Grown Here at Home: Franklin County teacher blends agriculture, math

ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (WDBJ) - Jennifer Hatch, a seventh grade math teacher at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, uses agriculture projects to teach math concepts in her classroom.

Hatch’s classroom includes a hydroponics garden, a weather station and a worm farm. Her students also grow food in raised beds and have participated in a national competition that challenges students to grow food using lunar soil.

Hatch said the approach started in 2022, when she had a class of students who did not want to be there. She set up a hydroponics garden that year to get them excited about coming to class.

“Math is in everything,” Hatch said.

Hatch said agriculture is important to teach in Franklin County.

“I think it’s very important in Franklin County. This is their roots,” Hatch said.

Hatch said her first goal is to get students to want to come to class. She then uses agriculture projects to challenge them.

“They need to learn, not just memorize. They need to truly be educated, which means be thinkers,” Hatch said.

Hatch said she wants her students to be able to explain their reasoning rather than repeat information.

“I tell them all the time do not be robots, do not regurgitate what I just said. Explain it. You define it. And then when you own that learning, it expands,” Hatch said.

Hatch said she guides and supports students while giving them space to work through problems on their own. She said she wants students to take risks and understand it is okay not to have the answer right away.

“I think it’s okay to raise your hand in class and say I don’t understand what you just said. When teachers step back and allow them to discover, when they learn it, it’s deeper,” Hatch said.

Hatch said the agriculture projects are not always easy.

“This will push you out of your comfort zone and you’ll be very uncomfortable and you’ll grow,” Hatch said.

Hatch said all three of her classes had a 100% pass rate this year. She said she has had high pass rates every year.

“It does speak that students can learn this way,” Hatch said.

During the 90 minutes her students are in class, Hatch said she wants them to know they are supported.

“Let’s jump on. Let’s do it together, and if you get stuck along the way, I’m here to help you. And that’s just the way I view it,” Hatch said.