By Scout Nelson
Carrie Allord, a third-grade teacher at St. Francis Catholic School in Brainerd, Minnesota, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Teacher Award by Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC).
Allord's teaching methods integrate a variety of agriculture-themed books, lessons, and materials to enhance her students' reading, writing, and science skills. She utilizes innovative approaches such as introducing a classroom chicken named Pearl and a chick hatching program to engage students in exploring lifecycles and science concepts.
Allord highlights “To be agriculture literate is to understand and respect where our food comes from. It is important for teachers and students to share the knowledge of agriculture so that everyone around us understands how agriculture impacts our world, and our daily lives,”.
Allord was honored as one of six Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award winners by the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization. She will receive a $500 stipend and travel expenses to attend the 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, this June.
The MAITC Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes Minnesota licensed K-12 educators who creatively integrate agricultural concepts into non-agricultural classroom settings. Applications are reviewed by a committee of MAITC Foundation board members, with the recipient selected each winter.
MAITC, a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the MAITC Foundation, aims to enhance agricultural literacy through K-12 education. Allord's achievements underscore the organization's mission to promote agricultural understanding among students and educators alike.
Photo Credit -gettyimages-lisegagne
Categories: Minnesota, Education, General