Author: Addie Saltarelli. Addie graduated in Spring 2020 from Michigan Tech University with a degree in Forestry. She was awarded an Exceptional Community Service Project Leadership Award for her work with Jeffers High School Green House Curriculum.
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When I was growing up, I could walk fifty feet out my back door and pick a fresh tomato to eat as an afternoon snack. Another fifty feet, I would find farm fresh eggs and beyond that there were blueberry bushes that our bee hives were pollinating. My family survived Michigan winters from persevering the food we grew in the garden from the summer before. I was fortunate enough to grow up watching my food grow and being a part of the system of planting, picking, and processing. I quickly realized not every kid grew up like this.
I am originally from the suburbs of Detroit and while going through the public-school system I remember always seeing posters about providing food for hungry American kids. Our school had a food bank and did community dinners and food drives to support the people of our community. At a young age, I remember thinking why don’t hungry people just grow their own food? As I have developed, as a student at Michigan Tech, I have realized it’s not that simple. Access to the land, resources, and knowledge to grow food is limited. But it doesn’t have to be.
This past semester at Jeffers High School I started a greenhouse and gardening class partnered with Chef Emily Johnsons culinary class. I began passionately writing the curriculum with the intention of teaching kids how to grow food. It sounds pretty simple, right? But getting 15-year-old kids excited about gardening is not an easy task. I started off the first day in the classroom with my very extensive curriculum in hand along with a prepared power point stating what the kids could expect from the semester. I began my power point lecture, and within 3 minutes I noticed eyes glazing over and attention being hijacked by more exciting things. I panicked. About 10 minutes into my first class, I realized none of the kids were excited to learn about plants. How could I blame them? I was a 15-year-old once and all I cared about was the hottest gossip and what was for lunch. I waltzed into the classroom with my detailed “hands on” curriculum and started with a lecture. What did I expect? Half of the students were placed in the class with-out a choice, while the other ones signed up for it because of the culinary aspect. I was handed kids who had zero interest in gardening, plants, compost, or food systems. After the first week of teaching, I realized I needed to approach the class very differently.
I basically flopped how I was doing things. Instead of forcing learning moments through lecture, I let them experience the gardening hands on. Believe it or not, many magical learning moments came with them simply getting their hands dirty. Experiencing the processes of growing a seed into a plant that bears fruit is beautiful and fascinating. They started questioning why certain plants grew that way and what would happen if we planted it like this or why that fertilizer didn’t work. And yes, I let them experiment with mountain dew as a fertilizer. When given autonomy, I watched their curiosity bloom into a desire to invest in their learning. The students were eager to learn more from the local CSA that visited our class and they couldn’t wait to visit the greenhouse that the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
My grand plan for gardening and greenhouse classes in the Keweenaw is connecting schools to the community. I think the biggest limit to the success of greenhouse classes, is the fact that the kids leave for the summer. The way I see it is- this opens up a great opportunity to directly involve the community. Once the kids leave for the summer, the greenhouse and gardens can be used for therapeutic gardening or community garden plots for local gardeners and college students. This maintains the garden and greenhouse upkeep during the summer and connects the community to the school food system.
When kids learn to grow food, they become connected to their earth and community. They gain a sense of ownership over their food and health. It also promotes a compelling desire to care for the environment. Before the class, the kids believed lunch came from the shelf at Walmart or the McDonalds drive through. Now, they know that, with a little bit of effort and care, lunch can come from their backyard. Creating a space for young kids to learn about food systems is vital in our education systems. Greenhouse and gardening education plants a seed that continues to give back to communities for generations to come.