Today I helped with a Sustainable Food presentation to 8th-grade classes in a DC Public School. This was part of an educational program where we created and planted raised-bed gardens with the 7th-grade classes. This week, we're leading an educational presentation on the ethics and environmental costs of food choices, with an emphasis on healthy, sustainable, locally-sourced alternatives. This includes bringing students out to harvest salad from the garden, and then preparing a vegan meal including salad, hummus, and pita bread.
We've been working with this school for years, and have great support from the teachers and administration. This was the first year that we'd done this program, and it was quite challenging. From a logistical perspective, the garden hadn't produced a lush crop, so we had to supplement with organic salad from local farmers. Producing meals for 400+ students on a very tight budget, and presenting to all the students in 3 days, took a lot of work and preparation.
On our first day, the teacher we usually work with was absent, so we had a substitute. Several of the classes were very unruly and disrespectful, talking over us, and being disruptive. This is a majority minority school, with students mostly coming from low-income families. I'm used to working with youth like this, because I've been leading nature outings with a low-income community in Southeast DC for over 10 years, but coming in for 45 minutes doesn't give you time to build respect and set boundaries.