Words FromMike's Colleagues

Mike was loved by his students and was widely regarded by students and colleagues as being one of the best science teachers in the state. I can remember Mike bringing his students in large numbers to our Junior Academy of Science Workshops when I was director in early 90`s. He always provided the best opportunities for his students. Mike was well-liked by his colleagues and was fun to be around.

He was a former SC Academy of Science (SCAS) President and received the SCAS Governor's Award for Science Awareness and in addition the SC Science Council's Doris Helms award.
My prayers and thought are with Mike`s family and especially to his wife Libby and daughter Kenley. We all will miss our friend Mike Farmer.

Contributed by Dr. Don M. Jordan, USC

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I have such fond memories of Dr. Farmer as a coworker at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, where we worked together from the year 2000 to 2012 when he retired. He continued to work as a substitute teacher.

Dr. Farmer was a great educator of students in the area of science and particularly physics. He was always seeking for ways to show the relationship between science and the arts. Whenever he had some discoveries he shared with his students and they took these ideas and findings and developed projects to show these relations. 

I often walked down the science hall and Dr. Farmer was eager to strike up a conversation about the projects. 

He was energetic, had a giving spirit, loved gardening and took pride in sharing the fruits of his garden with us. 

Each Christmas Libby and Mike gave many of us Amaryllis plants and I had the great fortune of having a “Jack in the Beanstalk” kind of experience each year – My Amaryllis was always the prettiest.

Libby I will plant my Christmas 2014 Amaryllis in my flower bed in memory of Dr. Farmer.

“One mark of a great educator is the ability to lead students out to new places where even the educator has never been.” 

-----Thomas Groome

Contributed by  Lela B. McKnight
Director of Guidance South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities

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Dr. Mike Farmer - South Carolina has lost a great man, a teacher, a father and fearless trailblazer in better education methods for high school students of S.C. 

I had the distinct honor and pleasure of working with Mike at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts. Mike was third in line for the Christa McAuliffe / NASA Challenger Teacher in Space Program. He was NASA’s Teacher of the Year, as well as Discovery Magazine’s Teacher of the Year. The list goes on.

But one of Mike’s greatest contributions was the way he taught. He would say, “If I can discover what intrinsically motivates a student, and apply that to the way they learn, the rest will fall into place.” one would think that Mike’s method of teaching would be complex… but it was quite simple, he believed in really listening and observing the students. Stating, I’m going to teach the way you learn, rather than, you learning the way I teach. It worked brilliantly… 

But, Mike’s greatest accomplishment to date is now…. leaving this world a much better place because of the way he thought and the way he taught.

Thank you Mike Farmer, for bringing some stars to earth.

Contributed by Ric Standridge