Mounds Park Academy Microgreens

Delicious pea and sunflowers after just 2 weeks!

Introduction Post

I put this post under Monica's in the beginning of the semester when I did not know how to do a new post. I am including it here just to make sure it is seen.

Hi, My name is Jenna and I am currently studying Human Resources and Industrial Relations at Carlson School of Management. I took this course for a variety of reasons. The first reason that I joined is for the study abroad portion over spring break. In Carlson, we have to travel abroad in order to graduate. Since I am a senior, I needed to complete this requirement asap. Going to London to teach gardening in schools seems like an amazing opportunity for me. Not only does it fit my graduation requirements, but it also fits my interests in sustainable living and education. This summer I traveled to Hawai’I to WWOOF. WWOOF is an organization that allows people to work on organic farms in exchange for a place to live and food. While being there, I was also extremely involved in education in the community. We helped the community learn how to grow the native trees, such as ohia and koa, as well as how to propagate the bee population. This to me was a great experience, and one that I would not trade for the world. I am extremely excited to continue this line of work as I learn more in this course, and as we travel to London.

Different Microgreen Growing Technique Video

I just wanted to quick post this because I found it interesting. I recently came upon this home tutorial of how to grow microgreens. I thought it was an interesting take on what we have been trying to teach in the schools. The method may be slightly different, but the process has similar components. This is a great video that can concisely show friends and family what we have been teaching. Check it out and share if you get the chance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmAfM965W8c

My Favorite Learning Experiences of Horticulture

There was a moment when Abby and I were teaching that I personally gained some really cool knowledge into the horticulture field. It was on our last visit to the school when we saw the progress of all the microgreens that the students produced. What surprised me was that some of the microgreens that seemed to get the least amount of sun were the ones that grew the tallest. This confused me. I had always thought that the plants with the most nutrients, sunlight, warmth, water, etc. would be the ones to grow the highest and healthiest. I asked Abby what was the difference between the beds- did the tall ones just get significantly more water or something? What she told me surprised me. Apparently plants that are just starting to grow will grow taller stems in order to reach sunlight if their is only a limited supply. She even said that sometimes this process can be reversed, depending on if corrections are made to their exposure. This was incredible. It is like survival of the fittest for plants. They too have adaptations that help them succeed in a world of limited resources. With that said, most of our microgreens ended up growing successfully. In our last third grade class, they were huge! Apparently the teacher of the class also plants and farms in his free time. Anyway, one more thing I learned through this research was that different parts of different plants can be poisonous. For instance, some potato leaves are extremely toxic. I had no idea. Meanwhile, it is said that tomato leaves are poisonous too; however, this is not even close to the toxicity levels of the potato leaves. An abundance of tomato leaves might leave you with an upset stomach, but nothing serious at all.

The Necessity of Evaluations

I would like to take this time to talk about a topic that I did not consider when I first started teaching. Mary asked Abby and I near the last class as to how we were going to gauge how well the students learned from our activities. This was a point that I constantly think of when I am in my college classes listening to a boring lecture, but something that never even crossed my mind once I became the teacher. It certainly gave me a new perspective on things. I think that sometimes, as teachers, we assume that everyone understands the material as long as they participate at the given moment. However, as we were asked to consider on our syllabus evaluation, some activities simply have less impact in the long-run. Since horticulture is not a specifically driven topic in young education today, I think it was very important to evaluate how impactful our few lessons had on the students. To determine this, Abby and I asked the students to anonymously answer a set of questions on a piece of paper. We asked such questions as what was your favorite plant family, what did you enjoy learning about, and what you want to know more about. Not only did this allow the students to freely express their opinions without repercussion, but it also gave us a better idea of what we can do better next time.

Finishing up the semester

So Monica and I went into Champlin Brooklyn Park the 2nd of May.  We discussed the differences between fruits and vegetables.  Since there are different definitions between horticulture and cooking we had fun tricking the kids.  Luckily the sunflowers they planted the week before were growing.  I am really glad.  Sadly we were unable to harvest while I was there. I had a lot of fun with all the students.

Important Teaching Struggles and Lessons Learned

Overall, this was a very positive experience for me to undergo. I think there is a great deal to be gained from sharing your knowledge with others, and helping kids to grow into more sustainable practices. However, this is not to say that I did not run into significant struggles along the way. Almost immediately from day 1, I realized that the kids we were teaching were significantly intelligent. They asked many questions that provoked a lot of thought and insight into the horticulture realm. The problem was that I felt highly inadequate; I did not feel like I had the answers that they deserved. This sent me into a bit of a tail-spin. By the second class, where I tried to do the majority of the conducting, I was completely out of sorts. I had done a significant amount of research on the topic that I planned on teaching about, but I kept finding myself unable to answer some simple questions they proposed. I was flipping through documents and rushing through the memories in my head, but nothing helped. I completely froze. Luckily, I had a great partner (Abby) and teacher (Mary) to help me through the process. Their encouraging words allowed me to come back for the last day of class refreshed and ready to give it another shot. Without their encouragement, I do not know how I would have gotten through it. By the last day of class, I lowered my nerves a bit and realized that things don't go as planned as a teacher and you can only do the best you can with what you have. I would be lying if I said that I see horticulture teaching in my future, but it is something that I am grateful that I did. I was pushed and inspired along the way, and I am a more fully developed person because of it. Thank you, Mary and Abby!