Shine On: Ladaysha

Last Thursday afternoon, I took my students out to water the garden.

Little did I know...I would be getting a lesson in gardening.

I thought it was simple.. grab the hose and spray the plants.

Ladaysha, one of our garden apprentices, quickly showed me there was more to gardening than just "grab the hose and spray the plants".

She explained to her classmates that we needed to check the rainfall catcher. She made sure we picked up the trash and anything else that didn't belong in our garden. After, we collected all of the things that didn't belong she instructed everyone on the proper techniques of watering the garden. Not only did she teach us how to water the garden she came up with a strategy for each person to have a turn to water the garden. "You can stand right here, Tytiana will water first, then she'll pass it to you, and then you water your section". I was really impressed by this. I was already anticipating having to devise a plan for each person to have a turn to water.

Ladaysha continued to impress me. Hakim, one of Mr. Phillip's students, joined us in the garden. Hakim was anxious to pick peas and peppers. Ladaysha said "Hakim...let me show you how to check to see if the vegetables are ready to be picked". She took a few minutes to give Hakim one-on-one instruction on how to pick the veggies. She then allowed Hakim to pick a pod of peas. His face lit up with joy and excitement. He was incredibly proud of the 6 peas he picked. So proud that he asked for a ziploc to hold his peas so he could show his mother.

Seconds after his mother walked in the door....he exclaimed "Mommy, look what I did...I picked peas from the garden. Will you cook them for me? "

She was just as excited and proud of him.

Kudos to Ladaysha for teaching everyone about the garden!