From herbal playdough to hydroponics tea parties, Aileene Halligan Cantiello has brought so much joy and inspiration to the Magic Garden Portal community. Read on to learn more about her.
Mini-Bio
Name | Location: Aileene Halligan Cantiello, Philadelphia, PA
I'm a gardening teacher for grades K-8 at William H. Hunter public school in the Kensington neighborhood of North Philadelphia. I'm also a mom of two and newly-minted Philadelphia County Master Gardener. Being outside and getting my hands in the dirt is such a joy; it's something I'm so grateful to do every day with my students and my own children!
My Sananbio unit is located right by my door and classroom window to the hallway, so everyone passing by can see the lights and the greenery - even visitors can't help but to come in and ask me about what it is.
What’s been the best part of HydroConnect so far?
The best part of our HydroConnect program has been watching how excited students get when they enter my classroom. Their eyes light up and they gasp when they see how quickly the plants are growing in all of the units. They notice changes and growth right away and comment on the fresh smells they take in. My Sananbio unit is located right by my door and classroom window to the hallway, so everyone passing by can see the lights and the greenery - even visitors can't help but to come in and ask me about what it is. Sometimes my colleagues and I can feel like passing ships during the busy day, but everyone who passes my room pops in to ask about what's growing and tell me about their gardening or culinary victories or "room for growth." Students also share precious tidbits here and there about an herb or vegetable that their family cooks with; and I've learned a lot about who is the head gardener and cook from each family (usually an abuela). I hope to meet them all!
When did you know you wanted to become a teacher?
My first job after college was with a nonprofit where I worked with youth in my hometown of Philadelphia. It was so challenging, fun, fast-paced, and rewarding that I decided to become a teacher in 2010.
Our school is in a densely-packed urban neighborhood with an elevated train rattling overhead, but we still go out and enjoy a large, full-sun patch of green space on any weather-permitting day.
What's your favorite part of your job?
I love taking my students outside to the garden! It is an immediate mood-booster for everyone to breathe in some fresh air and see so much green. Our school is in a densely-packed urban neighborhood with an elevated train rattling overhead, but we still go out and enjoy a large, full-sun patch of green space on any weather-permitting day. We've discovered dragonflies, ladybugs, bees, butterflies, grasshoppers, and worms together and the Kindergarteners are intent on naming every single worm. We are currently building garden beds for our edible crops and designing a pollinator habitat for this Spring, so we are looking forward to attracting and meeting even more friends in the garden.
What’s your least favorite part?
My least favorite part of my job is when students are stressed or upset; it can lead to pretty serious behavioral issues in our school. However, I am hoping that this first year of having a school garden and gardening program will be the starting point for many social-emotional gains for our students. They need a respite from all of the pressures they face, and I'm already feeling like our garden space can be a place to decompress and become grounded again on stressful days
Developing relationships with my students is the most important thing that I try to focus on as a teacher. Knowing my students and their families is the foundation for anything else I do at my job, and focusing on this forces me to slow down and be present in little moments throughout my otherwise whirlwind of a day. It is by far the most rewarding part of the job.
What’s the most important skill you've developed on your path as a teacher?
Developing relationships with my students is the most important thing that I try to focus on as a teacher. I think it's a skill to be able to assess where students are emotionally in their day and to ask the right questions or provide the right environment for them to share their thoughts and feel heard. There are a million other demands and tasks to complete as a teacher, but I find that when I try to bulldoze through the day, my students and I suffer from a lack of quality interaction and we miss opportunities to grow as people. Knowing my students and their families is the foundation for anything else I do at my job, and focusing on this forces me to slow down and be present in little moments throughout my otherwise whirlwind of a day. It is by far the most rewarding part of the job.
What changes have you seen in your students from using HydroConnect?
I've seen my students become very confident and responsible with taking care of the units. Younger students like checking the water level windows on the IDOO units and heading to the sink to fill up a pitcher with water. They all want the chance to add the nutrients from bottles A & B and pour it in. My middle schoolers demand to know if I've been monitoring the water on the Sananbio - at least one student per class will just take it upon themselves to pick up the TMS meter and stick it in the tank to check the nutrient levels. I keep the most recent pH test bottle on my desk so students can see that we're at the ideal color/pH level for the plants to absorb their food.
What do you want to learn from this community of fellow GoP teachers?
I love any and all ideas about how to teach students about gardening: activities, books, schoolwide events, parent and family engagement, etc. I am also still learning as a gardener and love to find out new facts about plants or uses for different herbs or plant parts - I think a GoP teacher recently shared on the portal that she was making a pesto with radish greens and I thought that was such a great idea!
Thank you so much for sharing, Aileene! It's been so inspiring to learn from your journey and to see how you're using school gardens and hydroponics .
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