School Gardening ? How Horticultural Work Can Bolster A Young Person?s Self-Esteem
Posted on April 7, 2008 - Filed Under Gardening
Many social ills among young people can be traced to the unrelenting power of peer-group pressure and low self esteem. Can gardening projects in schools go some way in resisting these twin evils?
You do not have to be a child psychologist to recognize the link between self-esteem and achievement. While not every one can be an Albert Einstein or a Tiger Woods, every child, the severely challenged excepted unfortunately, can attain reasonable standards of proficiency in virtually all subjects and activities. There are basically two things holding back the vast army of under-achievers. One is peer group pressure and the other is a lack of self-belief. The two obviously feed off each other, because the emotional independence that stems from a healthy sense of self worth, is the only real weapon that can resist the tyrannical pressure to conform.
How though can a routine of horticultural activity help to change the pattern? Does gardening really have the potential to be part of a process that builds the children from within? A look at two principle aspects of gardening ? growing things and creating beautiful compositions, indicate how this can indeed be the case.
The experience of successfully growing a group of plants cannot fail to give immense satisfaction to anyone involved. After nearly 25 years of gardening, I’ve yet to meet a person who does not take pride in their involvement in a tree, flowerbed, vegetable patch, or hedge that grows well and looks really good. Now let’s take a 12 year old, until now, a chronic under-achiever with a strong sense of failure, involved in the school’s garden project. She participated in all the processes concerned; preparing the soil, composting, raking and feeding, planting and watering. Together with her classmates, she’s tended “her? vegetables and herbs. Then, the plants start to look great, and taste even better. The head teacher has even publicly commended her for her outstanding achievement.
It could be argued that sports also provide a vehicle for academically poor children to succeed at something. Indeed, it is now recognized that beyond the value of physical exercise, involvement in sports contributes to a person’s mental health, which one imagines, concerns the development of self-esteem. The difference is that horticulture inevitably demands knowledge and an understanding of theory. It is almost an umbilical chord, linking the practical with the intellectual. A gardener always learns something of a theoretical nature, whether it be plant nutrition, pathology or color schemes. It is no exaggeration to say that good gardeners are always thirsty for knowledge.
The other great gift that horticulture has to offer is the opportunity to gather knowledge of design theory and to develop an aesthetic sense. This can happen formally and systematically, or even spontaneously. Perhaps children who have been touched by the inner experience of a harmonious composition or the splendor of a magnificent old tree, are less susceptible to the dictates of fad and fashion. The point is not to pass judgment on any particular fashion ? maybe pins stuck through nostrils will be seen in years to come as the finest expression of aesthetic charm ? but to take note of the fact of conformity and peer-group pressure , and their often pernicious consequences.
About the author
My name is Jonathan Ya’akobi.I’ve been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984.I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners.I also teach horticulture to students on training courses.I’d love to help you get the very best from your garden,so you’re welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com or contact mejonathan@dryclimategardening.com
Tags: achiever, achievers, albert einstein, child psychologist, classmates, compositions, emotional independence, head teacher, immense satisfaction, Low Self Esteem, peer group pressure, principle aspects, proficiency, self belief, self worth, social ills, soil composting, tiger woods, twin evils, vegetable patch
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