Chico, Sustainable

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.

Posted by jmiller at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once again we are hearing the rumblings and rumors of additional high school options in Chico.

It's about time.

Now, don't get me wrong--Pleasant Valley and Chico High both have dedicated educators and administrators, amazing students, and solid academic programs. But even with Chico High's "Smaller Learning Communities" option, it is unrealistic to think that Chico's two high schools can function as the ideal learning environment for every student in this town. Our youth are too diverse.

One of the new high school options will be a charter school, and the other will follow a home school model that will draw heavily on the talents of the parent community.

The charter high school is being billed as a "Green High School," which will weave concepts of sustainability and environmental awareness into both the academics and the social culture of the school. The organizers hope to open the school by fall, 2010. The school will eventually support a student body of about 100 students. They are in the process of seeking out a site for the school, possibly one that will have enough land to incorporate a large school garden.

Generally speaking, school districts are not in favor of charter schools for economic reasons--school funding is based on student enrollment, so the establishment of a charter school in a district leads to reduced funding for existing schools.

The issue is far from simple. One could say that having different educational alternatives is healthier for our students in the long run, and that if the traditonal schools are losing students to the charter schools, then this should be a "wake-up" to change how the traditional schools go about educating kids.

The counter-argument is that existing schools do their best with the resources they have available, and that the lost funding due to the establishment of a charter school hurts many while benefitting only a handful.

Personally, as I write this during my prep period while subbing a life science class, I feel the the fault lies not with Chico Unified, but rather with the educational system that we have created in this country. Case in point--a beautiful 70 degree day in Chico, and life science class is taking place indoors. And as I have mentioned before, this is the norm.

The U.S. educational system is flawed--it was established almost a century ago to train students for a different time, and try as we might, it is sorely challenged by the task of educating our youth for the today's world, today's issues, and today's challenges.

Changing the system is going to hurt.

Posted by jmiller at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The sun is out (for a little while, at least) and here are a few eco-oriented events happening in the area:

FEBRUARY 15--The Power of Pollinators, Native Pollinators: Not Just Honey
Join the Tehama County Resource Conservation District on Friday, Feb. 15th for the free workshop, The workshop will be held at the Tehama District Fairground in Red Bluff, Tehama Room, 8 AM to 12 Noon. Come learn how native pollinators can help crops and flowering plants after the recent honey bee decline. Topics presented will cover, why native pollinators are important for our food system, the importance of rangeland for these essential insects, common range plants that support pollinators, and techniques to manage rangeland for cattle and pollinators. Interested parties are encouraged to RSVP and can receive additional information by contacting the RCD at 527-3013, ext. 3.

FEBRUARY 16--Kids and Creeks Benefit Concert, El Rey Theatre
Featuring one of Rolling Stone’s top 10 Artists to Watch in 2008, Brett Dennen, with special guests Dick and Jane. $15 advance or $18 at the door. Tickets will be available at Chico Natural Foods, Lyons Books, The Naked Lounge, and Bustolini’s. You can also register online here. 100% of the proceeds will sponsor outdoor science education opportunities for elementary school classes in Chico and the surrounding area.

FEBRUARY 19--Water Rights Activist Maude Barlow at the Chico Grange Hall at 6:30 p.m. Free Event!
World renowned author, water rights activist, 2005 Right Livelihood Award Winner (alternative nobel prize) and board member for Food & Water Watch, Maude Barlow is on a national tour launching her new book "Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water." The event brings 5 local water activists and experts together with Maude, to talk about what is happening with water in Chico and the surrounding North State counties. This event is FREE and includes delicious appetizers featuring local farm fresh and farmstead products. Presented by Food and Water Watch, Butte Environmental Council, and the Sacramento River Preservations Trust

Posted by jmiller at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently I lamented the lack of hands-on science education in Chico, specifically the underutilization of three greenways that lie within walking distance of all three of Chico's junior high schools. An except from this post was featured in the ER's Blog Log.

Then I got a call to substitute in a 5th grade class at the Blue Oak Charter School.

The afternoon lesson plan included 45 minutes of math, and a walk to Bidwell Park. And get this--the students go there once a week.

But it gets better. They don't bring clipboards, pencils, magnifying glasses, or field guides. The directions to the students while there: "Explore and play." Which is just what they did--they climbed on logs, hung from grape vines, and stood beneath a confetti of yellow leaves. And then we walked back.

The principal, who joined us for the walk, remarked that this style of science education has not had an adverse effect on the state's standardized science tests.

Kids outside in a natural setting=science is being learned. Hmmm, now there's a concept.

On a slightly different note, the school takes pride in having a culture of sustainability. For example, each student is given their own set of colored pencils when they enroll. A good set--not the type you pick up in the school supply section of Rite Aid (brittle Crayolas and Faber Castells). These are thicker and more durable--made of solid wood, with hardy leads and are stored in a smart leather or cloth pouch.

Why the extra expense? Quality counts. Combined with early lessons on responsibility, a set can last a student for years.

And this saves the school money. Remember those communal classroom crayon bins filled with cracked, unidentifiable or unappreciated colors and a confetti of waxy paper peelings at the bottom? You know, the ones that were just as likely to end up on the floor of the classroom as they were back in the container (the green and yellow cardboard boxes got trashed soon after purchase), and thus had to be replenished every year? Or those felt tip-pens that all seemed to dry out by Christmas? You won't find either of these things on the Blue Oak budget.

And after being in the fifth grade classroom for a day and a half, no one seems to miss them.

Posted by jmiller at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I will be substitute teaching for a junior high school life science class on Thursday. The forecast calls for a pleasant, sunny day, perfect for taking the class on a short stroll down to the closest creek (Chico Jr. and Marsh Jr. are a 10-minute walk to minute walk Big and Little Chico Creek respectively, and Bidwell Jr. is 12 minutes from the Lindo Channel Greenway).

While there, we could check out macroinvertebrates in the stream and on the shore, or gaze up at the valley oaks, or dissect an acorn or a flower, or discuss how and why some trees lose their leaves in the winter, while others are able to stay green all year round. We could document different types of birds, or perhaps even take part in a habitat restoration effort.

Even though the transportation costs would be zero, I would speculate that this would be the only such field trip for the students this year. And I would end up getting chastised, fired, and sued all at the same time.

Because I didn’t hand out permission slips.
Because I didn’t follow the assigned curriculum.
Because there would be no parent chaperones.
Because my lesson would not necessarily be aligned with the state science standards.
Because the creek, with its unstable, rocky bank, creates an unpredictable and unsafe learning environment.
Because the traditional educational system simply isn’t set up to teach life science outside, among (my goodness) living things.

Any teacher can tell you these things. They will also tell you, truthfully, that since the students aren’t used to a culture of regular field trips, they become harder to manage. That getting a parent-signed permission slip and emergency form from every student is a nightmare. That by the time you have spent 5 minutes at the beginning of the period to brief the class, 10 minutes to walk out the creek, 5 minutes to regroup the class, and 10 minutes to walk back, you are left with 22 minutes to actually dedicate to stream study, if you are lucky.

In my 13 years as an educator, I have found that indoor science education is the prevailing culture, not just for Chico’s schools, but for most public schools in the country. Our children will inherit the planet, but I fear that the precious little they learn about it will come from books, websites, and videos, rather than first-hand experience.

As for this Thursday, there is a pretty good chance the teacher will have a DVD for me to show—describing the wonders of life.

Posted by jmiller at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)