I’m a Messy Gardener

A response to the Your Metaphor Activity
created by Stephanie Ferguson (@stpark)

Number of views: 412

My teaching philosophy could be likened to that of a messy gardener. 

My goal is to cultivate as much growth as possible by doing whatever I can to support and encourage learning! I take great care in creating a welcoming environment where people feel comfortable asking questions, trying new things, and making mistakes. 

I have always found it fascinating how everyone learns differently and requires different amounts and kinds of care. You can try and plant as many seeds as you want, but only some will ever grow. Even if you provide the exact same conditions for everyone, it will still yield very different results. Some learners require a lot more care and specific conditions in order to bloom. Others thrive on being mostly left alone. Not overwatering and leaving enough space for each unique flower to grow are some critical lessons. 

Over the years, I have also learned to embrace the weeds – the challenging ones. I admire their persistence and their ability to overcome obstacles to show up in places they may not seem to belong at first. Weeds are inevitable and in the end, often have the most amount of growth. Plus, sometimes they surprise you and you realize they were never a weed at all!

I call myself a messy gardener because I believe teaching and learning is a messy business. You have to get your hands dirty and put in the effort and hard work to make actual growth happen. I don’t believe that a “green thumb” is some sort of magical inherent quality. Much like teaching and learning, there is a lot of hard work and failure that have turned a thumb green. But it’s all worth it when you can stand back and appreciate your hard work, their hard work, and all of the unique beautiful blooms that have grown in your time together.

I created my image as an H5P “Image Juxtaposition” content type to demonstrate how I think teaching and learning are both messy but beautiful.

Here is the interactive version of my image where you can move the slider left and right:

My Messy Gardener Teaching Philosophy