Food for the plate and the soul
Should children be taught to grow food as part of their schooling? I understand that agriculture and growing food is not related to learning languages, pure science, or mathematics---the main thrust of most schools.
For many parents and educators, mastering these three is the key for kids to succeed in college and in the future; the winning ticket to a great career and life.
It’s sad, however, that education may have been too obsessed on things that make the cut on standardized tests and popular ranks.
They have forgotten that education should not only nourish the mind, but also the heart and the soul.
Teaching kids to grow their own food is beneficial in public schools and poorer communities for them to be able to grow and produce food. This will allow them to cut costs in purchasing food from the market, as well as to make healthy food affordable, instead of merely being satisfied in cheap but instant food.
Growing food may not be as profitable as teaching students skills to be employable, but this is equally beneficial to them in the long run, especially that food is an undeniable need among people.
But even teaching ‘sheltered’ children to grow food is also highly needed.
It will teach them responsibility not just in taking care of plants as a habit, but to be responsible in many aspects of their lives.
Furthermore, it will tell the painstaking process of growing and producing food, thereby impressing to them that food and other resources should not be taken for granted.
With the craze over instant food, sweets, buffets, and unlimited and bottomless, teaching them how long it really takes until a plant bears fruit will teach them the value of time and how scarce resources really are.
In the light of the decline of the appreciation of agriculture in this country that chases after industrialization, making kids realize the importance of agriculture is now a dire need.
Lastly, I would like to reiterate the famous proverb that says a lot about educating children on the importance of food security: “Give man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach man to fish, and he eats for life.”