By Sandra Zunino
Susan Sanger’s passion for agriculture and teaching did not go unnoticed in 2009. The Queen Anne’s County High School teacher was one of six agriculture teachers to win the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Outstanding Young Member Award last November at the NAAE annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Winning at the state level is a big deal,” says Susan who also won that distinction in July of 2008 through the Maryland Agriculture Teachers Association, Inc. (MATA), “but the national level is a very big deal. It means we must of have done something very good to win.”
Only state winners are eligible for the award. Not only is the application for the state level long and comprehensive, to apply for the national award Susan had to write ten pages of essays explaining her teaching philosophies and outlining her agricultural education program.
In her essay, Susan based her teaching philosophy on a quote by educational philosopher Alan Simpson, “An educated man ought to know a little about everything and a lot about something.” She also stated that not only is she teaching agriculture and natural resources, but is also reviewing biology, chemistry, communications and mathematics. Susan maintains that students in her program become well rounded, prepared to solve problems and able to apply their knowledge to real-world situations.
Six national winners are selected according to region. Maryland is part of the Eastern region so Susan was competing against teachers from Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and others. “When someone from our state wins one of those awards, we’re beating out these strong states,” she emphasizes.
In a press release from the NAAE, QACHS Principal Richard McNeal stated that Susan is an outstanding teacher in the classroom, guiding students with highly effective strategies and including many opportunities for real-world and career-based application.
According to Susan, the outstanding young member part of the award is to acknowledge new teachers having only three to six years of teaching experience in order to help reduce attrition in the teaching profession. “Attrition in teaching is high in general,” explains Susan, “there is a high percentage of teachers who move into other careers after five to about 15 years.”
Susan, who has been teaching at QACHS for seven years, says she plans to stay in the field, but acknowledges budget issues, such as schools cutting programs when they don’t have enough funding is a big attrition factor.
Susan teaches everything from introductory level courses covering plant and soil sciences to horticulture, landscape and turf management, aquaculture and natural resources as part of QACHS’s agricultural program. She says she is particularly passionate about natural resources. “We have to learn how to protect our natural resources while the rest of the world is still growing,” she says.
Susan, a Centreville resident, grew up in Talbot County and attended Easton High School. She earned her degree from University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.
The NAAE, based in Lexington, Kentucky, is the professional association for agricultural educators. The mission of NAAE is “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.”