Edible Schoolyard and Global Village

I found the Global Village to be very interesting. The students aren't in a classroom studying about poverty. Instead they have to live it. The Heifer Farm set up some very neat little "homes" based on places like Guatemala and Tiland. The students are placed into groups and, with the exception of the refugee group, are given limited supplies. Each group has some of what they need but not all. The students must work together to see to it that everyone from each village is taken care of for the night. The students have adult chaperons but these adults can choose to either be an elder or a two- year -old. When the adults decide to step back this allows the students to step up and take responsibility for themselves and those around them. It is very important that students are able to empathize with those less fortunate than they. When they grow up and begin to run the world they will remember their experience at the Global Village and try to help others instead of take from them. This is the best kind of learning because it can be applied for a lifetime. In the classroom I want to be a guide and let the students help one another to learn and enjoy learning. School should not be a place of torment. It should be an adventure. The edible schoolyard was fascinating because it involved all kinds of lessons, math, reading, and science as well as social skills. The students were all able to feel useful. Also the environment was peaceful and not filled with pent up stress like most classrooms are. Everyone really seemed to enjoy the garden.
Collaborative lessons like the Global Village and the Edible Schoolyard teach more than a book ever could. Experience will always trump desk work and I feel that these two projects are very innovative and very useful. A student may not remember the economic chart he read about a third world country but he will remember having to bargain with his fellow classmates to get food and water! As a teacher I want my students to enjoy and remember what I teach them. I hope I can come up with projects such as these so that they will. It also never hurts to help others while you're learning.
I found these two podcasts to be more interesting than some of the other ones I have listened to. As a teacher they make me think about how I can make my classroom and my students' experiences more interactive and enjoyable. It is important that I foster not only mental growth but also emotional growth. Books just aren't enough to go by anymore. The podcasts are a way to see what others are doing and a means for me to gauge if I am doing enough. I want my students to enjoy my classroom as much as the ones in the Edible Schoolyard enjoyed theirs'. There should be a since of peace. That I am there to help them not belittle them. More than likely I will end up teaching Middle School and that is such a hard time for kids. I want class to be an escape instead of a prison. I like the podcasts because they keep me thinking about new ways to make myself better.