Teaching Learners the Value of Gardening

Leah E. Valdez

It is written in Genesis 1:11 that God created all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit. So the earth produced all kinds of plants.

Everywhere we go we see green plants. They come in different varieties. God is so good that He made different kinds of fruits, vegetables, trees, flowers and grass. All the plants that He created live in harmony since the beginning of time and they were called by special names. They possess different distinct characteristics and they serve their own purpose.

I love planting because I’ve seen how my grandfather Tatang Pidiong planted different vegetables in his old ancestral house’s vacant lot. When I was a child, he used to take us there for a visit. Sometimes, when it was harvest time, he allowed us to pick the fruits of the okra, eggplants, tomatoes and squash. I loved that experience.

I remember that he allowed us to use the deeper in watering the soil. As impatient as I was before, I always asked my lolo when will the eggplant bear fruits? He just smiled and said, “you’ve got to wait”.

Planting to me is a special hobby because it was passed by my grandfather. Aside from that, my father is a good gardener too. Inside our vacant lot, he plants different kinds of vegetables like okra, eggplants, capcicum, ampalaya, petchay and many more. He even planted many fruit bearing trees and we enjoy their fruits in season.

The outbreak of Covid 19 changed our lives drastically. True enough, our experience of Luzon Enhanced Community Quarantine was memorable. Everybody needed to stay in the house and only a father or a mother had to leave to buy necessities especially food. It was a blessing that my father planted some vegetables, we harvested and ate them during that time.

That incident taught me a greatest lesson as a teacher and that is to intensify the lesson on gardening to grade schoolers. As an Edukasyon sa Pangkabuhayan EPP teacher, I will educate my learners more about the value of growing one’s plants for food security.

Even now, I can teach my pupils about the value of backyard gardening using vacant lot or if there is no available soil, I would introduced containerized gardening. Learners may plant vegetables using old cans, distilled water, bottle and some scrap containers. The value is the same, they need to learn how to plant for life – for food security.

There are different life lessons that learners may learn through gardening. They will realize that in life, what you sow is what you reap. Plant any seed of plant and the same plant will bear fruit. As a person, if you sow kindness, you will reap kindness. There is value in diversity. God intentionally created plants such as fruit, vegetables and crops different because He made them for different significant purpose. We need to live for the purpose God has created as to be. He made all His creation special, nothing is to be compared of because everything has a unique characteristic which is very good.

Learners will enjoy planting. It is a great opportunity to connect with God and the nature He has blessed us with. They will enjoy the sun, air, water and soil. As teachers, let us intentionally create a positive wonderful planting experience for learners. They remember it’s life’s lessons maybe not today but definitely it will by tomorrow.

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The author is Master Teacher I at Tilapayong Elementary School, Baliwag

North District, Division of Bulacan.