As parents, we often teach our children to avoid certain creatures in the garden, like skunks, due to their pungent odor and reputation for mischief. However, what if I told you that these striped critters are actually unsung heroes in the garden ecosystem? In this blog, we'll explore why skunks are beneficial for your garden and why they deserve our appreciation. Skunks as Gardeners 1. Natural Pest Control Skunks have a voracious appetite for many garden pests that can wreak havoc on your plants. They are especially fond of insects like beetles, grubs, caterpillars, and even small rodents like mice and voles. By preying on these pests, skunks help keep their populations in check, reducing the need for harmful chemical pesticides. 2. Soil Aeration Believe it or not, skunks are great gardeners! Their habit of digging for food helps aerate the soil, allowing oxygen and nutrients to penetrate deeper, which promotes healthier plant growth. Additionally, their digging can help expose a
“Every country on earth at the moment is reforming public education.”
– Sir Ken Robinson
The key point coming from Ken Robinson’s TED talk is that education should always be relevant to the reality of its learners. It was intriguing to me that much of our modern education system was birthed in the Enlightenment Era and as a response to the Industrial Revolution. It was also interesting to note that even though we have been through other massive eras of social transformation, such as the World Wide Web and Globalization, that the system has not flexed much to accommodate all the changes that have occurred in learning.
As a life long learner, I am convinced that true learning is self directed and continuous. It is stimulation that entices people to thirst for and seek out knowledge. That causes people to dialogue and collaborate around issues they are passionate about and thereby acquire skills to contribute meaningfully to society and enact change. In essence it’s divergent, experiential and practical not scripted, theory dominant and impractical. When I think of the work that I get paid to do these days, I can honestly say that much of that knowledge was not learned, by rote, in the classroom. A lot of my learning occurred through working and collaborating with others around things that fascinated me; around things I could explore and experiment with in my own personal time and at my own pace.
Parting words…
Don’t just take my word for it…I highly recommend watching this video because if nothing else it may challenge the way you have been taught view education and the human capacity.
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