Fall 2008

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Teaching With a Faith Born not of Words but of Deeds

Pleasantville ag teacher Monty Collins speaks to the freshman class about the FFA creed. The ISU alum has twenty-five of the school's 61 freshmen in the class and 65 students in the FFA chapter. "I have such incredible students, it's almost scary," he says.

As a freshman agriculture student in high school 29 years ago, he stood behind the angled piece of wood of the podium mumbling his way through the FFA Creed.

Today, he's behind the same podium teaching the creed to a classroom of freshman in Pleasantville, Iowa, and there's not an empty seat in the room.

Monty Collins ('87 agricultural education) didn't expect to be behind that podium again.

"It is great to see the smiles when they get the creed down," he says. "They have such an amazing sense of accomplishment. Joining FFA is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I wanted to help other students have that experience."

Collins says he had no plans to teach when he enrolled in agricultural education at Iowa State, but after a positive experience student teaching and the encouragement of ISU faculty he decided to pursue teaching rather than a career in agribusiness.

"Dr. Robert Martin and the ag ed department provided me the tools to teach and the confidence to do it well," he says. "And my FFA adviser set a great example."

Collins is only the fourth teacher to lead the agriculture program in Pleasantville since 1951; he's taught there for 20 years. He credits his thriving program to a supportive school administration, an engaged advisory committee, and community support built by former advisers.

Collins tries to make all his lessons practical, and admits he is "not big on textbooks."

"Our advisory committee is our network and our connection to the community," he says. "They help plan and evaluate to make sure we're in touch with the real world and are serving these kids and our community."

To do that, Collins created a diverse program including farming over 20 acres of corn and soybeans, stewarding projects at Lake Red Rock for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, operating a landscaping program and raising tilapia.

Collins proudly points out plaques that have recently been added to his podium as a memorial gift. Thanks to such memorial gifts and financial support from corporations Pleasantville has a shop featuring the latest technology and a newly refurbished corn planter. There are plans to build a new greenhouse this summer for the horticulture class.

While Collins is upbeat, he recognizes the shortage of agriculture teachers is a challenge in Iowa and the nation. He says school districts can attract new teachers by offering year-round contracts, giving teachers time to work on individual FFA projects and facilitating community support. Collins says teachers can do more to increase the number of students interested in teaching agriculture.

"We lead by example and don't know it. If I'm excited and interested in what I do, students will be, too," he says. "If I'm down on the job and don't have my heart in it, they'll notice that, too."

Collins' own family has noticed. His wife Renee is a "cheerleader" for the FFA as a middle school teacher and last year he had all three of his children in his classroom. "It's the most I've ever seen my kids," he jokes. His oldest daughter is now a freshman at Iowa State and his younger two children have a few more years to see their dad behind the podium before they head to Iowa State as well.