Growth In Spite of the Late Start

Tuesday's Slice of Life

I think this post was somewhat inspired by Elsie's post on her tomatoes but with a classroom connection...

Back in May, I was crazy busy with the end of the school year!  I felt like I could barely keep my head above water...so when Kevin mentioned the idea of planting tomatoes once again this year I was less than excited to take on the task.  I put it off until the second week of June-after school was officially out for the year and I had begun the recuperation process.  Digging up the dirt and spading our little plot of garden was somewhat therapeutic and I rather enjoyed the process once I got into it.  I only planted three...but I got a late start.

As the weird weather this summer ebbed and flowed, I started to wonder if the tomatoes were going to bare fruit before the frost would come (possible light frost tonight).  We had torrential downpours in July!  One of our friends had to abandon her car before the flood waters carried it away!  Many roads were blocked...it was so scary.  Then we had a dry spell with no rain for a while and very hot when we returned to school with a few September days in the 90's.  Despite the strange weather events, our tomato plants began to show signs of growth!  Green tomatoes were visible on the vine.  And then there were set-backs.  Someone-won't say who in the family- picked some green tomatoes off the plant before Mama could tell her not to.  And the family of deer who regularly run through the yards around us decided to feast on the top of the plants and bit off the blooms that were going to be the next round...

All of a sudden last week, the beauty of red, ripe juicy tomatoes had erupted on the vine!  Just when I thought the green would never develop and show the growth needed to make it-they were suddenly ready to be picked!  Turning out just right...

Our bumpy start to the school year reminds me of the late start I got with the tomatoes.  The timing wasn't right.  I overcame the late start and our tomatoes showed growth any way!  I never gave up on them and constantly tended to their needs.  I watered, weeded, waited and propped!  All things that a hopeful yet skilled gardener knows to do in addition to letting nature itself help too!

All though many teachers are getting a late start with their students this year due to unforeseen circumstances with changes in class size, unpredictable set backs with technology, scheduling and MAP testing, I know our students will so grow!  I know this because the teachers are the skilled gardeners who will provide just what their little plants need most.  Just like a gardener, the teachers will water, weed, wait and prop as needed for student success.  Late start or not, the students will succeed!