Watch a video of the National Association of Agricultural Educators outstanding teachers award presentation
“I'm always telling the kids: Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone,” the Big Sky High School veteran said. “If I'm going to talk the talk, I've got to walk the walk. I've got to use this as a leadership experience for the students. I'm 55 years old. You have to be willing to change all the time.”
McClure winds up his tenure at the Big Sky ag-ed department Friday and heads for Seattle, where he's taking up a new post as an agricultural inspection expert for the Department of Homeland Security. After 25 years of teaching teens in Missoula how to raise and grade quality food, he's headed for the border to ensure nothing bad gets in the nation's grocery sacks.
The truck was part of his award for being one of the top six National Association of Agricultural Educators outstanding teachers this year. His nomination beat out colleagues from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Montana.
Most of McClure's teaching takes place at Big Sky's agricultural/forestry complex near Target Range Elementary School. There, students find themselves in charge of the welfare of a dozen cattle, two-dozen sheep, four pigs and a variety of other livestock and crops. They also find themselves turning their academic courses into practical skills in a hurry.
“Lots of people come out here and can't hack it,” said senior Kevin Barfuss, one of McClure's advanced students. “He's down to earth, and he doesn't sugar-coat anything.”
Fellow students rattled off a list of the challenges that had pruned away some of their less-clinical classmates, such as pregnancy-testing cows, lambing, branding and other facets of agricultural know-how. They also liked how math story problems could turn into livestock feeding regimes, and how they wound up with working knowledge of woodworking, welding, tool safety and other hands-on talents.
“It's going to be a tough deal to replace him,” said Brad King, the agriculture education specialist from the state Office of Public Instruction who came to Wednesday's truck-award ceremony. “We're under a teacher shortage nationwide for ag teachers, and he's literally one in a million. There just aren't enough teachers going into the agriculture teaching schools.”
The new job had its share of entry challenges. McClure had to take a video test where he had 10 seconds to respond to a border investigation scenario, and also had to pass drug and background checks.
In Seattle, he'll be inspecting trucks and ships bringing food into the United States, looking for both unacceptable quality and potential bioterrorism threats. After he builds enough experience there, McClure said he hopes to be transferred to Montana's Hi-Line so he can be closer to friends and family.
“I'm 55, and my country wants me,” he said. “I'm going to go.”
As for the 2008 Tundra, McClure's award gives him a two-year lease on the pickup, delivered to the school Wednesday afternoon by Bitterroot Motors of Missoula. The giveaway is part of a $1.4 million, two-year commitment from Toyota to the National FFA Foundation, and furthers the company's long-running support for agricultural education.
Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at rchaney@missoulian.com.
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