Last week a student, "J.", excitedly shared with the class that the bouquet of flowers she had bought from the store turned out to be from Colombia and not from any local nursery. She then gave me the barcode tag from that bouquet, which is what I have inserted here on the left after scanning it.
Of course, it is wonderful when students are able to experience for themselves the academic discussions we have in the classroom. My first ever experience with students giving me such feedback was back when I was in California. One student, whose name I still remember--Andrea--, was in my economic geography class where I had talked about table grapes as an example of an economic product that in modern times are able to transport over thousands of miles, with the result that grapes are available throughout the year in the grocery stores. Andrea's email, a couple of terms after the class ended, was a result of her excitement when it suddenly struck her in the grocery store that she was holding in her hands grapes that had been imported from Chile.
Once we understand a small part of the world, it is amazing how it never looks the same again. We then want to share that with others. In our own ways, and our own respective paths, we are all like those in Plato's cave. Will someone unchain me please, and confirm whether the shadows I see are really mashed potatoes? :)
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