LOUISA COUNTY, Va. — Not all teachers are birds of a feather.
Some, like Jessica Pittman at Jouett Elementary School, find fun ways to get their students excited about learning.
Jessica has a farm in Montpelier, Virginia, but she likes to bring the farm to her students.
“I'm not an agriculture teacher,” Pittman told me. "I'm a 2nd grade teacher who adds agriculture into my teaching. If I'm teaching math, we're counting beans and corn and we're learning about beans and corn. And how to add.”
Jackson Sichi said you can call him a “math-muh-chicken.”
“I like feeding (the chickens) because they run around so fast!” the second grade student said.
Jessica Pittman won a grant after being named Teacher of the Year in 2017 by the non-profit Agriculture in the Classroom.
She used the money for a chicken coop and a few chickens.
"Not only are they getting animal husbandry by coming out here and taking care of the chickens, but they’re also learning math, science, all of the different inter-curriculum things we have in a chicken coop," Pittman said.
To help pay for the chicken feed and other expenses, the students collect the chicken eggs and sell them to the school staff.
"This is awesome," Louisa County School Superintendent Doug Straley said. “It's what education is all about. Really hands-on and engaging experiences for our students to get them excited about learning and their future."
The students call themselves The Chicken Tenders.
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