Good Morning Everyone!
I'm Joy David, educator with a twist. I strive to make learning come alive for every student in my classroom. Robin has asked me to give you a window to the school garden that is being established under my guidance (although I'm sure my principal might tell you it is being established under my steam roller!). It is my pleasure and honor to do so.
By the way, no matter what time I post, I will always say "Good Morning." It is a standard practice in my classroom as well. That way if students come into class having had a less than perfect previous day, they get a chance to start over. If they have had a glorious day, they get the chance to have two! Go ahead! Have a second day! Remember I introduced myself as "educator with a twist."
I have begun a new adventure in teaching! I have taken on starting, developing, and maintaining a school garden! I have always been fascinated with gardens, although I have almost no formal training. (Of course, who has?)
But First...
The Beginning
Early last fall I took a new position as a 3rd grade teacher in a small, rural school district. The first day I arrived, I was greeted by the call of a rooster from across the field right out the back door of my classroom! I was hooked!
I grew up in a small town in NE Iowa (pop. 150 if you count the dogs) with agricultural roots. Most of my uncles farmed and we are a very close family; so I grew up on a farm, but went to town to sleep. My Uncle Kenny once commented to my mom, "Here comes the most natural farmer you'll ever see." As fate would have it, I am the only one in my immediate family who did not marry a farmer, so I farm by proxy at this point with hopes to be on a farm soon!
This marks my 15th year of teaching, and I can honestly say with no reservations that this is the best class I have ever had! Our district is comprised of four small towns in central Iowa - LeGrand, Gilman, Laurel, and Ferguson (where my building is). This makes up the East Marshall School District. You can visit our school on its website. [1]
The Garden
I wanted to establish a school garden for three purposes:
- To help kids make connections to our curriculum.
- To create an atmosphere where it was OK to be a calculated risk-taker.
- To put childhood nutrition back on the priority list.
As I researched how a school garden could look, I became even more convinced this would be a valuable learning tool in not only the obivious science curriculum, but also social studies, writing, and reading. I have a life long friend, Tim Moore, who is the ag teacher at the Gila River Crossing School in Arizonia who was able to guide me to valid research as well. As I presented the proposal to our superintendent, he too offered ideas to improve the success rate.
It is my intention to enter a log of progress, including some of the kids' journal entries, as we go along. I'll do my best to paint a realistic picture complete with celebrations and tears! We'll be embarking on this adventure together!
Peace,
Joy
Editor's Note: I believe it's extremely important to teach children about growing healthy, nutritious food. Not long ago I read about Joy David's interest in starting a school garden. I contacted Joy completely out of the blue and she happily agreed to join our family of writers. I am excited about Joy's adventures with the kids and their garden, and I'm looking forward to being able to read about the garden in the kids' own words.
Robin Follette, Editor