Using Hydroponics to Foster Social-Emotional Learning

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Originally appears in the Winter 2022 issue.

By Amber Carlin-Mishkin and JoEllen Schuleman

The students came back; most schools are open full-time; and we are moving right along during this academic year. Yet, if you are like us, you might be finding that everything feels slightly askew. 

The pandemic has affected student health, behavior, relationships, learning ability, and a myriad of other things — and, the degree of change may still be unfolding. What is clear at this moment in time is that our physical and emotional spaces have been compromised and require our unwavering attention. 

As such, educators are now tasked with clearing physical and emotional pathways for students while working in the very same tattered classrooms that bore the brunt of disjointed hybrid/remote scenarios last year. And, we know firsthand, educators are thinking daily and deeply about how to help our little ones heal from these prolonged pandemic stressors. 

Rootprint NY has said it before, and we will offer it again at this moment in time — every classroom needs to add a hydroponic system! They help during “normal” times, and they can most definitely help bridge the gaps that have emerged during the pandemic. Hydroponics can support the social-emotional skills we are addressing this school year and make every classroom space feel alive and vibrant.