We began our day with a video about a school garden at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The story focused on a teacher who, with a mix of courage and hope, knocked on a neighbour’s door and asked if their class could grow pumpkins in his already thriving front garden. He said yes. What followed was a beautiful example of intergenerational community building—young students learning alongside an older neighbour, connecting through soil, seasons, and shared care.
This sparked a rich conversation in our CFE cohort about what’s truly growing in these gardens. We talked about how colonialism and capitalism often work to isolate us, cutting off our connection to the land, to our neighbours, and especially to generations outside our own. Gardening, we reflected, is about growing community, not just plants. That line stuck with all of us.
As we get to know each other and engage in these thoughtful and sometimes unexpected conversations, both Manuelle and I agree on how good it feels to be around like-minded people. There’s a real sense of energy and optimism in knowing that we are about to enter classrooms as future educators, carrying these values with us.
The afternoon was all about tomatoes and cucumbers. After two days of clearing, weeding, and prepping the beds, we were finally ready to plant. We picked up the tomato and cucumber starts from the greenhouse—their first home—and brought them to their forever home at the Orchard Garden. It’s wild to think that just a few days ago, this corner of the garden was overgrown. Now it’s full of promise.
What could have taken one person days and days of backbreaking labour became, through teamwork, two joyful afternoons of transformation. In about five work hours, we weeded, prepped beds, planted, and hand-watered. The shift in the space was immediately visible.
It reminded us of what’s possible in education when we come together. Just like in the garden, learning isn’t meant to be done alone. It’s meant to be shared through collaboration, encouragement, and collective effort. We lift each other, we learn from each other, and we grow something far bigger than ourselves.
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