Today at our allotments we had a visit from a childrens' allotment project in a town a few miles away. We laid on tea and cakes and ice cream and waited for their bus to arrive - about 30 got off! They were charming, so interested and asking really intelligent gardening questions, I was dead impressed. One lad, who moaned about being dragged round to look at 'boring vegetables' suddenly got really interested in compost. We let him lift the lids of bins at various stages of decomposition and the whole science thing really fascinated him.. 'how does all that green stuff turn into that brown stuff..what actually happens?' It really is worth encouraging kids to take an interest in gardening and learn where veg actually comes from - they were amazed to see the asparagus beds at this time of year with all those tall fronds and discover how huge the roots are. Another kid was seriously interested in our recent drainage work and wanted to know all about drains. A little engineer.
We should all do more of this.. it's an absolute delight to work with children who genuinely want to learn.
Giulia (Liverpool).
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oldherbaceous
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Good morning Giulia, may i just say please keep up the good work.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
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Cider Boys
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Hello Giulia
May I second old herbaceous and offer my congratulations in your inspiring the young. There is nothing more satisfying in teaching and helping enthusiastic learners.
Barney
May I second old herbaceous and offer my congratulations in your inspiring the young. There is nothing more satisfying in teaching and helping enthusiastic learners.
Barney
The kids are the future allotment holders. If we hook 'em early they will get the bug, and continue to garden in the future.
It's not always easy on the allotments as I have personally come up against opposition because I have children on the plots. The main objection was "they make a noise"
Anyway, hats off to Guilia and well done. Maybe the site I'm on will look to Guilias site for inspiration in the future.
Well done Guilia
It's not always easy on the allotments as I have personally come up against opposition because I have children on the plots. The main objection was "they make a noise"
Anyway, hats off to Guilia and well done. Maybe the site I'm on will look to Guilias site for inspiration in the future.
Well done Guilia
Lots of love
Lizzie
Lizzie
Hi Giulia,
Some years back I set up a gardening club for the local Primary School in conjunction with the Headmistress. It went down a bomb and everything went fine until we got a new Headmistress.
She was an Organic fanatic and insisted that everything had to be done her way and after some sole searching, because I really enjoyed working with the children who were as keen as mustard, I decided to leave the Headmistress to it. The erstwhile flourishing club folded almost overnight.
The children had come on visits to my nursery generally four times a year. Because I was not Organic these were stopped.
In later years I actually employed several of these ex-children and I am very pleased to say that it was from that club in happier times that they have all gone through horticultural training and two now have degrees and the others all have good qualifications and hold down very good jobs.
It was all from that little gardening club so I feel that the younger you catch their attention the better.
I find it strange that teachers can teach a subject but be absolutely useless at it themselves. Of course this does not apply to them all and I know we have some teachers on the forum who I am sure are good growers. It would be interesting to know if they actually have anything to do with school gardening schemes.
JB.
Some years back I set up a gardening club for the local Primary School in conjunction with the Headmistress. It went down a bomb and everything went fine until we got a new Headmistress.
She was an Organic fanatic and insisted that everything had to be done her way and after some sole searching, because I really enjoyed working with the children who were as keen as mustard, I decided to leave the Headmistress to it. The erstwhile flourishing club folded almost overnight.
The children had come on visits to my nursery generally four times a year. Because I was not Organic these were stopped.
In later years I actually employed several of these ex-children and I am very pleased to say that it was from that club in happier times that they have all gone through horticultural training and two now have degrees and the others all have good qualifications and hold down very good jobs.
It was all from that little gardening club so I feel that the younger you catch their attention the better.
I find it strange that teachers can teach a subject but be absolutely useless at it themselves. Of course this does not apply to them all and I know we have some teachers on the forum who I am sure are good growers. It would be interesting to know if they actually have anything to do with school gardening schemes.
JB.
A teacher said my son wasn't very good at hand eye co-ordination or at concentrating for any length of time.
I suggested that the teacher went horseriding and did the same lesson that Andrew did. This consisted of dressage followed by 3.5ft triple jumps. He was amazed that Andrew was at this level.
It turned out that the teacher meant that Andrew wasn't much good at football
He had lost track of the fact that there are other sports out there that take much more physical ability and psychological toughness.
I suggested that the teacher went horseriding and did the same lesson that Andrew did. This consisted of dressage followed by 3.5ft triple jumps. He was amazed that Andrew was at this level.
It turned out that the teacher meant that Andrew wasn't much good at football
He had lost track of the fact that there are other sports out there that take much more physical ability and psychological toughness. Lots of love
Lizzie
Lizzie
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oldherbaceous
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Well said Lizzie, i couldn't agree more.
Some teachers can see what some children can't do, but they refuse to see what they can do.
Some teachers can see what some children can't do, but they refuse to see what they can do.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
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Elderflower
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I agree - flippin` teachers eh?
Before I retired I taught at a school described as `challenging`. Because I was a senior teacher I took on the `roughnecks and loonies` and gardening and natural history was a major part of their week. We had mixed results of course but in general they responded very well to the work. I extended it to cooking and they would cook lunch for themselves at least once a week. I felt that cooking and serving food was a caring, nurturing kind of activity and just the ritual of sitting round a table handing round the dishes was lovely.
Unfortunately the National Curriculum and other Government initiatives made integrated activities like that really difficult and, in the end, impossible.
Oh well, itwas time I retired anyway - - - -
Before I retired I taught at a school described as `challenging`. Because I was a senior teacher I took on the `roughnecks and loonies` and gardening and natural history was a major part of their week. We had mixed results of course but in general they responded very well to the work. I extended it to cooking and they would cook lunch for themselves at least once a week. I felt that cooking and serving food was a caring, nurturing kind of activity and just the ritual of sitting round a table handing round the dishes was lovely.
Unfortunately the National Curriculum and other Government initiatives made integrated activities like that really difficult and, in the end, impossible.
Oh well, itwas time I retired anyway - - - -
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oldherbaceous
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Dear Elderflower, i'm glad i said some teachers, i feel that was very diplomactic for me.
I bet you were a first class teacher, that could spot all sorts of talents in children.
I bet you were a first class teacher, that could spot all sorts of talents in children.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
I feel sorry for teachers really. They appear to be so constrained by the National Curriculum, targets, SATS and everything else. It seems to have taken the spontaneity (sorry can't spell) away from them. What is wrong with running with a subject if the kids are engaged and getting something out of it.
Like Guilia said, that boy was "bored" but them got into compost. He probably learned more in the time at the plots than he would have done in the classroom because the teacher would not have been able to let him get on with it.
Plus, not only do they have to put up with that, they've got the parents too, and some of them need putting against a wall and shooting.
Anyway, i've returned the soapbox to its corner.....
Like Guilia said, that boy was "bored" but them got into compost. He probably learned more in the time at the plots than he would have done in the classroom because the teacher would not have been able to let him get on with it.
Plus, not only do they have to put up with that, they've got the parents too, and some of them need putting against a wall and shooting.
Anyway, i've returned the soapbox to its corner.....
Lots of love
Lizzie
Lizzie
Lay off teachers!! Richard - your old adage has been around for too long. I take exception to it. I mentored a mature student a year or so ago. She was doing quite well,so I thought I'd get her assessing as she taught. She looked a bit taken aback and said, " In this job you get going - throw the ball up in the air, catch it and they throw you another ball; keep 2 balls up in the air , and they throw you another ball... and so it goes on." Teaching is a highly skilled job in its own right. It is multitasking in the extreme. Teach fluently and effortlessly, moving seamlessly through the material, integrating multimedia, assessing all the while the understanding of the pupils, and last but not least keeping children, that their own parents can't keep under control,well motivated and in order. Try it. It isn't as easy as you made out! When you see an experienced teacher take over a riotous class and with a mere look and raise of the eyebrow, reduce them to quiet and calm, it looks easy. Then you try it, and 10 minutes later you won't have even started your lesson! It's like all skills in the hands of an expert. I know, I've been doing it for many years, and I'm still learning and adding tools to my teaching toolbox, just the same as I do in gardening. But I wouldn't do anything else. There is a real run of adrenalin, going into a new classroom in a new year, and the priviledge in longterm developing of children is very rewarding. As for being constrained - not really. There's still much flexibility for those that will take it.
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Compo
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Well done for defending the profession Jane, I have been a school governor in the past, it is tricky, the admin is demanding, but yes you can be creative and you can be inventive, if we right the profession off as dead we will never inspire our children, my son is 12 and has had a fantastic primary education and is now thriving at secondary school he is bright but not a genius, the school are maximising his potential, they do not tolerate bad behaviour, you knuckle under and work hard or the school dont wont to know you, I am a social worker and think this is right. All humans in this social world children or adults, need boundaries, set those and most children can achieve most things.
I 'teach' junior sea cadets age 10-12, watching them grow keeps me very young at heart, goverments will always have stats and targets, but as long as we have some teachers that believe in youth, the profession and the education system is fine.
Todays problems lie in the home and the culture of our nation, not in the education or other systems. The people of this country should invest more in their children (not withstanding the many parents who are doing a fantastic job (as some kids are the bees knees).
Compo
I 'teach' junior sea cadets age 10-12, watching them grow keeps me very young at heart, goverments will always have stats and targets, but as long as we have some teachers that believe in youth, the profession and the education system is fine.
Todays problems lie in the home and the culture of our nation, not in the education or other systems. The people of this country should invest more in their children (not withstanding the many parents who are doing a fantastic job (as some kids are the bees knees).
Compo
If I am not on the plot, I am not happy.........