more thoughts on my job

most proud--

The garden, because it shows the effort, care, and commitment that the students have exhibited over the last nine years. I am proud that my love for gardening and cooking has come together with the students and thus flow into them. I never could have imagined growing lavender from seed, drying the flowers, or making sachets ten years ago. But how amazing is it that I have students who have developed a love for brownies with lavender. Then there is the student, who is all excited about growing his own melons at his home this summer, and he is doing it from seed.

I remember the student who shined in horticulture and I recommended for working off campus. However, he was so nervous he would not go to IKEA. I was asked to go with him to relieve his anxiety. It worked and by the time he left Pathway he was employed at a job, which he has kept. It wasn't with plants, but I am proud of him and all the students who learn a thing or two about being a worker while being in horticulture.

I am proud that through our hard work, we have been able to sell veggies and herbs at a low cost to members of the Pathway community. I try to see this as a benefit to my co-workers.

I am proud that we do all of this while having fun.

needs: what would make it better---

I am in need of time. When I started the program, all my classes were horticulture classes. Then I was asked to teach a science class. Then I was asked to teach another science class. With the sampling class taking another spot, I am now down to three horticulture classes and the students in the functional academic classes do not get the time to be in horticulture as they did before the changes. It is true that opportunities arise in the summer for most of the students on campus to participate in horticulture.

As I write this there are three weeks left in the school year and many activities taking away from time in the garden, so it is clear that my greatest need is time. It is hard to expand the program. It is hard to find room for more students and give them the time they need to succeed. It is hard to help maintain other areas on campus. With time, I could do all these things.

taking some constructive criticism

On Saturday I drove to Glenside to do something new.

And at Dovetail Artisans I placed myself out in the open because of my desire to sell stained glass. The owner of the shop spoke honestly with me. She liked what I like best about my work-- the designs and the color. What she had problems with was my soldering, especially the hooks on the sun catchers. I hate that part of the process. I have struggled with those hooks so I found an easier way, but that led for to really large hooks. I guess you can say the designs won out since she took 9 and rejected 8, but I could see the desire in her eyes for those I brought home. As I wandered around her shop I was honored to have become one of the craftsmen she represents.

Last night at church four of us sat with the tower of Babel story in Genesis. God's ways baffled us, but one there brought up the theory that building a tower to honor themselves was what led to God's action. we talked about pride and how that gets in our way. God has given me a doodler's heart and I need to see my creations as a blessing.

At Dovetail Artisans, I was listening to criticism and I could feel the tension that such words can cause in a prideful person. But I sat with that emotion and told myself that it was a good thing to hear.

Like when mosaic woman tells me I am a fool if I walk down the hallway with bare feet. I found this in the carpet the other day, and now I have to take the blame for it because it sure does look like some glass I was cutting this week.....