Equipping Educators for the Year Ahead
As a new school year commences, educators at Belle Chasse Academy in Louisiana and Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School in Maryland are returning with fresh ideas, resources, and strategies for incorporating garden- and kitchen-based education into their classrooms in the year ahead.
More than 110 educators at the two schools participated in Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen professional training sessions at the end of last school year. Designed for teachers across subject areas, our trainings provide practical tools, hands-on learning opportunities, and space for educators to collaborate and exchange ideas.
Through Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, school partners receive trainings tailored to their individual school needs and priorities. During the sessions, educators explore program resources, including our unique K–8 curriculum, and learn how garden- and kitchen-based lessons can complement the work already happening in their classrooms.
From math and science to literacy and social studies, teachers discover ways to use food and garden education to reinforce academic concepts while creating engaging learning experiences for students.
“We learned a lot. I loved that we could walk away and implement new ideas we learned straight away! Today is Friday, and we will start new ideas Tuesday!” — Second-grade Teacher, Belle Chasse Academy
The trainings also help educators better prepare for the upcoming school year. In post-training surveys, 98% reported some or significant improvement in their knowledge of integrating life skills development, food education, and nutrition education with core academic subjects.
As teachers welcome students back for a new year of learning, lessons from our trainings carry forward into the classroom, garden, and teaching kitchen. By equipping educators with tools they can use throughout the school year, Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen helps create more opportunities for students to build academic knowledge, practical life skills, and healthy habits through hands-on learning.
“Gardening and kitchen can be engaging and magical. It ignites or solidifies a topic or learning experience.” — Lower Elementary Teacher, Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School
