snacks, and just enjoy the area we’ve created. Communication is essential to establishing an under-


standing that your native garden will not always look nice and neat. Create signage to explain the benefits for pollina- tors and native wildlife. Messy is okay to an extent! Your “mess” creates areas for pollinators to overwinter and retreat from the heat of the summer. Your signage should explain to the community that this area is for native pollinators’ ben- efit, and this is critical because populations of insect pollina- tors are in rapid decline. People who have questions may get answers by reading your sign, and instead of seeing an eye- sore, they will see refuge and purpose. Instead of mess, they will see order and relationship. Creating a clear message to those who are in your community is key. Generally, people will not care about something they don’t understand. A lack of communication can create a misunderstanding, which can be frustrating for you and your students.


Involve the community One of the most defeating things about a native plant garden on school grounds is that it looks best when the students are out of session. Each summer, late June comes around and the pollinator plot bursts into color. An acre of color, the native plants in all their glory, and no students there to see them. This coming summer, we are piloting a program to bring the students back to the pollinator plot to teach com- munity members about native plants. Two sessions will be held this summer — one for kids


and one for adults. The adult session will be a class on how best to integrate native plants into the home landscape. The children’s class will focus on native ecosystems and wildlife. My students are developing the curriculum and will be co- teaching the classes with me. I predict this will be a power- ful addition to our native plant garden that solidifies every- one’s ownership of it. If you have a hard time getting a summer program devel-


oped, encourage your students to digitally connect with other like-minded students and share their progress. We have connected with other schools and shared our project, giving guidance as well as sharing successes and ideas.


These moments have been impactful and have greatly increased students’ sense of ownership. They have a lot of pride because they have created an area that is unique and useful for local wildlife. When students from other schools want to know how we have created the area, or what we do with it, our students realize how special the area they have created truly is.


Don’t give up! The underlying lesson in all of this is to press on and don’t give up. Keeping a native garden growing and flourishing on your school grounds is hard work. Get your students involved and create buy-in, as doing so puts a team of people around you to accomplish your goals. Continue creating opportunities to show off your garden to your community and your student body. Our students need exposure to nature to create a sense of connection to the environment. Give them a place that they feel connected to. Give them owner- ship in the fight to conserve land for native habitat. Help them have a sense of pride that makes them want to come back to the native garden years after they have graduated to walk around and see how nature has flourished in an area they played a part in stewarding. I believe the opportunities that arise from creating a native plant garden on a school campus can be life-altering — teaching students’ lessons that cannot be learned in the classroom. If you have started a native garden on your school grounds, keep developing it; don’t give up. If you have never started a garden, I urge you to establish the vision for an area on your school grounds and empower your students to become conservation leaders.


Terry Maxwell is a science educator in Seneca, Illinois, USA at Seneca High School (SHS). He is in his 17th year of education. Along with teaching at SHS, Terry leads a conservation club called Conservation In Action and is an assistant football coach as well as head track and field coach. He enjoys landscaping, fishing, and spending time with his family.


Green Teacher 126 Page 25


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52