I most definitely see myself teaching in the future, at least in the short term. In about 2 weeks I start a job as a part-time instructor at a mobile kids’ cooking school in Denver, CO (while taking classes for grad school). This will involve supervising classes of students and campers of all ages throughout the city. I worked at a kids’ cooking school last summer, in NYC, but I expect this one to be quite different–we’re bringing the lessons directly to the classroom rather than requiring that kids’ parents transport them to a single location. The latter type of set-up is exclusive, I realized, since it limits classes to children of wealthy parents and those attending schools with the funds for transportation costs, mostly private schools.
Even last summer teaching classes with a lack of diversity in terms of social class (all campers were kids of wealthy Manhattanites for whom signing up their kids for summer camp is a competition, since there’s so many people vying for a limited amount of spots) there was much diversity in other respects. Kids were from all different ethnic backgrounds which undoubtedly shaped their food preferences. And of course they varied in energy levels and temperament–some kids were silent while others were hyperactive. It was tough striking that balance between strict discipline and supporting an upbeat classroom environment. I taught a class where there was one girl who did not even speak English; she was from France and her mom put her in the camp thinking that cooking was “all visual” and she’d follow along easily. Fortunately I knew some french, or else she would have been completely lost during the break activities like pictionary and “chef says.” And I taught kids of various levels of pickiness, which posed a challenge. Some outright claimed to hate food altogether (except for sushi–for some reason all NYC kids LOVED sushi) and one 12-year-old even asked for permission to wash dishes rather than participate in cooking activities. Then there was the kid who loved everything, sneaking a taste of every single ingredient behind my back (flour, lemon juice, baking powder, you name it). Above all, the job required flexibility and adaptation. I had to be able to think on my feet and improvise ways to engage problem children on the spot. There was only so much you could plan ahead–catering to food allergies, preferences outlined by parents via email–the rest had to be dealt with as the camps progressed. I imagine if schoolteachers themselves taught children nutrition and culinary education and integrated the subject into their curriculum, they would have the benefit of knowing the kids much better (in my case last summer kids were only in camp for a week at a time, and with my new job I’ll teach one class at a time so it will require even more spontaneity since I really won’t know the kids beforehand).
How can you cater to this multitude of differences among kids to get them engaged when you only have a day to get to know the kids? It’s widely believed that digital technology has had a negative effect on classroom learning by decreasing attention spans, but I’m convinced it can also be invoked in a classroom setting to facilitate conveying certain concepts to students with different learning styles and backgrounds. I know this might seem hypocritical to use modern technology if you’re trying to incorporate a food curriculum that gets students to “slow down” and live more intentionally with awareness of food sources, but multimedia tools and hands-on activities and demos can help visual learners and students who need to experience things to learn. Google earth can be used to show kids where a certain dish originated (and get students interested in geography), youtube videos demonstrate concepts to students less proficient in english or who simply prefer observing to listening. So why do we so often resort to traditional methods of teaching—lecture and seminar—when there are so many more engaging alternatives? I think food education is the perfect opportunity to experiment with these different approaches to teaching and learning.