A Publication of Texas Farm Bureau Agriculture in the Classroom

Have you ever considered using music to teach elementary students about agriculture? Beverly Bruns of Victoria has been very successful in her musical approach to agricultural literacy.

Because of her innovative approach to agriculture education, Beverly was recently named the Texas Farm Bureau Outstanding Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year for 2002.

Beverly teaches music and reading to students in kindergarten through 5th grade at Dudley G/T Magnet School in Victoria Independent School District. She has been in education for 30 years and during that time has included lessons about agriculture in her classroom.

She remembers her rancher father repeating to her, " This land does not belong to us, it belongs to the future." Because of her agriculture background, and her father's words, she feels a great responsibility to lead her students to an understanding of the interrelationships among agriculture, the environment, and the people of the world.

Beverly says that many of the old, traditional folk songs had an agricultural background. She says that, historically, people sang in the fields and mothers sang in the homes as they prepared meals or clothing for their family.

She uses music to help her students remember facts about agriculture. She uses the example of a television commercial. Beverly says, "Most people remember a product advertised on TV because of the song used to promote it." She goes on to say, "I know that from a familiar or ‘catchy' tune, a memory will be triggered in my students." They remember facts much more readily when those facts are included in a song.

To help her students remember facts about agriculture, she has written about 20 lyrics to well known favorite melodies that are in the public domain. All these lyrics are based on information found in the American Farm Bureau publication, Farm Facts.

Beverly was among a number of Texas teachers who were nominated by their local county Farm Bureau president. Each nominee completed an extensive application process, which included letters of recommendation from their school administrators and co-workers.

Beverly will receive her award in December at the 69th annual Texas Farm Bureau Convention in Corpus Christi. In addition to the state award, Beverly will be nominated for the National Agriculture in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher of the Year. Five teachers from around the country will be chosen to represent their state at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in June, 2003.

The efficiency of U.S. farmers benefits the United States consumer in the pocketbook. U.S. consumers spend approximately nine percent of their income on food compared with 11 percent in the United Kingdom, 17 percent in Japan, 27 percent in South Africa and 53 percent in India.