“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”
-Albert Einstein
In the midst of ever sunny and downright balmier spring conditions in the first few days of March, there comes much anticipation, but also time for much needed reflection. Earlier this week, our Food Cadre not only undertook a workshop on meaningful pruning for fruit trees, but we also took time on Wednesday morning to make sense of what February offered us.
For a change in voice and view, fellow Cadre member & Salazar Elementary School Garden Coordinator Liana Sonne, asked if she could include some of her February thoughts on our blog. I figured, why not, given that we are not only on the verge of a week-long Spring Break respite before the full-throttle of spring workings kick in and that Liana offers a wholly original, refreshing, view on a key front of our efforts to cultivate local food systems. After all, Einstein knew best that real education lasts long after we depart the brick-and-mortar institutions we call schools. Enjoy!
“This month was moi interesante. It was filled with many projects and active participation in learning and service. We visited some instrumental topics in food production such as pollination, bed preparation and witnessed the dangers of record temperatures even with season extension. Additionally this month was all science fair and the students were very inclusive of topics pertaining to our natural world. Such topics as food waste and erosion were highlights in addition to a great deal more. The fourth grade took on three topics (local food, composting and recycling) and presented them to every classroom in a succinct and creative way. Our topics of birds and their important habitat has generated equal attention as a class presentation for Kindergarten and 1st grades. Not to mention our sixth grade fully partook in the National Backyard Bird count in which we mimicked the glorious noises of the very few species that inhabit Salazar as well as using the playground as an impromptu blind. The very first seeds for spring have been planted and there is a great deal more in the works, such as the i-Matter March and Global Youth Service Days (GYSD). SO much movement.”
Cheers & Good Eating to Everyone in the Community! I’ll be back in two weeks (unless I feel the Muses urging me to write)!