Sabetha teacher Elizabeth Badertscher named ag foundation's teacher of the year

MANHATTAN, KANSAS, December 1, 2023 – Elizabeth Badertscher, sixth-eighth grade math and stem teacher at Sabetha Middle School, was recently named the 2024 Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC) Teacher of the Year.

KFAC's Teacher of the Year award recognizes teachers who instill a passion for learning about agriculture within their students. KFAC honors one teacher annually who has successfully integrated agricultural education into their pre-existing curriculum.

Badertscher is in her ninth year of teaching, where she incorporates agriculture into math, science, and STEM classes. She incorporates Journey 2050, an agricultural simulation game, into her classes as a unique way to assess students' knowledge of the topic practiced that day. She also adds daily exit questions to help students reflect on the ripple effects the actions in the game could have on their lives.

"I believe I have helped my students better understand agriculture and the ripple effect it has on many aspects of our world," Badertscher says.

In another class, students study wind energy with the end goal of building a wind turbine. Students study every aspect of wind, turbine and blade design, and figure out how much wind it would take to power their classroom. Combined with a novel study, students learn about another country's agriculture and sustainable agriculture practices.

Badertscher introduces many aspects of agriculture to her students to show them how important agriculture is to their community and what they can do to support it. By using innovation and technology, students stay engaged and are excited to learn more. She used the American Farm Bureau Purple Plow Challenge to allow students to use their knowledge and imagination to create their own food truck designs and sell food to other classes using the challenge criteria.

Badertscher will receive an all-expense paid trip to the 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Badertscher will also be considered for the 2024 National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award, presented by National Agriculture in the Classroom.

More information about these awards, including past winners, can be found on the KFAC website at www.ksagclassroom.org.

About Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom

The Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. KFAC was founded in 1982 as part of a nationwide initiative to help students gain a greater awareness of the role of agriculture in the economy and society so that they may become citizens who support wise agricultural policies. For more information, visit www.ksagclassroom.org, email info@ksagclassroom.org, or phone (785) 320-4350.