Happy AmeriCorps Month! Common Threads feels very fortunate indeed to have 13 fabulous AmeriCorps service members helping to grow good eaters across Whatcom County. These are smart, passionate, creative young people who have gifted our community with 10.5 months of their lives. For the remainder of this month, we’ll be celebrating our service members by featuring a few of the stories they have written about what AmeriCorps service has meant to them. Thank You AmeriCorps Team!
A story of service, by AmeriCorps School Farmer Blair Sando
Common Threads Americorps School Farmer Blair Sando with a garden helper
Our job as Common Threads Educators is to teach children to make responsible food choices, not only for their bodies but for the environment. It isn’t easy and sometimes I can’t help but wonder Am I making a difference? Are these kids truly hearing me? Despite daily difficulties, there is one thing I can always count on to put me back on track: the wise words of a kindergartener.
“How can we be respectful in our garden classroom?” I asked the eager eyes staring up at me during a fall garden lesson.
“Don’t step on the garden beds!” shouted one little girl.
“Hold your tools below your waist!” exclaimed another.
But it was the sweet boy in the back of the room who won my attention. His hand was quietly raised in the air and his body was calm. I called on him.
“We need to make sure that we don’t hurt the worms because when we hurt the worms we hurt the soil. If we don’t have soil, we won’t have plants, and plants make the world better,” he declared.
In an instant, my doubts vanished: Just when you think they aren’t listening, a very small person sends a very big message.