AG EDUCATOR … John Poulson, a retired Pettisville Schools teacher, now works as the ag educator at the Nature Center at Sauder Village, bringing his agricultural experiences to a new field.
(PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA N. STRIPE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
NATURE CENTER … The Nature Center at Sauder Village now features retired agriculture teacher John Poulson as its ag educator.
By: Samantha N. Stripe
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
A former Pettisville agriculture educator has found a new use for his teaching skills in retirement.
John Poulson worked at Pettisville Schools as the agriculture teacher when he retired in 2023. Now, the former Golden Owl award winner is working part-time at Sauder Village in Archbold, where he works in the Nature Center as its agriculture ‘ag’ educator.
Poulson attended Fairview High School and then continued his education at The Ohio State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in animal science and agriculture education.
“My dad was an ag teacher, so I was never going to teach,” Poulson said. “When I got into my sophomore year, I decided I liked the variety, so I kept taking ag ed classes.”
He then worked in Richland County for seven years but wasn’t happy teaching there. Poulson and his wife, Lexie, then left to come back to their northwest Ohio roots where he began working for Ohio Farm Bureau.
Poulson got back into education after two years with the Farm Bureau. He was attending a Pettisville School Board meeting on behalf of the Farm Bureau regarding the potential closure of their agricultural program.
That’s when he spoke to the superintendent and then submitted his application for the school’s agriculture teacher.
He spent the next 33 years there. But the multi-award-winning teacher didn’t stay completely retired for long.
“I was tired of grading papers because I wasn’t fast at it, but I wasn’t tired of learning,” he said. “I wasn’t bored necessarily, but I knew I didn’t want to sit on the couch.”
The Nature Center
After leaving the school two years ago, he was encouraged by two fellow church goers to apply to Sauder Village in Archbold as its ag educator. Poulson started at the Nature Center in March 2025.
“He’s been a great fit for Sauder Village,” said Sheri Friesner, Director of Museum Operations at Sauder Village. “He knows the community, he knows the students, and he knows ag. He’s taught it for so long.”
“We’ve tried other paths for the Nature Center, but having someone who knows our culture, the culture of this region, has been very helpful. He is very knowledgeable.”
The Nature Center features a variety of different learning activities that encompass everything nature and everything agriculture. For example, students can learn about the variety of soils while observing the growth of beefsteak tomatoes and then check out a former beehive.
Friesner explained that it’s a “good space” for helping students see beyond the fields outside so they can see a smaller version of what is happening.
Located near the Ice Cream Shoppe, the Nature Center hasn’t always been up and running as much as it is now.
“Prior to John joining us, we didn’t have a dedicated ag educator,” said Friesner. “When we could have it open it was an education staff member, and we would do it during field trip season,” she said. “Now having a different staff set-up, it’s staffed a lot more, and it’s open more hours.”
Poulson works part-time hours at the village while his wife, Lexie, also volunteers there. He shared that a recent tour group of students included some of his former students who were chaperoning their children – a full-circle moment he called “cool.” “You can tell that the kids love him,” Friesner said.
She explained that every spring the senior class of Pettisville High School comes out to the Sauder Village to volunteer and help. This year, with Poulson on the team, it was a little different, as some students weren’t raising their hands for any of the volunteer groups.
“Are you all waiting for Mr. Poulson?” she asked them. “Yeah, we want to be in his group!” they had replied. “Obviously he’s had a good impact on these students,” Friesner added.
Still Teaching
When asked what his favorite parts of the Nature Center are, Poulson didn’t hesitate. “Anything dealing with plants and soils became my favorite subject. I think it’s because there’s so much connection – you’ve got trees, wildlife, flowers, farm crops, garden crops.”
Poulson still finds himself using his teaching skills, putting curriculum together for the young visiting patrons, which includes hands-on activities. While he might still be teaching but in a different location, he notes that he’s not the only one there teaching every day.
“One of my sayings from the classroom is ‘everyone’s a teacher.’ It doesn’t matter what position you’re in,” he said. “I think that it’s important to make sure people know that other people are watching them, learning from them, they need to work as a team, help each other.”
For more information on the Nature Center at Sauder Village, visit their website at www. saudervillage.org.