Meredith Wolfe, GrowNextGen teacher leader

What about teaching excites you?

Teaching, especially agrisciences, is never the same each year. Students have different interests and backgrounds which add an extra dimension to the lesson or unit. It’s a challenge and a thrill to introduce students to the world of agriculture and allow them to make connections from the classroom into the real world. Being able to see students succeed and progress in their understanding of agriculture and maybe even pursue a career in the field can be very rewarding!

What was your “aha” moment when you realized the value of using agriculture as a vehicle to teach science?

In my first week of college I went to a presentation with my Natural Resources Scholars program, and the keynote speaker was a Kenyan woman by the name of Wangari Maathai. Wangari spoke about her programs of conservation, agriculture, technology and leadership developed amongst the challenges of hunger in Africa. I remember telling my parents that evening when calling home that Wangari made me resolute in the fact that I was meant to teach agriculture. Science and agriculture have always come hand in hand for me. Hunger, as well as so many other issues related to it, will never be solved without both science and agriculture.

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