The Learning-by-Doing module program is a big part of the reason I came here to teach. When you do something you remember it, period. You know what’s hard, where efficiencies can be realized, you learn the context of the thing you are trying to do, and you can build on that knowledge in the future. In the classroom, I teach principles and emphasize critical thinking skills. This way when a student goes home to Bolivia at 12,000 feet she knows how to adapt what she’s learned to the particular situation. I’ve had a lot of freedom to make changes to our systems when I think it will better our programs.
I’ve changed our vegetable production back to a model that produces for internal use. The cafeteria buys from us, and they get fresher products and better prices, and we get a guaranteed market for our crops. Plus we’ve diversified what we are growing which means the students learn about more types of crops. When I arrived composting had fallen out of favor, but now we reclaim more than 80 percent of Zamorano’s organic waste. It’s a great program for the kids to learn, we reduce soil depletion, and the school saves money on fertilizer and land-fill costs. The students use the compost they’ve helped create to enrich their vegetable plots, and it’s very satisfying to see when one has the “Eureka!” moment and suddenly realizes why he’s been working so hard to turn waste into healthy soil.
It’s refreshing to be on a campus with students and faculty from more than 20 countries, and many speak two, three or even four languages. Being culturally diverse helps us to be open-minded which not only promotes social tolerance but also helps us cultivate a mind-set that appreciates different angles on the same problem.
West Jordan, Utah
Doctor of Plant Medicine, University of Florida (U.S.A.)
Started At Zamorano: February 2008
Associate Professor of Agricultural Science and Production (CPA)
Subjects include: Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Vegetable Gardening Lab
(Annual Report 2008)
