I have had the opportunity to observe many classroom lessons over the years, but this lesson made me feel like I was at my grandmothers’ house on a cold January day and not in a mobile unit classroom. The 20 excited faces in Mrs. April Wallis and Mrs. Robin Kaiser’s class were learning about plants and their life cycle. They were engaged in my favorite part of the plant’s life cycle, and that’s when it’s time to cook and eat.
Students gathered around Mrs. Robin Kaiser in one corner of the classroom as she boiled cabbage to perfection. Other students watched in amazement as Mrs. April Wallis used a hotplate, skillet, oil, onions, salt, and pepper to sautee some cabbage. Not only were the students excited about the method their teacher was using, but they were also thrilled about their fancy new vocabulary word “sautee.”
The students planted the cabbage when it was a tiny plant in the fall semester and have monitored the entire process. “Mrs. Kaiser is so knowledgeable about gardening and helps teach us all about the process,” Mrs. Wallis said. Not only have they planted cabbage on the front of the campus at McLaurin, but you’ll also find broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce growing.
This initiative of planting vegetables started with a partnership between McLaurin Elementary School and My Brothers Keeper Inc. “Not many of our kids like to eat vegetables, so this was a neat experience for them to get to plant cabbage, tend to it, and finally eat it,” said Mrs. Wallis.
This initiative of planting vegetables started with a partnership between McLaurin Elementary School and My Brothers Keeper Inc. “Not many of our kids like to eat vegetables, so this was a neat experience for them to get to plant cabbage, tend to it, and finally eat it,” said Mrs. Wallis.