Sowing the seeds: Farmer leads pathway to agriculture course at Grayslake District 127
Bok choy seeds are tiny, and planting them in flats is a methodical but necessary step in a process that starts in the greenhouse at Prairie Crossing Farm in Grayslake.
“Sometimes, we'll spend an entire day in here and that's all we do,” Jeff Miller explains to a small group of students from Grayslake North High School.
Miller, a longtime organic farmer, literally is still working hard in the field. But as the first agriculture teacher in Grayslake Community High School District 127, he also is sharing his knowledge and helping to develop a districtwide pathway for careers in agriculture.
“I try to get them exposure to a lot of things,” he said of students taking his Engineering a Sustainable Future class as an elective in the district's Career & Technical Education program.
“They're predominantly starting out pretty green — gardening with their grandparents in the yard,” he added.
Grayslake North sophomore Enzo Carrion said his parents encouraged him to take a break from devices and get some fresh air. So he researched what's involved with farming and learned that, although it is “crazy, hard work,” he would like to be a farmer someday.
“Dealing with the earth is peaceful for me,” Carrion said while planting bok choy seeds during a recent class.
The small Asian green germinates fairly quickly and grows well in the fall. Filling flats with certified organic soil trucked in once a year from Montpelier, Vermont, using a special tool called a rolling dibbler to prepare the soil for the planting, and getting them nestled is straightforward but requires teamwork.
Planting is a process in itself as the first step leading to harvest. Understanding there is more to agriculture than planting seeds encourages students to consider the big picture and the potential opportunities, Miller says.
District 127 uses the tagline #D127GetsREAL for real, authentic, engaging learning. It began working to build courses as potential college and career pathways as a pilot district in 2020. But an agricultural pathway wasn't formally established until two years ago.
“We use it for the whole district, but this really takes it home,” said Gina Schuyler, District 127 administrator of careers and community partnerships. The ag class connects to many areas, she added.
“Jeff has done a great job of opening our eyes to that,” she said.
Miller and his wife, Jen, operated Prairie Wind Family Farm for 17 years before partnering with Liberty Prairie, a private not-for-profit foundation involved with farm enterprises and conservation efforts.
Students had been brought to the farm as a summer enrichment program for the past five years. A class initially was placed in science with a science teacher, but once agriculture was endorsed as a career pathway, a farmer was needed and Miller got the job.
This is his second year teaching Agricultural Career & Technical Education as certified by the Illinois State Board of Education. He also is a dual credit instructor through the College of Lake County, meaning students can get high school and college credit at the same time.
Schuyler said the agriculture pathway works in two ways. First, students learn outside the traditional classroom, in this case the 95-acre farm preserved as part of the Prairie Crossing conservation community developed 30 years ago.
The second is partnering with other teachers to suggest ways the farm can be used to extend student learning.
Miller is the primary district liaison to arrange hands-on learning farm projects for construction class, arranging culinary class harvest classes and tours, or teaching entrepreneurship skills as part of fall festivals or plant sales, for example.
He also is managing four student interns this summer, one of whom wants to become a veterinarian.
Schuyler described Miller as an amazing teacher and “calm facilitator of experiential learning opportunities.”
“His presence and the partnership with Liberty Prairie have enriched the experiences of our students in so many ways,” she added.
Tips from a top teacher
Farm-based tips from Jeff Miller:
- Observe and take things slowly: Getting students to slow down, deeply observe and be present makes them better at engaging with the natural world.
- Experience and reflection: Students spend concerted time reflecting on farm experiences and sharing with others. We all learn more together from each other's experiences and reflections.
- The best fertilizer is your feet: Spend time in the place you want to impact. These real-life exposures and farm experiences allow students to appreciate nature-based work more deeply, whatever the weather.
- Teach systems and subjects: Agriculture isn't just planting a seed, rather it's the air, sunlight, nutrients, minerals and soil that allow it to grow. Understanding systems and how they function opens thinking, job pathways and minds in myriad directions.
- Learning across curricula is inclusive: Agriculture includes art, science, math, languages and more. Cross-curriculum farm experiences offer real-world projects and offer opportunities for all students.
Curriculum vitae: Jeff Miller
School: Grayslake North High School
Occupation: Teacher in Career & Technical Education under the Agriculture Pathway. His “classroom” is at Prairie Crossing Farm.
Education: Bachelor of arts in studio art, Beloit College; master or arts in landscape architecture, Ball State University; Stateline Farm beginnings (various locations) training and support to help people plan and begin sustainable farm enterprises.
Work experience: Managing director, Liberty Prairie, Grayslake, and owner/farmer Prairie Wind Family Farm (current); farm manager and farmer at Sandhill Organic, Grayslake; landscape architecture associate, the Lannert Group, Geneva