[sanjuro]

I saw this piece in the Chronicle today: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scavenger/detail?blogid=111&entry_id=55194

But Caitlin Flanagan really came out swinging with a harsh essay in The Atlantic on school gardens. She argues that time that should be spent on reading, writing and arithmetic is wasted on teaching children how to grow vegetables. This green-thumbing of students undermines their education and will ultimately turn them into field laborers, or, as she puts it, "intellectual sharecroppers."

And the actual piece, which I am struggling to get thru because of the all unnecessary vitriol: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/school-yard-garden

 

[TN]

You can develop curriculum that teaches both agriculture & the traditional three R's. For instance you need math in gardening...like figuring up the sq. footage of your space & allotting crops of necessary sizes, etc....there is your arithmetic.

I am sure L will chime in as this is her field.

 

[sanjuro]

I think kids should be surfing myspace for pron.

 

[jonKranked]

surfs up serf!

 

[SkaredShtles]

surfs up serf!

 

[laura]

We had a comprehensive curriculum in our garden this summer. Math, science, literacy. And that curriculum taught kids more than how to pass a standardized test. It taught them teamwork and self sufficiency. It built self esteem and made abstract concepts in math and science applicable. It also helped to cultivate a curiosity about nature, something that city kids have no concept of. I had children that began working with neighbors and older family members in their gardens. They were learning to appreciate their communities like they had not before.

There is research based evidence to show that connecting literacy to real life helps kids learn. I have a fabulous curriculum on books in the garden that we used with our Pals group this summer and had great results.

This doesn't even touch on the fact that nutritional deficiencies lead to a kinds of developmental and learning issues.

The current state of our public education is in such disarray right now that I feel we should be trying any and everything in our power to make learning fun and attainable for all of our kids. There was a time when school was not just about math and reading scores. It was about socialization, learning manners and respect, developing and nurturing a healthy curiosity about the world around you. The kids that I work with don’t have that. They are tested to death, hate school, and feel inadequate when they don’t excel at the level of their peers. Most of the teachers that I speak with are just as fed up by the whole system. We are in for a revolution in education. I hope to be able to say that I was able to participate in that revolution through creative, alternative learning environments and activities. Naysayers can **** themselves.

 

[sanjuro]

I still have to read every word in that piece. There is a lot of garbage.

But this is the final paragraph:

But until our kids have a decent chance at mastering the essential skills and knowledge that they will need to graduate from high school, we should devote every resource and every moment of their academic day to helping them realize that life-changing goal.

I noticed this writer did not visit one city or town that actually grows food. Not too hard to find in California. Growing up in the city, I have not seen a garden, so, yes, that would be a good skill to learn.

 

[Westy]

It will help them to learn to grow their own pot so they don't have to support terrorist drug dealers.