It’s that time again.  Mom’s rejoice, teachers cringe, and students are somewhere in between.  School starts in most Illinois schools this week and that means your Illinois Ag in the Classroom is hard at work again, educating students about the impact agriculture has on their lives.

The Mission of Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) is to teach Illinois children agriculture’s importance and the vital role it plays in their lives and society. IAITC supports local educational and outreach efforts by providing standards based scientifically sound agriculture information that can be easily integrated by teachers into the existing classroom curriculum.

The IAITC program provides students an opportunity to learn about nutrition, science and agriculture through hands-on classroom experiences under the direction of their teachers or county Agricultural Literacy Coordinators, resulting in students who will grow up with a better understanding and appreciation for our state’s number one industry.

Your corn checkoff supports this program and you can support the program directly too!  Call your local school district and offer your services as a guest speaker for individual classes or the entire school.  Schools are on tight budgets and free guest speakers are hard to find.  You have a valuable story to share to the students in your area and no one can share it quite like you!

Resources are available for you, should you end up a presenter in your local school.  And if being a guest presenter isn’t for you, consider simply reminding the teachers in your area about the resources corn farmers are providing for their school.  As an example, Ag Mags about corn, renewable energy, animal care, and more are available to help teachers incorporate agriculture into their classrooms.  (All resources are adapted to core curriculums which is a plus for any teacher!)

You might also be a perfect fit for the Adopt a Classroom program.  Illinois farmers are encouraged to write to a Chicago classroom through this program, providing urban students a needed link with food, fuel, and fiber production.  Is this the right fit for you?

Learn more at www.agintheclassroom.org.