Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Lisa Baser, the new FFA teacher in LaCrosse, came to the subject in an unlikely way at the beginning of high school. She was registering for classes at Sumner High, near Tacoma, when Animal Science proved to be the last elective on her list of options.
“It was the only class that was open,” Baser said. “But it turned out I really enjoyed it. I didn’t know a thing about agriculture until high school.”
Now she knows a lot about it and teaches kids four periods a day in LaCrosse.
She began her teaching career at Meridian High in Bellingham in 2005 after graduating from WSU with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Agriculture. She married J.D. Baser and they moved to Pomeroy where he led the FFA program. Later, J.D. became an instructor at WSU while Lisa took over his FFA job. She also taught in Odessa.
Her new part-time job in LaCrosse works well for her, as they now have two small children.
Baser likes the tangible aspect of FFA.
“I like that kids can do a lot of hands-on learning, and see the tie between their classes and careers outside of high school,” she said.
As part of her classes she teaches in LaCrosse, Baser will concentrate on animal agriculture and agribusiness, while covering all aspects of FFA, including preparing for the judging and speaking events throughout the year.
The big dates will come toward the end of the school year, with the state convention in WSU in May, as well as the Junior Livestock Show of Spokane.
This week, many of Baser’s new students will be at the Palouse Empire Fair showing animals and setting them up for auction on Saturday.
She will be there with them.
“I can’t think of a time in my life that I didn’t want to be a teacher,” Baser said.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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