Back in the spring, 78回生 planted sweet potatoes. The students tracked the growth progress, and watched the plants grow and grow. They put their ideas and thoughts to paper. Then finally, summer vacation came to an end and the sweet potatoes were ready to harvest. Who doesn’t like digging in soil only to find a treasure trove of big sweet potatoes! 

Since sweet potatoes need a few weeks of drying before they are ready to eat, it gave the teachers some time to think of the best way to wrap up this experience. 

As a 4th generation farmer, nothing gives me more joy than to see students experiencing the whole cycle of food production. Growing, tending, harvesting and consumption. 

On Friday, the students went to the Home Economics rooms and watched the potatoes they grew become their mid-morning snack. 

Everyone was excited to see the final product. Most students ate their portion of the potato quickly. Others seemed a little apprehensive. Eventually, they told me that it was their first time to eat a sweet potato. And some couldn’t finish their portion. While some might be disappointed that the students didn’t eat everything, from my view point, the activity was a big success. All students experienced something new and had a positive attitude. 

That is the cycle of learning!