Systems thinking

I'm pondering systems thinking and ways to teach it. What about sitting in the school yard and listening to see how many different systems one can observe? You could break it down by senses. What can you hear? What can you see? I'd expect students to be able to hear or see a variety of animal systems (mammals, birds, insects), traffic systems, heating/cooling systems, woodland systems, a classroom system. This could be a great way to introduce the idea of systems to students, and help them see how ubiquitous systems are. 

What would happen if we just let kids explore this and ask questions? Start with systems and let them ask questions to direct us. As teachers we could let them take any system, then help them look for the components of the system and learn to understand the system they are already interested in. Learn to recognize patterns, learn to look for feedback loops (negative ones as well as amplifiers), identify energy flows, learn to look for hubs--points of multiple connections. 

I'm not a teacher (just a parent volunteer), so I don't have a class of my own to try these ideas with. Maybe that's why it is so exciting to me that Tillman elementary is already thinking about systems teaching. I'm not sure to what extent they are already teaching it, but I know that the principal and some of the teachers understand the importance of imparting an understanding of systems. That's why creating a helpful outdoor space is gonna be so transformational. Because the culture of the school is primed to shift right as the outdoor space is being changed, the potential for real and lasting change is great. 

It seems to me that so many teachers are ready and knowledgeable and want to help our kids be able to care for themselves and the planet when theyre grown. And they know that systems thinking is so important for that. 

It gives me so much hope to see how much change there already has been in our society in the last 10 years. When I started this, I never encountered an administrator and very few teachers who thought about "schooling for sustainability". 

Today I find myself in 2 schools helping to coordinate new garden programs and I'm blown away by their readiness to make substantial changes. Schools are such powerful definers of culture. So,  when thinking about what can happen over the next 10 years as many many schools around the country are doing what Tillman and Nipher are, I am filled with hope. And hope, let me tell ya, it makes life a whole lot more fun. 

Blogging and Gardening, Take 2

Seven years ago I found myself in a new town, new home, and decided to try my hand at writing. That didn’t last long as I soon found myself too busy with two new babies--a bouncing baby boy and a brand new school garden project. Family and community life took precedence over capturing interests and learning on paper. Today I find myself in a new town, new home, with another new school garden project. My baby boy is in first grade with a brother in high school. The first school garden I helped develop is all grown up and has become a leader in the region (The Southern Boone Learning Garden). I want to try this writing thing again.

I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on my the similarities and differences between the two garden projects, and what my role is and should be in this second iteration as a result. I’ve only been working for a few months with folks here in Kirkwood, but one thing that is strikingly different on this second project is just how many people were already thinking and working on a similar vision (or at least open to it) when I came on the scene.

In 2013, I am finding many more people that hold a vision of healthy kids, healthy communities, and a healthy environment via school gardens/outdoor ed. The administrators and teachers I meet want kids to understand how systems work so they can tackle complex problems they will face in the future. They want kids to have opportunity for service and for real-life problem solving, and they know that getting kids outdoors and teaching them about gardening and composting will benefit students in myriad ways. I don’t know if that’s due to the fact that the school garden movement has come so far and truly impacted thinking on a large scale since I started this work in 2007, or if I just lucked out. I do know that I am excited and humbled to be a part of some great things happening in my part of the world, and I am thrilled to have the chance to document the process and share it with others.

Similarities:

• Supportive administration--so important, and have been lucky in this way both times around
• Teacher time constraints--so much on their plates, but gardens are such a great way for teachers to “buy back” time by integrating subjects
• Kids’ enthusiasm! They love it, and it’s why so many of us get hooked on school gardens. Who can resist when a child finds a big potato ready for harvest and joyfully shouts, “I’ve hit the jackpot!” I’ve yet to meet that person.

Some differences between Southern Boone and Kirkwood:

• Rural (Ashland)  vs. urban/suburban (Kirkwood)

• Small school district to medium one
• Bedroom community (harder to find school-day volunteers available) with not that many stay-at-home parents to a district with many parents able to volunteer
• More resource constraints in Southern Boone School District than Kirkwood
• Less obesity in Kirkwood than Southern Boone (This is surprising to some. counterintuitive that folks in rural areas have less access to healthy lifestyle contributors like sidewalks, large grocery stores with high quality produce, fitness centers, shorter commute times)