Award-winning teacher enjoys seeing students thrive

BELLE PLAINE — As Nationwide insurance and the Iowa FFA Foundation prepare to choose this year’s Golden Owl Award recipient, last year’s honoree is finding satisfaction preparing student leaders in and outside the ag industry.

The Golden Owl Award recognizes agricultural educators across Iowa for their contributions to helping the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Students, fellow teachers and other supporters nominate their favorite teachers and summarize what makes that teacher the best in the state.

In April of 2024, John Daniels received the award during the FFA Convention in front of a crowd of more than 6,500 students, advisers and agricultural partners.

Daniels graduated from Iowa Valley High School in Marengo in 2003. “When I was a high school student, I didn’t know exactly for sure what I wanted to do with my life,” Daniels said.

He thought he’d like to work in the medical field.

Daniels took agriculture class with teacher Andy Rowe, not to pursue a career in ag, but because it taught skills such as parliamentary procedure and public speaking, that developed skills useful in any career.

Daniels attended Central College in Pella, taking premed classes. But he didn’t do well in organic chemistry, often called a “weed-out” class because of its difficulty.

“This is probably one of the easier chemistry classes you’ll take,” his adviser told him. “So I ended up thinking about what I wanted to do,” Daniels said.

Sitting in his college dorm room, rethinking med school, Daniels remembered a letter he received from the National FFA Organization. Someone had suggested that Daniels pursue ag education as a profession.

At the time, he snickered about it, he said. But after his battle with organic chemistry, he took the idea seriously. He transferred to Iowa State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education.

Daniels taught in Parkersburg from 2008-2012. He had an opportunity to teach at his alma mater but decided against it.

From 2012-2021, Daniels taught at Williamsburg High School. “From there I ended up at Belle Plaine.”

The best part of teaching ag and advising FFA is building relationships with the students, said Daniels.

“I’m just proud of the kids we have at Belle Plaine. I’m proud of the relationships that have developed.”

In 2023, Daniels’ students were recognized with a National Chapter Award from FFA. “We got a two-star rating.”

The National Chapter Award Program recognizes FFA chapters that actively implement the strategies of the organization, the FFA website says.

These chapters emphasize growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture and providing educational experiences for the entire membership.

For a small school like Belle Plaine, receiving a national honor is an impressive accomplishment, Daniels said.

Recently seven of Belle Plaine’s seniors learned they’d be awarded an Iowa FFA degree, the highest rank that can be conferred upon active members by the Iowa FFA Association.

In the last four years, six or seven of Belle Plaine’s FFA teams placed in the top 10 in state contests.

“It’s the stuff that’s going on behind the scenes that kids are doing on their own or as a team that makes me the most proud,” Daniels said.

Daniels teaches a variety of ag-related classes at Belle Plaine.

Intro to Ag is a freshman level class that Daniels described as a jack-of-all-trades class. It allows students to test different skill sets and see what interests them.

The plant science class gives students a heavy dose of plant biology, said Daniels.

Animal science, ag business, ag woods and ag welding, conservation science, horticulture and greenhouse management are all offered at Belle Plaine High School, and students can take agronomy and animal science through Kirkwood Community College’s Benton County campus.

Daniels also teaches a nine-week class to eighth graders, giving them “little bits and pieces of what we offer at the high school level,” so they can decide if they want to take ag classes.

A large percentage of Daniel’s students go into trades, the teacher said.

“That’s the trend the last couple of years,” said Daniels. The students like taking a hands-on approach to education in a 12- to 18-month program.

Daniels still sees students who pursue four-year degrees, but not necessarily as ag majors. They’ll pursue careers that are peripheral to the subject, such as nutrition, which has ties to the food industry but is not traditional ag.

FFA

National FFA Organization is not for future farmers only, said Daniels. He tells his students that FFA teaches leadership, communication and resiliency, skills they’ll use in any vocation.

“We’re just using agriculture as a vehicle to get them there,” Daniels said.

Watching students grow gives Daniels satisfaction. “It’s been really cool to see that transformation as kids have gotten older.”

As the school year enters its final months, FFA students are gearing up for several projects.

“Last week we just got our first round of plants shipped to our high school, so the kids are working at a fever pitch.” Students will replant them into hanging baskets for the spring FFA plant sale.

FFA subdistrict contests are beginning this month, and Belle Plaine’s FFA has a test plot it will plant in the spring.

It also sponsors the Belle Plaine Easter egg hunt.

“February through April is a really busy time for the kids,” Daniels said.

“There are countless opportunities in our rural schools for our students,” said Daniels. Attending a small school does not negatively impact children, he said.

He hopes to see the students in those communities embrace that. “I think that’s something I hope parents and students recognize.”