The Work Experience Program

Ten weeks ago, I started my work at EarthDance Organic Farm School. That same week, I met the Work Experience Program (WEP) participants. Despite my excitement to be assisting in the farm’s educational mission, I was intimidated: to be leading high school students who had spent more time on the farm than me; to teach skills I had only just learned myself; to be a supervisor; to learn all of their names; to be on my own with the students. But I jumped in to every task, from hula hoeing to harvesting. In those first few days, I intentionally tried to get to know the students a bit: a basketball player, music fan, a few track athletes, a girl who wants to go to beauty school; their interests were diverse. I have enjoyed these students from day one-teaching them, watching them work, trying to convince them to try new foods (like nasturtium flowers, hot peppers, long beans, okra, you name it), listening to them share what they liked best about the farm and what they might enjoy doing in the future. Many of them enjoyed hula hoeing, others enjoyed harvesting, some liked everything as long as it was working hard, all of them wanted to do some cooking –learning how to prepare and eat these delicious vegetables that they worked so hard to cultivate.

I sought out ways to incorporate what they enjoyed and wanted to do into my “curriculum” during the 3 hours per week we spent together. We had the opportunity to do a few fun baking projects. I made butternut squash muffins for them, something that their limited time on the farm couldn’t allow, but the same day we made butternut squash fries together. Cooking sweet potato pancakes with Beth, our Dietetics Intern, was another highlight.

Much of our work consisted of various odd jobs that simply needed some extra hands. In the field, we hula hoed to prep beds for planting, harvested (sweet potatoes, green beans, long beans, tomatoes – cherry, green, regular -), moved squash and sweet potatoes after they ‘cured’ in the high tunnel, removed (and moved) tomato trellises and stakes, set out sandbags and set up row cover. The same day we prepped and baked apple and sweet potato pies for the annual Farmers Formal Pie Parade, we prepared squash soup served in homemade bread bowls for the weekly staff meeting.

In my opinion, the most awesome part of this experience is that the students have been involved in the entire process of “farm to table”, starting with prepping beds for planting and ending with meal preparation. The veggies they grew, harvested and cooked became  meals made both for themselves and others. When many of the students said cooking was their favorite activity, I was excited to see not only their enthusiasm, but a greater awareness of the hard work it takes for the food they eat to get to them. While I doubt any of these students will become farmers, after this experience, I think most of them will be more conscious of their food consumption and the amount of work it takes for them to eat the foods they love. Plus, they tried a few more vegetables along the way!

It was a very sad day this past week (week 9) when Dr. Mitchell, the WEP supervisor, told me that my students might not be back again due to the cold. They worked their way into my life in the quietly, and I will miss my time with them. For now, I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on my work with them and how it has changed me. It is reflecting on the experience I hope to have provided them, though, that has brought me the most joy of all.