School Gardens!
This Saturday McManus Elementary on East Avenue and Mi Escuelita Maya preschol in southwest Chico are both having school garden workdays. We will be assembling raised garden beds at McManus from 8-2 and digging up the dirt to prep the garden at Mi Esceulita Maya. Contact the Chico Food Network or the GRUB Program for information on how to get involved with these or other school garden projects.
I rank the importance of teaching and learning gardens right up there with the school library and gym. Sadly, very few campuses have school gardens.
The school garden is the classroom where students can learn first hand where food really comes from, not to mention be able to do art projects, study native american plants, learn about photosynthesis, insect adaptations, health and nutrition, nutrient cycling, ecology, soil science, appled math, poetry writing, Mendelian genetics, food webs, plant physiology. . .
Imagine if the students spent as much time in a school garden as they do taking multiple choice tests.
School gardens are not easy things for schools. They take time and effort to set up and maintain. Teacher training institutions instruct teachers in classroom management techiniques and reading strategies, but they don't teach educators how to use a school garden to satisfy educational standards. Finally, while it is expected that our schools will keep every classroom supplied with DVD players, textbooks, and overhead projectors, there is no line in the regular school budget for school gardens.
The state recently awarded non-competitive $2500 grants to schools to support school gardens. That's enough to purchase materials and equipment, but materials alone will not ensure a very long lifespan for a school garden.
The responsibility of maintaining a school garden cannot rest on the shoulders of the teachers. They are asked to do too much already. The teachers' role is to teach--just as it is not their responsibility to supply the classroom, desks, and teaching materials that they require to do their job, nor should they be required to weed, water, or tend to the school garden after hours. Nor should they be asked to take personal time to write for grants to support school gardens.
Unfortunately, school districts are not in the position of being able to properly fund school gardens either.
I would suggest that community support is the way to go. Some might suggest that that's what our taxes are for, and that their support should end there. But where would our schools be without the involvement of local businesses or parent volunteers? Where would our schools be if every teacher in the district worked only the hours required by their contract, and not a minute more?
What if our communities supported school gardens with the same enthusiasm that they support after school sports?
What if parent aides in the classroom could be parent aides in the school garden?
Teachers want school gardens on their campuses in Chico. They are asking for help, and slowly but surely the community is responding. Efforts are underway at McManus Elementary, Chapman Elementary, Chico Junior, and Bidwell Junior, and Mi Esceulita Maya to establish garden sites.
I think every school should have a school garden, period. I think they should be as open and accessible to students and teachers as the school library. And I think that our community can and should make this happen. I feel that our community can only benefit from having a student population that has learned to appreciate and enjoy gardens and gardening.
What about summer, you ask? I can imagine an "adopt a garden" program for each school, where a different family from is assigned a specific 1-2 week period in the summer to maintain the garden. School gardens can also be used by summer programs.
If you have them time and want to pitch in, there is plenty of work that needs to be done, on a year-round basis. Make yourself known.