Message from the Garden Instructor, Jasper Eiler, fall, 2008

My interest in food systems education has grown over the last thirteen years through agricultural-related work and study. After ten years away, I returned to my roots in the Bay Area to contribute to the Berkeley School Lunch Initiative's mission of "connecting healthy lunch, experiential learning in gardens and kitchen classrooms, and formal academic learning." During the fall of 2006 I was the interim garden instructor at Le Conte Elementary School while I began working on a Masters in Education from UC Davis which explores the enhancement of academic learning through structured experiences. And in September of 2007, I became the Garden Education Instructor at John Muir.

Last year, I began collaborating weekly with Mr. Rutherford, JMS's 5th grade teacher, and Chef Carrie, JMS's cooking instructor, to integrate lessons across our teaching domains, and to undertake service and projects to benefit the entire school. The LiFE curriculum (Linking Food and the Environment) frames our lesson plans and the students' writing in the garden and cooking class. Last year's fifth graders were responsible for designing a garden near the school's office, helping to teach younger students through a garden apprenticeship program, and managing a school-wide farmers' market event. This year, we are fortunate to have a new addition to our collaborative team: Julia Roll, a candidate who is preparing to receive a teaching credential from USF. During the fall semester, she is helping me plan and teach lessons, and in the spring term, she will be helping in Mr. Rutherford's class.

Over the past few weeks, I have presented lessons adjusted by grade level about the seasonal and nutrient cycles in the garden. All the students are learning to articulate their sensory experience of the autumn in oral and/or written form. They are, as well, studying how decomposition in forests is similar to the decomposition process in the compost we make. I take great pleasure in our students' ability to recognize the links between food and the environment, and in helping our students to grow through a curriculum that integrates language arts, math, history, and art with science lessons related to nutrition, ecology, plant anatomy, and life cycles.

Volunteering:
I would greatly appreciate some volunteer support in the *garden classroom.* I need help organizing, sweeping, raking, weeding, and watering.

Please email either Marilee Enge (marileeenge at comcast dot net, the creek cleanup coordinator) or me (jasper.eiler at gmail dot com) if you would like to be on a list to volunteer to help with the garden or creek-side restoration efforts.

Full Belly CSA:
Pick-up affordable and delicious boxes of fruits and vegetables at John Muir on Tuesdays by becoming a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member by visiting: http://www.fullbellyfarm.com/csa.html

My wife, newborn boy, and I are fueled by this delicious and nutritious food (directly and indirectly.)

I am looking forward to watching John Muir students grow with our garden!