Kaitlyn's Service Learning Reflection

For the service learning project Kristen and I completed, I thought it ended up going really well and being a great idea. Originally, we were both pretty lost as to what we could do, and what would be the best idea for our service learning. We both wanted to learn something and actually DO something (so thanks to our teacher, Professor Worcester), we came up with the idea of actually working and helping at a local farm.

Our service-learning project was going to Tendercrop Farm in Newbury, MA. This farm was a great choice because they do a little (or a lot) of everything. They are open year-round and offer their own meats, prepared foods, farm fresh produce, seasonal plants, and even dried flowers. Kristen and I went to Tendercrop Farms for about 4 hours and were able to get a tour, learn about the greenhouse and how they plan/utilize every season to help their business, and we mainly helped plant hundreds and hundreds of seeds which will either be sold in the spring, or used to grow crops at the farm. There was so much to learn about!!

It felt really good to be able to help a farm in our own community and get to talk to people who work there. While we were there we were able to ask questions about how these people felt about organic foods, natural foods, local foods, and genetically modified foods as well.  It was great to be able to hear about this from someone who is currently in the business. On top of being able to serve our own community on the North Shore, Kristen and I were able to learn about this stud hands-on. I think that it would have a been a totally different outcome for us if we had chosen to collect information instead of actually going out and being part of what we have been interested in throughout this semester (and discussing on this blog).

I am definitely a proponent of hands on activities and work in regards to education. It helps us make a multitude of connections and learn things that are unexpected and simply impossible to learn by browsing the Internet or looking at pictures. The service-learning project really helped drive home how hard it is to BE a farmer, farm, upkeep, and maintain a farm while simultaneously trying to make money off a business.

I would love to incorporate service learning into my own classroom. As an emerging teacher, I will most likely spend about one year getting a grasp on the units, lesson, and skills I need to give the best teaching instruction inside the classroom setting. After my first year or two however, I can see myself very much wanting to incorporate service learning into my own classroom—whatever age it may be. I would love to do a project like the one Kristen and I did because I think going to a farm to help can not only be a really exciting thing for kids, but offer a huge variety of learning opportunities for students, even in just one day of being there!  I think the best way to implement service learning into our own classrooms is to not be afraid of it, and to try it as soon as possible once we become teachers on our own.

In my own opinion, I think that this service-learning project is a really great idea to actually complete and do on our own for the Social Studies junior block experience at Salem State University. The only thing I might change is making students actually go out and do something with their topics. I know that if I hadn’t gone out with Kristen and we just compiled a worksheet of contacts, it would not have yielded the same outcome in terms of really getting why service learning is so important.  Figuring out and then carrying out our idea by working at the farm for a day really helped me see why this semester long project is so important. By forcing students to carry out a service learning project, it forces them to be active in our own learning, helps us create more connections, and forces us to be creative and innovative with real ideas that can promote learning.

I am really glad we were able to do this and loved working/exploring Tendercrop Farm. I now want to go back and have learned so much more about eating local foods, whether I can afford organic or not. It was also great to talk to people who were really knowledgeable about this stuff and active in the industry. 

Kristen's Service Learning Reflection

For our service learning project we volunteered at Tendercrop Farm in Newbury, Massachusetts. This farm is open all year long and offers a variety of foods. They sell their own meats, fresh produce, prepared meals, flowers and much more. They are known for their great dedication to being organic and providing the community with fresh, healthy foods. Kaitlyn and I went in the early morning and we helped out for about three and half or four hours. We assisted with whatever they need us to do that day. We started with a tour of most parts of the farm. During this tour we were provided with a lot of information on the farm’s goals, how they function and what it takes to keep up a farm. Then we planted many, many seedlings to grow crops or to be sold this spring.

It felt awesome to help out at Tendercrop Farm. I have never done anything like that before and it was actually really fun. It felt good to get dirty and really put my hard work into a cause that I believe in, and a place that was truly thankful for our help. I would definitely recommend this to others to simply see where their food comes from and actually take part in growing what they eat. Also, I never really thought about how much hard work it is to run a farm. After just a half day of work I was exhausted. I can only imagine running a successful farm for many years.

I definitely think service learning projects are a useful teaching strategy because they are a first-hand experience with a cause and get students really involved. If it weren’t for this project there is no way that I would be volunteering at a farm that early in the morning, so it really pushes students to take action on something they wouldn’t normally. It can also show that even something as small as a few volunteer hours can go a long way and really make a difference.

 I would definitely do something like this with my future students. I probably wouldn’t do it my first year but I would hope to work up to it within the first three years. It can be really effective and I would hope to get into it as soon as I was settled in my new teaching position. Elementary students would be really excited about taking part in a cause they believed in.

I thought this was nicely integrated into our methods course. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I was going to at the beginning of the semester. I would maybe give students more time to choose their topic at the beginning of the semester. I remember being in sort of a whirlwind at the beginning and kind of picking any topic I saw, not realizing it was going to be a semester long project. It worked out in the end because I loved my topic and learned a lot!

Kaitlyn's Reflection

Throughout this project for our Social Studies education class at Salem State University, I have learned a lot more then I expected. I have learned about genetically modified foods a lot in the past, but found some new information out that I was not expecting and which made me pretty excited. After attending University of Vermont for one year, I was able to take a few classes, which were focused around the environment, health issue, global environmental/health issues, and learned a lot of information about GMO’s. Throughout this blog and service-learning project, I was able to find a lot more information regarding the political side to these issues. In my endeavors to do something about this issue, I actually became aware of the fact that Vermont is now attempting to pass a bill that would make it necessary all food products to be labeled if they contained GMO’s. Although there is very little widespread legislation in the U.S. mandating companies and genetically modified food products to be labeled, there seems to be an increasing concern. It makes me upset and somewhat angry that the general public seems to have very little interest or knowledge regarding the food we eat. Just because something is in a food store, on a shelf, or been cleared by the FDA, we should not simply trust it at face value. I think making people aware of the need for labeling (at the very least) is very important. Not until people become more educated about these issues are we going to be able to force and coerce our government to change anything. Vermont has made a huge step forward in asking for GMO’s to be labeled, and it gives me hope that perhaps in the near future more states in New England can follow in Vermont’s footsteps. I will be excited to see how, where, and when these issues will begin to pop up in the United States and it seems that things are slowly starting to move forward which is great!

As Kristen said, we have both decided to do a service-learning project at Tendercrop Farms in Newbury, MA. We have had some issues contacting this farm and talking to someone higher up who can give us exact details about what they would like us to do. Tendercrop Farms is open year round and it is getting especially busy around this time of year as they prepare for spring. It will be exciting to get a first hand glimpse of how a farm runs and help a local farm in our own community.

Service-Learning information:

Tendercrop Farms

108 State Highway, Newbury, MA

01950

(978) 462-6972

If I were to do a service-learning project based around this topic with elementary students, I think it would be a great tie-in to do something very similar to what Kristen and I are doing. I think that teaching students about genetically modified food products might be hard because you do not want to make it too complicated and get too much into the science. If a teacher wanted to teach this subject, I think keeping it as basic and simple as possible is what would be most effective (in grades lower than fourth grade). It would be easy to tie this into a science/plant lesson, a food pyramid lesson, or even a current event project that highlights what is going on in the world right now. This is also a great subject to present both sides. There are very reasonable debates for both sides of genetically modified foods. On one hand, they can be bad, and genetically modified foods may lead to things down the road we cannot even yet foresee. However, on the other side, genetically modified foods could legitimately benefit human beings as we see population growth and need to more efficiently feed increasing amounts of people on the earth in the cheapest ways possible. Hence, this would be a great subject to introduce to students and ask them to take sides on.

In terms of actually introducing the students to a service-learning project regarding this issue, visiting a farm could be a great idea on so many levels. A service-learning project of this kind allows students to learn on a much broader level, spanning far beyond the GMO issue. While visiting a farm students will learn about local markets, local foods, conventional/organic foods, preparing meats and vegetables for sale, gardening, growing plants, different types of plants/vegetables/fruits/meats/animals that are found on farms, plant life cycles, seasons, history, and so much more just based off of one service-learning trip or project. On top of this students are performing a community service that benefits both them and their own communities. Perhaps people of an older generation can even become inspired and interested in learning more about this issue by even seeing these students take an active part in their own community.

Kristen's Reflection

I have learned so much during this blog that I never thought I would. I honestly expected to just post every once in a while on this topic and not think much of it. Now, I notice myself paying special attention to clips on the news, or articles that pop up on my homepage about related topics to organic food. I was even watching the news this morning and there was a preview about labeling changes on meat products in supermarkets. I normally would have heard it and not thought much of it, but I sat through the commerical and waited to hear what was happening because this blog has made me more aware. By the way, the change was that meat is now labeled with nutritional facts, such as calories, sodium, fats etc. It is just the basic chart that is included on all other foods we eat... interesting that it was not included on meat before this. I never knew that.

My stand on the issue is that all foods need to be labeled with what exactly is included in them. They should be labeled with the process that went into creating them as well. We deserve to know what we are putting into our bodies and feeding our children. I think it is odd that companies are so against labeling their products, even though they say there is nothing wrong with their production stategies. If nothing is wrong with it why not just label the products?

I think this could tie into elementary curriculum beautifully. Organic food could be introduced when doing a unit on health in general, how to eat healthy, how to exercise etc. I remember seeing a presentation in elementary school on how to eat healthy and I ended up getting very into it. I even remember making my mom by Total cereal because we learned how it was a healthy breakfast. I think some students would definitely respond to learning about this.
I could see a specific unit where students are asked to go home and explore the foods in their own homes. They could see what types of foods they have at home, whether they are labeled correctly, how much their family spends per week on food etc. They could also keep a food and exercise log and eventually try to improve their diet in any way they think they should. There would be lessons and research involved in educating students about the difference between organic food and GMO's, as well as what labeling these foods means. After learning about this students could have a debate about their stand on the issue. Finally, students could do a service learning project at a local farm that produces organic food if they agree with promoting organic food. This photo shows young studends from an inner city school who took a field trip to a farm and helped out for the day. I think this is a great idea for students no matter where they live.


For my service learning project I am working toward doing service at Tendercrop Farm in Newbury. They are a farm dedicated to providing organic, fresh produce, meat and poultry and baked goods.
Here is the link to Tendercrop Farm... check it out for information on the farm including what products are currently in season! http://www.tendercropfarms.com/

Kaitlyn's Taking Action

I signed a petition for Vermont legislature to require retail foods to be labeled if they are genetically modified: http://www.vpirg.org/gmo/

As I was signing this petition I found through a google.com search, I glanced back at the VPIRG (Vermont Public Interest Research Group) website and found AMAZING news!!!!!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_24852.cfm

It looks as if the petition actually may have worked in our own New England state of Vermont!  There is a new bill (the one I signed and will be able to vote for because I am a registered voter in VT), which was JUST introduced to the Vermont House of Representatives on February 1, 2012. The recently introduced bill is entitled “The VT Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act” and is a monumental step forward in getting genetically modified products to be labeled.

The reason why this bill has even entered legislature to begin with is because of the increased awareness regarding issues surrounding GMO’s and organic/local foods. After living in Vermont for about 4 years, it became extremely clear that the culture takes extreme pride and value not only in Vermont’s own agriculture, but the quality of food they eat. I cannot even say how happy it makes me that this state has finally brought this issue to the fore-front and I could be a part of it RIGHT as it is happening! If we continue to voice our beliefs through how we live, what we purchase, and what we consume (while continuing to educate others about this), perhaps the introduction of this legislature in Vermont could lead other New England states to follow in a similar path. Being a part of this as it is all beginning to unfold makes me feel really good, excited…and even more motivated to advocate for GMO products to be labeled!

This type of action is the perfect example of how democratic values can lead to change. This bill would never have made it to legislature in Vermont if the people did not work for it and the petitions had not been signed. Because a collective amount of people spoke out, our voice was heard by the Vermont legislature! Although this may not always happen, the peoples voice has spoken out and caused a change.

In regards to teaching about social justice issues, I believe it is imperative to do so. As much as some people may be afraid or weary of doing this, I believe we must begin to equip our children and students with the basic problem solving skills, knowledge, and understanding of the outside world. We do not necessarily need to be talking to 1^st graders about political debates, but we can at least begin to implement some form of learning that can grow as they are more able to understand. It may be very hard to teach deeper social justice issues however, I think it is possible for an extremely talented, passionate, and dedicated teacher to accomplish this. Education is learning, but I think the truest form of education is connecting that learning to the world (outside of the classroom), people, environments, and issues that we have faced and now face currently. The best educators will teach their students (at the appropriate time) how to become active and engaged citizens throughout a lifetime.

“Struggle for social justice is central to our nation’s history…“Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies”

I do agree with what this quote is saying. I think the struggle for social justice is central to all human life, not just our own nations. This can come down to our own philosophies, morals, and beliefs, but as an aspiring teacher and human, I feel it is my duty as a human to strive for positive change and social justice for everyone. This transcends things like politics and federal law, therefore it becomes part of the world of teaching social studies.