| Description |
xix, 283 pages ; 24 cm |
| Note |
Includes index. |
| Summary |
"What if we taught students that they have as much potential as a seed? That in the right conditions, they can grow into something great? These are the questions that Stephen Ritz?who became a teacher more than 30 years ago?sought to answer in 2004 in a South Bronx high school plagued by rampant crime and a dismal graduation rate. After what can only be defined as a cosmic experience when a flower broke up a fight in his classroom, he saw a way to start tackling his school?s problems: plants. He flipped his curriculum to integrate gardening as an entry point for all learning and inadvertently created an international phenomenon. The Power of a Plant tells the story of a green teacher from the Bronx who let one idea germinate into a movement and changed his students? lives by learning alongside them. Since greening his curriculum, Ritz has seen near-perfect attendance and graduation rates, dramatically increased passing rates on state exams, and behavioral incidents slashed in half. In the poorest congressional district in America, he has helped create 2,200 local jobs and built farms and gardens while changing landscapes and mindsets for residents, students, and colleagues. Along the way, Ritz lost more than 100 pounds by eating the food that he and his students grow in school. The Power of a Plant is his story of hope, resilience, regeneration, and optimism"--Amazon. |
| Contents |
Preparing the soil -- The rookie -- Teaching with everything but the textbook -- Growing into teaching -- Putting down new roots -- How daffodils broke up a fight and started a learning revolution -- Drunk on tomatoes -- Our garden in the sky -- The rubber room bounce -- Planting the seeds -- Hitting the green wall -- Who the hell is TED? -- Green Bronx machine revs up -- Location, location, location -- Growing a global teacher in the projects -- From classroom farm to classroom table -- Sharing the harvest -- Every community wants happier, healthier children -- Full STEAM ahead to leave a better place behnd -- Make epic happen. |
| Subject |
South Bronx High School.
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Ritz, Stephen.
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South Bronx High School. (OCoLC)fst00583158
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Educational change -- New York (State) -- New York.
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Gardening -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- New York.
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Low-performing schools -- New York (State) -- New York.
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School gardens -- New York (State) -- New York.
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Community and school -- New York (State) -- New York.
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High school teachers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Biography.
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South Bronx (New York, N.Y.) -- Social conditions.
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Gardening -- Study and teaching -- New York (State)
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Low-performing schools -- New York (State)
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Educational change -- New York (State)
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School gardens -- New York (State)
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Community and school -- New York (State)
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High school teachers -- New York (State)
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South Bronx (New York, N.Y.) -- Social conditions.
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BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY -- Educators.
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Community and school. (OCoLC)fst00870669
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Educational change. (OCoLC)fst00903371
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Gardening -- Study and teaching. (OCoLC)fst00937880
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High school teachers. (OCoLC)fst00956247
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Low-performing schools. (OCoLC)fst01764163
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School gardens. (OCoLC)fst01107425
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Social conditions. (OCoLC)fst01919811
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New York (State) -- New York.
(OCoLC)fst01204333
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| Genre/Form |
Biography. (OCoLC)fst01423686
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| Added Author |
Boss, Suzie, author.
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| Other Form: |
Online version: Ritz, Stephen. Power of a plant. Emmaus, Pennsylvania : Rodale, [2017] 9781623368654 (DLC) 2017024525 |
| ISBN |
9781623368647 (trade hardcover) |
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1623368642 (trade hardcover) |
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