After 10 years as a high school teacher, Becky Simpson knows that youth organizations such as the University of Missouri 4-H youth development program can help young people develop positive attitudes and skills important to a successful adulthood.
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“I saw students that slipped through the cracks that could have benefitted from the mentoring that is done through 4-H that could have helped them change their view on life,” said Simpson, a new 4-H specialist in Gallatin.
Simpson, a native of Albany, will work with 4-H members, volunteers, schools and others to create opportunities for young people in Daviess, Grundy, Harrison and Mercer counties to develop leadership and life skills.
“I want to find out what people in the county want and work on those things,” she said. “I hope we can find more kids that can benefit from 4-H.”
In May, Simpson completed six years with Cassville, Mo., R-IV School District, where she taught high school history and chaired the social studies department. She also was a cheerleading coach and assistant speech and debate coach.
From 1995-99, she taught history at West St. Francois County R-IV School District in Leadwood, where she created a high school course on the American legal system.
“I’ve taught for 10 years,” she said. “Now it’s time to broaden the horizons.”
In 1999, Simpson served on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education team that set MAP achievement standards for the 11th grade social studies.
Simpson earned a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in government from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville.
She is a member of Missouri State Teachers Association, and the Missouri and National councils for the Social Studies. She also is active in the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association, serving on the state competition committee.