Lettuce Not Grow Stale

I tried something new this winter.  Since I love plants and gardening, it seemed like a good idea to try growing lettuce in the classroom.  So at the tail end of Christmas break I seeded lettuce into a five- gallon fish aquarium as well as a 12”x24” growing pot.

Basking in the direct sunlight coming in from the south windows in my classroom, it grew beautifully.  Now, a couple months later we are eating of it – completely fresh!  Right after our lunch prayer song, whoever wishes to add lettuce to their sandwich or simply wants to eat some plain gathers around our indoor garden plot and a couple minutes later the harvest is in the mouth!

Somehow this experiment symbolizes my attempt to not grow stale in my teaching.  Long-term teachers do have many advantages, but they also have that temptation to continue doing the same old, same old without fresh ideas.

Curiosity and ongoing learning is vital in our pursuit of teaching out of freshness rather than staleness.