Reading, Writing and ... Gardening? An Anti-School Garden Writer Rants

Many educators and activists are abuzz about writer Caitlin Flannigan's Atlantic Magazine piece lambasting school gardens. My impression is that Flannigan has done a service to the School Garden movement, inspiring debate and asking us to articulate better why we believe in teaching Gardening, Nutrition and Environmental Science outdoors.

Flannigan is one of those writers who likes to get a rise, which is why she is popular. She might as well have said "Music has no place in the schools!"

Here is her article:

Cultivating Failure

and here is the Center For Eco-literacy response:

The School Garden Debate: To Weep or Reap

I will simply say it is very satisfying to see a student who has declared "I would never ever eat spinach!" chow down on the leaves he has sewn and harvested himself (being physically active all the while), then ask his mother to contact me to get the recipe for the spinach salad he helped prepare...So many reasons this matters, but especially satisfying at a time when obesity is a national crisis.