This is an excerpt from Kim and Sara's forthcoming book, Habits of Being: Nuts and Bolts of the Guild, the "how-to" follow up to Habits of Being: Artifacts from the Classroom Guild.
Kim: I read a book once about a farmer struggling to save a peach from extinction. I bought it because the title intrigued me. Can’t judge a book by its cover? There are exceptions to every rule.
David Mas Masumoto’s Epitaph for a Peach is a case in point. I must admit that I bought this little gem solely based on its cover. The title is pure poetry. But I was pleased to discover that, as I entered the drama, an extended metaphor began to emerge.
The problem with Masumoto's peach? It’s seasonal and delicate.
Back in the Little House days it was a treat to get an orange for Christmas. Peaches were summer fruit. But we won’t stand for that nonsense in the 21st century. We want our peaches and we want them now!
In my neck of the woods, genetically engineered peaches sneer back at me year round. For every dozen I purchase, three or so can actually be classified as peaches. Sure they look like a peach on the outside, but beneath the surface is a flavorless pithy flesh that often rots before it ripens.
Is being able to buy a pseudo-peach better than having no peach at all?
Even Masumoto’s descriptions of the dark side of nature—the inevitable invasion of weeds and bugs—pales in comparison to the threat market demand poses.
Masumoto is a man who believes in preserving all that a peach can be.
Sara: …results guaranteed! Each ear of corn is the same—looks the same, tastes the same. Harvests can be predicted and guaranteed. Barbara Kingsglover is all over this one, beware bred vegetable varieties and mechanized harvest!
“Heirloom vegetables are irresistible, not just for the poetry in their names but because these titles stand for real stories.”
The conflict between corporate agriculture and local sustainable farming is not that far removed from the issues we face as educators.
Kim: Institutionalized education limits the development of individuality by forcing children through a prescribed course of study.
Sara: Individuality tended in the garden is delicious like heirloom fruits and vegetables. Let’s face it, institution destroys diversity.
Kim: Masumoto believes in preserving all that his peach can be and celebrates the chaos of nature.
“Most of my peaches and grapes are grown without herbicides. As a result, I’ve learned a lot about weeds and can identify most of them by name. I have developed a friendship with some while others continue to fool me. Most I no longer consider weeds. I call them “indigenous growth” (it sounds more scientific than “natural grasses”) and try to ignore them.”
If Masumoto were a teacher, he’d be one of us for sure.
Sara: Grass root efforts change mindsets one individual at a time. Think about the “Who's Your Farmer?” movement… Maybe we’re spear heading, “Who's your teacher?"
When Evelyn was five, I thought, “Why would I turn my kid over to some stranger?” I remember thinking, is the teacher going to care about who Evelyn is at her core as much as I do?
Kim: Longing to be deeply known is a common desire. My greatest tool as a mother and a teacher is affirmation. But protecting and promoting the biodiversity of children is no easy task. When I consider the creative chaos involved in true academic individualization, I can relate to Masumoto:
“During moments of insecurity I still have occasional anxiety attacks and threaten to call the bulldozer and regain order, to rid myself of these tumultuous peaches that just taste too damned good. I can’t hide my experiments and failures. Neighbors drive past watch my progress, and talk with my wife while my weeds grow seemingly out of control. They ask if something has happened to me. My farm looks as if the farmer has died.”
Masumoto is competing with a peach model that has been redefined according to a seller's model. Mass marketing has a singular goal: A peach in every pocket.
Sara: My dad grew tomatoes. Tomatoes in the markets today are a mass of flavorless clones with a dangerous grappling hook lurking beneath their core so they won’t fall from the vine. Homegrown tomatoes are flavorful, complex in color and scent––brandy wine to orange and yellow-green, even white. Variety. Diversity. Human beings are the same.
Kim: Peaches are supposed to come dripping sweetness in summer. With the concept of compromise for the sake of marketability, a peach is no longer a peach at all.
Priorities are askew.
Sara: Each child has the unique potential of a tasty tomato.
Kim: …and a juicy peach.
