After 44 years at Levana Primary School in Lavender Hill, Miss Jasson has seen thousands of children pass through her classroom. As she prepares to retire this August, she looks back on one partnership that has left a lasting mark on both her learners and herself.
“I was introduced to Earthchild Project in 2010, and I was extremely excited when I first met the facilitators.”
Over the past 16 years, Miss Jasson has watched yoga, worm farming and environmental education become part of everyday life at the school. One of her favourite moments still happens at the end of every yoga lesson; “When the music plays, and they lie on their backs with their eyes closed, it is so beautiful to watch. They look so small and fragile in that moment. For me, that is always a highlight.”
She has seen first-hand how yoga helps children settle, regulate their emotions and return to class ready to learn. “A few years ago, I had a child in my class who struggled with discipline. But whenever we went to yoga, that child would come back calm. That is what yoga does.”
The environmental lessons have been just as memorable. Every classroom received a worm farm, and caring for it quickly became a responsibility her learners took seriously. “To my learners, the earthworms are almost like pets.”
The learning has reached far beyond the classroom. During a provincial assessment, her Grade 3 learners were given a reading comprehension about earthworms. “They were so excited because they could read it and answer the questions. That showed me that what they learn through ECP is not separate from their schoolwork; it supports it.”
One of Miss Jasson’s fondest memories involves the worm farm she took home during lockdown. “My late mother was still alive. She told me, ‘The two of us will look after these worms.” Together they cared for the worms and grew vegetables from their garden. When her worm farm won first prize in a school competition, she gave the certificate to her mother. “She was the one who cared for the worms with so much love.”
As she prepares to say goodbye to the classroom, she is grateful not only for what her learners have gained, but also for the support teachers have received through wellness workshops, hikes and retreats. “Our community is not always an easy one, and many learners do not have good examples at home. But at school, we try to give them good examples, and ECP is part of that.”