November 2, 2018 – The EDU Fellows alongside High Point University faculty discussed the book, The Power of a Plant, by Stephen Ritz. We were separated into groups of roughly five students, and two or three faculty for our discussions. On the table were scattered quotes from the book that we were able to use to feed into or begin conversation. We spoke in groups for roughly 45 minutes over lunch before we came back together, and had one person from each group share a summary of what their group discussed.
The topics the groups talked about ranged, but were mostly focused around, Stephen Ritz techniques to connect and build relationships with students, as well as his ability to make typical school work into real life examples for them. Some groups talked about differing school systems and how their food programs differ state to state. Some schools give out free meals and snacks to all, whereas others are more particular and make families apply for these programs. Since we all come from different unique backgrounds and places, these conversations were enriched with new perspectives and ideas. Overall, this was a good experience for all who were involved, and everyone left with a new perspective of the book that they might not have seen before. ~ Miss Hannah Murphy, EDU Fellows Student