Comments on: The Atlantic Attacks School Garden Programs

By: Private Chefs | Personal Chef Atlanta

Private Chefs | Personal Chef Atlanta — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:40:59 +0000

[...] Chef Ann Cooper : Renegade Lunch Lady » The Atlant Uncategorized private chef, private chefs, quality articles [...]

By: Ellen Nylen

Ellen Nylen — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:41:43 +0000

Hello,
I am a fan of Ann but I’ll get right to the point: I am a private chef, have also been volunteering for years with kids, school gardening, cooking etc. but now I want a JOB in a farm-to-school type program; love the environment. I don’t care if I cook fulltime; have management experience etc etc. I am covering all the bases but wondering if you have suggestions for me in terms of a logical way to go about seeking jobs “in the field”? NYC 1st choice; “East Coast” 2nd choice.
Any resources, suggestions greatly appreciated.

By: Principles of Edible Education from the Edible Schoolyard Garden - Earthprints-Step Lightly

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:55:40 +0000

[...] The Atlantic Attacks School Garden Programs (chefann.com) [...]

By: “Flanagan made me choke on my chard” – Berkeleyside

“Flanagan made me choke on my chard” – Berkeleyside — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:03:44 +0000

[...] check out the self-styled Renegade Lunch Lady, Ann Cooper on her blog. The Atlantic even gave their own Corby Kummer a chance to refute much of Flanagan’s [...]

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:14:50 +0000

Thank you for this eloquent and personal defense of school garden programs! I was likewise outraged by the Flanagan piece and appreciate your perspective based on years of work in this specific area. Brava!

By: Chef Ann Cooper : Renegade Lunch Lady » Edible Education: It Really Does Make Sense!

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:41:22 +0000

[...] check out the self-styled Renegade Lunch Lady, Ann Cooper on her blog. The Atlantic even gave their own Corby Kummer a chance to refute much of Flanagan’s [...]

By: Cultivating Controversy: In Defense of an Edible Education « Lettuce Eat Kale

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:23:27 +0000

[...] check out the self-styled Renegade Lunch Lady, Ann Cooper on her blog. The Atlantic even gave their own Corby Kummer a chance to refute much of [...]

By: wendy levy

wendy levy — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:51:32 +0000

Hope you’ve seen Andrew Leonard’s great article in salon.com:
http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2010/01/14/death_to_the_public_school_vegetable_garden/

Flanagan is out of her mind.

By: Suzie Boss

Suzie Boss — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:51:24 +0000

There’s so much to take issue with in Flanagan’s piece, it’s hard to know where to begin. But thanks for sharing your considerable insights. My take on her faulty logic, along with some additional school gardening resources, in this post: http://reinventingpbl.blogspot.com/2010/01/dirt-on-school-gardens.html

By: Daniela Kunz

Daniela Kunz — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 04:42:50 +0000

Thank you Ann! You definitely have put into words what I feel deep inside too about that article! Wish I was more articulate and I would have replied to that article too.

By: Victoria Tatum

Victoria Tatum — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:04:27 +0000

I am grateful for that New Yorker article about Ann Cooper I read some years back that launched me in a positive direction, and I’m honored to have visited the Edible Schoolyard and Ann Copper’s kitchen when she was still at the helm in Berkeley.
Thanks, Ann, for all your efforts toward the health of our students.

By: The Evils of School Gardens | DC Food For All

The Evils of School Gardens | DC Food For All — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:13:52 +0000

[...] Reactions to the Atlantic piece are pouring in. Read here, here and here. [...]

By: melissa davis

melissa davis — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:02:45 +0000

Thank you!! I read the article as well and commented on how wrong the author was. Love that so many people are standing up to show their support of school gardens.

By: Laurie Cicotello

Laurie Cicotello — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:23:41 +0000

After watching “SuperSize Me” a few years back, I was struck by the idea of school gardening. Then I went to Eagle Rock School in Estes Park, Colorado and saw firsthand the impact eating healthy had on students.

This is a program that every school district must use. Frustrating is how many schools “teach to the test,” and provide no applicable, hands on modeling for students, which would actually help many of them to … do better on a test than rote learning.

Students need this style of education!

By: Jess @OpenlyBalanced

Jess @OpenlyBalanced — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:18:11 +0000

What an absolutely appalling article from The Atlantic. I cannot believe they (anyone) would publish something like that. The author says, “American kids are fatter and sicker than ever.” How does she blatantly miss the fact that school gardening programs do much to address those problems, not to mention the basic skills that such programs teach.

Her focus on state exams is equally absurd. Almost any teacher will tell you that state exams are a joke, and that real education suffers when you’re forced to design a curriculum that maximizes standardized state test scores.

Argh!

By: Liz McLellan

Liz McLellan — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:46:27 +0000

When a conservative plants a garden, cans peaches or bakes bread it is a sign of wise economy and good living. When a liberal does the same thing it is a sign of their elitist disconnect with ‘real people’ and/or their Maoist ideologue re-educationist tendencies…WHAT a surprise!

I am so disappointed with The Atlantic for publishing this crap.

By: Bob Ewing

Bob Ewing — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:45:03 +0000

Thanks for bringing this poorly researched article to my attention. I managed to read it all, how can someone allegedly qualified to write and do research,write such drivel?

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:10:19 +0000

Perhaps the author was not aware that many scientists start out as gardeners.

By: Annie B. Copps

Annie B. Copps — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:26:59 +0000

GOOOO Ann and brava! Shame on the Atlantic for wasting the ink and killing trees to publish such inflammatory shite.

By: The Evils Of School Gardens | The Slow Cook

The Evils Of School Gardens | The Slow Cook — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:13:17 +0000

[...] Reactions to the Atlantic piece are pouring in. Read here, here and here. [...]

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:07:07 +0000

I and many others had the same reaction to that piece in the Atlantic.

http://www.theslowcook.com/2010/01/12/the-evils-of-school-gardens/

By: Cari R.

Cari R. — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:40:48 +0000

Contrary to what Ms. Flanagan implied in her article, children can learn a great deal in the garden, and it will not necessarily deprive them of the vital knowledge and skills they need to graduate from high school. I have seen children of various backgrounds come together to study soil, plant seeds, measure things like water, nutrient and bacteria levels in the soil, measure and record growth of plants, extrapolate the potential yield of their crops (hmmm, math skills? language skills? working as a group?). The garden is very much a labratory at our public school (K-8th grade. I have observed some of the shyest kids overcome their language barrier both in the garden and in the art room, and it gives them the confidence to achieve more academically. Their pride in what they accomplish through hands-on experience shines through and the skills they acquire through that experience can be applied to other areas of learning with great success. The purpose of these school gardens is to complement the academic environment, the support it, not the other way around. Anyone who discounts the potential benefit from this living labratory isn’t really seeing it. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he’ll eat forever.

By: flavorista

flavorista — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:34:03 +0000

Excellent points Ann. I have not read the article but have that issue. It is rather surprising that they published something that bad!