Congratulations Sue and thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to teaching about agriculture and the food and fiber system.


Past Winners