Throughout the entirety of his
book, Thompson continuously reverts back to the Jeffersonian ideal of
agriculture, which places farmers on a pedestal as virtuous and model citizens
for a society. The intimate connection
to the land, dependency on a place, and the virtues obtained through farming
allow for desirable attributes that may aid us in our attempt to alter the
situation we find ourselves in today.
Although the focus is mainly on farmers, Thompson also admits that Jefferson
considered educators to be on a similar platform, for they “could serve as
models for essential virtues…through self-discipline and the respect for truth”
(Thompson, 191).
The linkage of agriculture and
education seems to be a curious notion.
Would our current educational system, mainly that of primary education,
ever allow for an agricultural based experience in addition to the traditional
subjects of Math, Science, Social Studies, and English?
I am reminded of a conversation I
had with a friend and recent graduate of St. Michaels, Patrick Cranell, who
spent a summer working on an organic farm. Upon working in the fields all day and learning the
agricultural roots and practices, Patrick insisted that working on a farm for
some allotted amount of time should be mandatory for all able children. As Berry and Thompson have alluded too,
Patrick argued that there is a sense of morality obtained and a swift slap in
the face from reality when one is working on a farm. The true work, and pushing the body to the brink of
exhaustion, greatly increased the appreciation for farmers, food, ecosystem,
and social relations. He also had
a weaker argument saying that the majority of us do not remember what we
learned in the early years of grade school, so why not replace that with
farming and gain experiential knowledge?
Nevertheless, his idea is compelling.
Upon discussing this topic with other family and friends, I
was met with negative reactions simply being that it was a stupid idea, and
that the traditional areas of academia are most important. Allowing farming into education would
be irrelevant, a waste of time, and inefficient, ultimately leading to a
degradation of our education system (which is odd considering the many flaws in
our system anyway).
Still, I cannot bring myself to
believe these counter arguments.
Giving children the ability to farm within an educational schooling
environment I think would be advantageous on many fronts. They would learn matters of Science
through crop biology, soil fertility, and animal husbandry; They would learn
Math through seasonal rotation, polycultural farming, and the economics of
selling food; They would learn literary techniques through the reading of
agricultural and environmental writers; And they would learn a local Social
Studies through the history of the land and place. Even if all of the lessons learned are forgotten, like
Patrick suggests we have already, there is a chance that these children would
be instilled with morals and virtues still allowing them to be positive members
of society. So, could
agricultural practices be allowed into the schooling system in addition to the
traditional subjects of academia?
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