Every once in a while, on Facebook, somebody asks, seriously:
Should Agriculture be made part of the high school curriculum?
My repeated reaction to that often-asked question had been: “Boring.” Now, let me tell you that I am an Agriculturist, a graduate of UP Los Baños, with a BSA major in Ag Ed, so I should be one of the last ones to not welcome Agriculture in High School.
(Images: Facebook sharing by Antonio D Torres; electric bulbs from Brand Reinvention[1], which I posterized; class scene from Brookings[2])
Today? Yes!
Now, how to offer agriculture in high school without boring the boys & girls? I reinvent High School. Reinvention means “the act or an instance of replacing a product, etc with an entirely new version” (Collins English Dictionary). The fluorescent light is a reinvention of the bulb, the rotavator a reinvention of the plow; and the Internet a reinvention of the library.
So now I have reinvented Agriculture in High School! AHS should now be the source of many Ohs and Ahs from high schoolers.
The most exciting news since the classroom was invented! Now, with AHS, the classroom is not a classroom (clash-room) but a plus-room, because suddenly the classroom becomes an exciting place for learning!
It should be fun, not work like digging the ground to make a garden. I am thinking of the Agriculture subjects in each year:
1st Year – Vegetables
2nd Year – Flowers
3rd Year – Fruits
4th Year – Landscape Gardening
The list is boring, right? Right! To make each class meeting exciting, here are some rules:
(1) No structure to each class meeting
Volunteers will present materials for class discussion, that’s all. In any manner, shape or form. Wouldn’t that be exciting!
For instance: Teacher announces that tomorrow s/he will bring into class 3 roses (flowers). Why announce? So that if someone is curious enough, s/he will surf the Web about roses and bring to class the next day Questions (and Answers) – a student making the class exciting not only for oneself. If somebody asks, “What are those roses for, Teacher?” Teacher will ask the class who wants to answer the question. Ain’t that fun! And of course, anybody can ask, “What are the parts of a flower?”
(2) No exams.
Just the discussions, questions and answers, including attempts for answers – if funny, let the students laugh. The teacher should not ask any question to any student or answer any question from anyone.
(3) No failures.
Everyone will be given a good grade at the end of the school year.
(4) Specimens
Anyone can bring a part or a whole of plant. It’s the exchanges where everyone will learn something, the questions and answers (including attempts to answer) that teach thinking.
(5) Books and/or compilations
Not necessary to buy, just borrow from some library or somebody.
(6) Photographs welcome.
(7) Videos too if available.
It should be exciting, like visiting a flower pot daily and watching what has happened overnight. Like, watching a video and debating afterwards! It would make high school enjoyable too!@517
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