Written by Michigan Farm Bureau; Video by Ian Kast
Ida Elementary School teacher Annalyse Auxter is Michigan Farm Bureau’s (MFB) 2024 Educator of the Year. She was awarded during MFB’s 105th State Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids on Dec. 3.
Alongside the title of Educator of the Year, Auxter earned a grant to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference and a $500 classroom grant from the Michigan Foundation for Agriculture, sponsored by AgroLiquid.
Auxter’s teaching practices go far beyond her 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.
Her journey into ag education started when her mother — a fellow teacher — told her about the FARM Crate program at her school and recommended she check it out. While Auxter admits she knew nothing about the Farm Bureau or teaching agriculture, things moved quickly once she got in touch with the Monroe and Wayne County Farm Bureaus.
“They were able to help me get started. And then it kind of spiraled after that into this whole amazing world of farming and agriculture that I now get to bring to my students,” Auxter said.
“I was not sure how to start or where to start with my kids on being able to teach agriculture and incorporate this, but I took that leap of faith, and I jumped into it, and I have no regrets. It has been some of the most amazing things in my classroom.”
In addition to FARM Crates, Auxter integrates agriculture into her lessons through the Michigan Agriculture in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix and has welcomed the FARM Science Lab to her school.
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 by analyzing agricultural issues and information. Teachers are nominated annually by county Farm Bureaus for this award.
“The amazing staff at Monroe and Wayne County Farm Bureaus that I have had the privilege to work with have inspired and supported me in countless ways throughout our partnership,” Auxter said.
“There are so many ways to integrate agriculture into every subject, including math, science, reading, and STEM. These resources are a wonderful strength to add to any classroom.”
