Of Gardens and Gardeners

Effective gardening requires the right setting: fertile soil, good light, water.
It requires a strong view as to what should and should not be grown.
It requires a loving willingness to tend constantly, to fertilize and nurture what we seed.
It requires hard-headed willingness to weed what does not belong.

These lines are at the opening of The Gardens of Democracy, a short monograph by Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer. While the authors are focusing on broader issues of citizenship, their gardening metaphor is perfect for designing great learning spaces. As we work to create just the right conditions, make choices that reflect our priorities, continually adjust as we go, and remove (as best we can) the distractions, we are tending to our garden of learners, nurturing their growing minds and building strong citizens.

As you move into the spring, this is a perfect time to tend to your classroom “garden.” Make it as healthy and vibrant as you can so the year ends strongly for this group of kids, and perhaps try out a new experimental section that you might want to expand on as you set up next year’s garden. Given the competing agendas that all teachers face, this is never easy. But, the challenge makes the work that much more essential. Happy gardening!

You can see the rest of Liu and Hanauer’s recommendations if you follow the link and check out Amazon’s “Look Inside” preview of the Kindle version book. (The preview of the print version omits this page.)