MAITC Foundation Outstanding Teacher Award

One MAITC Outstanding Teacher Award will be given to an educator currently engaged in classroom instruction at the K-12 grade levels. This award will recognize the teacher for his/her creative efforts to integrate agriculture into his/her classroom and curricula to increase agricultural literacy. An agriculturally literate person is defined as "one who understands and can communicate the source and value of agriculture as it affects our quality of life."

The winning Minnesota teacher will receive $500 and have up to $1,500 of his/her related expenses paid to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom (NAITC) Conference June 27-30, 2023 in Orlando, Florida.

• If the winning teacher chooses not to attend the NAITC Conference, he/she will receive the $500 award from MAITC but he/she will not receive the $1,500 designated for travel expenses. The runner-up Outstanding Teacher Award Winner will be offered the designated travel funds of up to $1,500 to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference.
• If the winning teacher is selected as a National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award Winner and the NAITC Organization pays for his/her expense to attend the NAITC Conference, the runner-up Outstanding Teacher Award Winner from Minnesota will have the opportunity to have up to $1,500 of his/her travel expense paid to attend the NAITC Conference.

Eligibility

Minnesota licensed teachers that are currently engaged in integrating agricultural concepts into non-agricultural education classroom settings at the K-12 grade levels are eligible. This may be an individual teacher or a team of teachers. Please note: Only one award and cash prize totaling $2,000 will be made per team. High School and Middle School Agricultural Educators are not eligible for this award.

Applications must be completed and submitted by midnight on November 15, 2022.

2022 Outstanding Teacher Award

Tiffany Kobbermann, Minnewaska Public Schools

Tiffany Kobbermann, a Family and Consumer Scienced teacher at Minnewaska Public Schools in Hancock, MN has received the Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) 2022 Outstanding Teacher Award. Tiffany uses agriculture in every lesson with her students to provide a well-rounded perspective of agriculture and their local community. One example of this agriculture connection is Tiffany’s implementation of a sugar unit that focused on sugar beets, a local commodity, and the Southern Sugar Beet Cooperative. Tiffany also helped organize an Ag Career Day that introduced students to agricultural careers and won a national award for creative programming.

Tiffany was recognized at the National Agriculture in the Classroom National Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY in June 2022.

Past Winners