- April 26, 2024
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Alyana Yambay and Ryleigh Harrison work on Itty Bitty, a miniature horse, under the supervision of their FPC teacher Johanna Davis. Photo by Jacque Estes
Johanna Davis is Teacher of the Year for Flagler Palm Coast High School. Photo by Jacque Estes
Teaching agriscience is more than a job for FPC teacher Johanna Davis, it’s a lifestyle, and for the past 23 years, she has been sharing that lifestyle with high school students.
Davis is a graduate of New Smyrna Beach High School and the University of Florida.
“I got so much out of the program, I wanted to share it,” Davis said.
And, share it she did, not only with her students, but with her husband J.D. Davis, Buddy Taylor’s Teacher of the Year, who attended his first agriculture classes because of his wife-to-be.
Davis describes her classes as, “a rigorous split between the classroom and the farm on County Road 13.”
“We try to split our time between the two, but when we can’t get out there, I bring animals to school.”
Learning isn’t by the book; it’s hands-on, taking care of animals, plants, while learning updated methods and career needs in agriculture.
“We don’t need as many actually on the farm, anymore,” Davis said. “It goes beyond that, and into research, sales, and marketing. Next year we will study drones in agriculture, for the first time.”
She teaches approximately 120 students each semester, and keeps in touch with many, long after they leave FPC.
“Seeing kids be successful, watching them grow up, that’s what it’s about,” Davis said. “And I have begun teaching the next generation, the children of my former students.”
Itty Bitty, a miniature horse, can often be found grazing in the fenced in area just outside Davis’ classroom door. Other times, it’s goats.
Hands-on teaching preparing students for careers
“It helps me bring in real world stuff to the class,” Davis said. “We have worked with Itty Bitty the past four years. It works with students who might be afraid of the larger animals. We ease them into the care of a smaller horse, before working up to a full-size horse, grooming, leading the horse, and giving physical exams.”
Outside of the classroom, Davis is very involved in the community. She volunteers with the Flagler County Cattlemen’s Association and the Flagler County Youth Show and Fair, and is the Secretary of the State of Florida FFA board, and the superintendent for the Florida State Fair, Boar Goat show.
She was happy and appreciative to receive Teacher of the Year for FPC.
“It’s pretty special,” she said. “It shows that my peers, in my area, respect me and what I do,”
