Senior Garden Educator Spotlight: Jordan Finkelstein
Jordan (he/him) is the Garden Educator at Peabody Elementary, Orchard Gardens, and Samuel Mason. This is his second year with CitySprouts! Find out more about Jordan below!
What’s been your proudest moment as a garden educator?
It was such a joy to return to classes for a second year and see how students retained their excitement and knowledge from the previous year of gardening! Plants that we directly seeded together in May were fully grown by the time students returned to school in the fall, and their excitement walking through an overflowing garden that THEY planted was palpable. I was so impressed by how many plants they could identify just from chatting about them in the previous school year.
How has working with youth changed your perspective on education or the environment?
The garden is full of novel experiences for children - the basic information we have about plants is often still being acquired at elementary school age. Many of them are watching seed germination and having close contact with garden critters for the first time. It’s a wonderful reminder of the magic of gardening to live it alongside them!
What’s a common misconception about gardening that you enjoy debunking with your students?
I love teaching students about the secret ingredient all plants need to grow - time! Many students enter the garden assuming that the plants in it grew all at once, or express confusion when their seed doesn’t grow as soon as it’s planted. It’s rewarding to work with a group for a full year of growing and see students’ understanding of plants evolve as the garden comes back to life.
How do you use storytelling or cultural connections to make gardening more meaningful for your students?
Many students recognize the vegetables in their school gardens from meals their families cook at home. When food is growing in the garden, I try to center my instruction around foods that are relevant to students’ cultural backgrounds. I always ask if students have seen any garden elements at home to prompt conversations about plant life outside of their school garden. To me, part of environmental education is empowering students to share their own experiences and teach others!
How do you navigate teaching students who may not initially be interested in gardening?
There’s something for every student in a school garden - sometimes it just takes a bit longer to find it! Whether it’s interacting with living critters, tasting vegetables, or even just having sensory experiences in the dirt and water, something is bound to grab their attention, and a lesson will bloom from there. A teaching garden is such a sensory- and language-rich environment, so learning happens organically!
Who is Jordan outside of CitySprouts?
What’s your favorite place to explore in Boston/Cambridge?
Any community garden I walk past! I love wandering through to see what my neighbors grow, and to learn from people tending to their plants. Gardeners are chatty!
What’s the strangest food combination you secretly love?
Sesame seeds on everything
What’s one fashion trend you would love to see make a comeback?
Cargo pockets on EVERY pair of pants. More seed storage
Jordan’s Favorites
Favorite food? - TOMATOES
Cats or dogs? - Snails
Favorite app on your phone? - Weather
Favorite type of music? - Hyperpop