News from the Farm

Online teaching… and organic gardening

by John Collins

At the end of 2019 my family and I, in what now appears to be a particularly timely move, relocated to Kyneton. We shifted from a small Brunswick house with a tiny backyard to three acres. Years of daydreaming about epic veggie gardens and fruit orchards could now become a reality.

The garden is providing us with food every day and I guess we’re eating a pretty good diet as a result. I’m trying my hardest to work with the seasons and store the bounties when they come. I have a cupboard full of jams, sauces and pickles and a fridge full of various smelly ferments. My Kim Chi game is next level. It’s winter here now and pretty chilly in the mornings, but the site of my veggie garden is reasonably well protected from the coldest southerly winds, so things are slow but surviving. I’ve more or less finished work on a green house of sorts which is beginning to germinate, ambitiously, early spring plantings. Some locals have told me I’ve gone early; they're probably right. Gardening is a long game and lessons come slowly, so patience is a gardener’s best friend... patience and slug pellets.

The year has flown. 2020 has, I'm sure you'll agree, been one out of the box. I've had a lot to keep me busy. My two kids have loved the move and are getting more adventurous each day which has been amazing to see. My wife, like many people, has been working from home for most of the year, which is working well for us all. I've been doing some online tutoring of senior students in History, English and Global Politics, which has also been fun. 

When Marilyn asked if I could see the Year 12 History class through to the end of the year I was delighted. Since the IB Diploma is a two-year course, there really is never a good time to exit because you're always going to be leaving one group a little high and dry; at least, I had feelings along those lines. So I was keen to jump back in and finish the job with this cohort, who I've worked closely with over a number of years.

Twice a week I dial in and appear as an enormous head on the biggest screen in the School. I feel like Big Brother… I was always a fan of George Orwell so this suits me fine! Dan Symons is my co-teacher in this scenario, boots on the ground if you will. We have a new conference microphone deployed in the room which helps facilitate discussion. We've been delving into the Cuban Revolution as part of our study of Authoritarian States, as well as overlapping into our study of the Cold War.

The graduating class of 2020 has had challenges thrown at them like few before, but they are tough. The students in my group haven't flinched nor batted an eyelid and seem determined to get on with it and have fun in the process, which is about as much as you could ask and hope for. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year with them.

If you're interested in what I'm up to on my ‘farm’ (yes, I'm calling it a farm), check out @johnmovestoafarm on Instagram.