Ed. Notes- Until the introduction of the coronavirus to my life, ZOOM took me back to the comic books I read in my youth. A long time ago, In any case, I have gotten up close and personal with ZOOM! Jane is an old friend as some of you with good memories know from previous articles she has penned and an interview we conducted with her as part of our "People Who Inspire" series. I hope that some of you visit her website and if you are so moved make a contribution. She is one of those who walks the talk.
Still Growing, Still Learning
“...Nothing can replace the in-person interaction and learning experience of being in school... [At home education] should also consider ways that student learning can continue offline. This could include exploring the natural world, activities to support students’ local communities (with appropriate social distancing) and engaging hands-on projects and artistic creations that stem from students’ own passions and experiences.”
-Commissioner Jeffrey Riley, MA Dept. of Education_
Unexpectedly losing weeks of school can set a child back in ways that are hard to recover from– especially for young and vulnerable students. At CitySprouts, we serve a lot of those children most at risk of falling even further behind. While school is closed, students still need access to learning about the natural world. See how we’ve been working to close the science literacy gap and keep our students learning online:
▪ We’re taking CitySprouts to children, at home._ We’re joining students in learning online, with our new YouTube page from our Garden Educators to our students, and we’re joining teachers and students in their classroom video meetings. We’re meeting students where they are.
▪ Youth clubs are active! Our clubs for middle school students continue with online meetups, including a deeper dive into garden planning, some impressive design challenges, and a chance for students to connect with their friends while engaging in distance learning. We’re redefining how to be a community for one another.
▪ Still growing Our seedlings are still sprouting up in the greenhouse and seeing this sign of spring in the world is heartening for us all. We’re developing a deeper appreciation for the familiar changing of the seasons in these tumultuous times, and hope you’ll join with us in noticing these recognizable and joyful changes happening throughout the city, all around us.
| ▪ | We’re taking CitySprouts to children, at home._ We’re joining students in learning online, with our new YouTube page from our Garden Educators to our students, and we’re joining teachers and students in their classroom video meetings. We’re meeting students where they are. |
| ▪ | Youth clubs are active! Our clubs for middle school students continue with online meetups, including a deeper dive into garden planning, some impressive design challenges, and a chance for students to connect with their friends while engaging in distance learning. We’re redefining how to be a community for one another. |
| ▪ | Still growing Our seedlings are still sprouting up in the greenhouse and seeing this sign of spring in the world is heartening for us all. We’re developing a deeper appreciation for the familiar changing of the seasons in these tumultuous times, and hope you’ll join with us in noticing these recognizable and joyful changes happening throughout the city, all around us. |
Join us in supporting students’ needs during this disruptive and, quite frankly, frightening time for young people. We’re still growing, we’re still learning right alongside them.
I would call on readers to be relentlessly hopeful about our future
