Mrs. Holbrook is the final featured #TeacherTuesday! She comes to us from the Sanilac Career Center FFA Chapter!

Mrs. Holbrook grew up on a dairy farm and her parents and grandparents were very involved with the ag community. They’ve been very active with Farm Bureau (MFB and AFBF), MMPA, UDIM, a variety of ag related committees, and leaders in 4-H.

Mrs. Holbrook was very involved in 4-H from the time she was five until she aged out. She was technically an FFA member in high school, but really didn’t know much about what FFA entailed until she was in college.

Mrs. Holbrook graduated from Michigan State University with bother her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Mrs. Holbrook has moved around a lot in a short time! She started her first year of teaching (2018-2019) at Ithaca High School. She really enjoyed the program, but she and her husband decided it wasn’t the area they wanted to settle in. Mrs. Holbrook’s second year of teaching she taught general science at Saline High School, which is near where she’s originally from. She desperately missed teaching agriculture, so she was very excited to receive the position at the Sanilac Career Center this past fall!

When asked why she decided to become an FFA Advisor, Mrs. Holbrook stated, “It was actually my 4-H Livestock Judging coach that suggested to me that I become an ag teacher, and I will forever be grateful to her for that! I was already thinking of going into teaching because I like learning new things, and I really enjoy sharing what I learn with others. However, since my school didn’t have a very active FFA program, I hadn’t previously considered becoming an ag teacher. Once it was suggested, I was hooked. Growing up on a farm, agriculture was my life. My parents and grandparents have always been huge advocates for agriculture, working with all sorts of different promotion groups such as MMPA, MFB, AFBF, and United Dairy Industry of Michigan. My grandma was even part of the original formation of MFB’s Promotion and Education Committee, and my parents served on the AFBF Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. Growing up with such great role models in the way of Agvocacy, I love being able to continue the tradition of sharing our industry with the general public, and with future generations!”

The most memorable part of being an advisor for Mrs. Holbrook is the relationships she has been able to build. She truly enjoys that being an advisor gives her more opportunities to bond with students and fellow teachers. When reflecting on the accomplishments that she has made as an advisor and teacher, Mrs. Holbrook states, “Since I haven’t been teaching very long, I don’t have a whole list to choose from of awards and contests my students have won. Instead, I think my biggest accomplishment is the smaller accomplishments I’ve helped students achieve; like the student who was terrified of public speaking but was then able to recite a paragraph of the Creed in front of class, or the girl who was scared of almost every animal, but now does weekend chores on her own, or the one who needed some encouragement to apply, but totally rocked it as a chapter officer!”

When asked what one piece of advice Mrs. Holbrook would give to new teachers, Mrs. Holbrook declared, “Build relationships with your students! My students are why I do what I do everyday; they’re a constant reminder of why I love my job so much. Whenever you have down time, even if it’s just walking from the school to the barn, talk to your kids! Ask them how their day is going, ask about their job, their sports, their hobbies; get to know them and show them that you care. Not only is it enjoyable to learn about them, it’s also important for every student to know they have an adult they can count on.”

Thank you, Mrs. Holbrook, for being dedicated to teaching agriculture and making an impact on your students!

By: Stephanie Harvey, State Reporter