Current Tufts student DJ Sandler shared the following about being a Summer Intern at CitySprouts …
What did you do as an intern at this organization?
I worked to teach late elementary and early middle schoolers about gardening and about the science of plants, food, and climate change. I led games and experiments and made connections with students.
How did you find this internship?
I deeply enjoyed this internship because it allowed me an opportunity to apply my passion for K-12 education to foster a sense of stewardship and a passion for learning within these students.
What did you enjoy most about your internship?
I really enjoyed making connections to the students who were each fantastic and it allowed me to understand how many approaches there were to gardening as they were each interested in botany in a different way.
What did you find challenging?
I struggled to figure out when to set limits on the elementary and middle schoolers and when to allow them some wiggle room on rules in order to not make the experience a negative one for them. However, over the course of the internship I feel like I got a good idea of when to step in to a situation and when not to.
What advice would you offer to someone who wants to make the most of an internship like yours?
Be patient, students enjoy testing boundaries but being impatient with them will only encourage this testing of boundaries which is really just a healthy form of experimentation.
About the Organization
The CitySprouts mission is to cultivate curiosity and wonder with hands-on science learning through urban gardens. For more than twenty years, CitySprouts has partnered closely with public elementary schools in Cambridge and Boston to provide opportunities for children to learn by exploring the natural world as part of their school journey.
