Timothy "Timmy" Smith
Smith's Diary Responses
The diary responses of twelve-year-old Timothy “Timmy” Smith are key artifacts utilized by AM2085 researchers. Smith was a student at West-Creek Public School (WCPS), located within the Greater Toronto Area. While the area—Pickering City—was booming with developments from the 2030s-2050s, much of the farmland was saved due to its proximity to the Rouge Valley National Park. Smith's works are specifically used in the understanding of educational development within this period. The following are excerpts from Smith’s written responses to his grade six teacher, Jennifer Sundal.
September 15 2086
Dear Ms. Sundal,
I really liked our science lesson today. I think it’s cool that weather makes it so we can only plant certain things at certain times. I think my favourite thing I learned today is that Ontario’s four seasons makes it so that things can be planted and then harvested at different times. I also think the climate zones are cool. We learned that we are in between frost zones B and C, and that certain plants are hardier than others. Hardy crops are asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and some potatoes.
This small excerpt from Smith’s response suggests that shifts were made within grade six science classes to focus on climate and geography. Efforts were made within classrooms to ready students for their futures in farming, emphasizing where and when certain crops should be planted and why.
September 30 2086
Dear Ms. Sundal,
I’m really sad that we couldn’t plant tomatoes today. I love tomatoes. But I had a lot of fun going to the farm with the class today. I don’t like broccoli. Or beets. Although, my moms grow a lot of beets, and pickle them, and always put them in my lunch. I pick them out. Still though, I had fun watching the farmers plant hardier vegetables yesterday. They said that they should last pretty well outside through the winter, apparently our winters are warmer now than when the farmers were kids! That must’ve been so cool, to see snow all the time. I love snow, even if it only comes two or three times a year.
Though this excerpt is seemingly simple, one can see that Timmy has learned through hands-on experiences early within the school year. Learning through doing has been prevalent throughout Sundal’s lesson plans—which were so graciously donated to AM2085 researchers by her family. Education, for Sundal and those at Westcreek, has moved away from the input/output models of the days of yore. Seeds were not simply planted for the sake of planning, but where, why, and how seeds were planted was thoroughly shared as well. The lesson that Smith first reports on is immediately employed, only fifteen days later. Lessons were therefore measured by the season and learning about crops was never abandoned.
May 23 2087
Dear Ms. Sundal,
Thank you so much for bringing me tomato seeds! I had so much fun planting them yesterday. It was so fun being outside with all my friends and the big kids, planting. They’re so smart! I overheard Kristy Johnson saying their parents have worked farms all their lives. Kristy even gets to help harvest in the summertime, so she never forgets what she learns in science class.
Revealed through this excerpt are the gardens that riddled neighbourhoods, and schools. Food was grown at schools surrounding WCPS and was utilized within their own cafeterias. Pushes were made for schools to provide homegrown crops to their students, becoming pillars of their communities. Old-school breakfast and lunch clubs were revamped, featuring the schools own homegrown fruits, vegetables, and grains. Students were integral to the maintenance of these crops. Classes not only readied the land but planted their very own seeds. These crops flourish to this day.
Smith's Description of Technology following the Movement
Mentioned within the anthology, and Timmy’s other diary responses from 2086-87, is the changes in technological presences. Artificial Intelligence (AI) threatened the schooling system for years, students relying on the teachings of computers. While not entirely erased from the face of schooling, AI was repurposed. Identifying seeds and saplings, proper soil texture, and methods for composting are frequently sourced from Artificial Intelligence.