Hiding from Garden Rays - (Teaching & Learning Gardens - For Sept 24th)

The sun was shining warm and bright, but unfortunately I'm a creature of the night.

In all honesty I don't think I would teach in or with a garden. It's not because I don't see how it can be beneficial, but I hate sunscreen and the sun. The sun is something I hide from every moment I can, and sunscreen is only something I apply when I've failed my first task. I think I'm the anomaly on that one though, most people I know enjoy being in the sun. Besides that point I feel as though the garden has to be properly utilized. Half of my classes are in the garden yes, but those classes are more thought provocative and discussion based. I personally find I don't work as well in the garden, and I'm having trouble thinking about ways to teach math to my students in the garden. Let's do a little thought experiment and pretend I have the most delicious shade in the garden which makes it so I don't have to be exposed to the sun. So how would I use the garden then? Most likely I would only use it for one or two assignments, ones where I'm looking for students to do a report on connecting math with nature or something of the sort. That I believe fails the point of teaching in and with a garden, as I would not have made the garden essential to my teaching which puts it at risk of losing funding. I just don't think a garden is structured enough for a class like math where there is a fair amount of writing to do. One of the great things about a classroom is being able to have a decent chair and a excellence writing surface. Let's not forget the unpredictable weather and the cold. In all honesty it feels like many of our fellow teachers are quite cold whenever we're in the garden. Learning should be a comfortable environment, and I know personally I'm not able to focus or think as well when I'm not comfortable, and I believe most people are like that. 

Are there ways to work through some of these difficulties, sure, we could have chairs and tables that could be set up in the garden, but once again, I don't want to be out there myself.  

In the sun I do not go, in the garden I shall not grow.
A weed am I when I sprout, I think the garden wants me out.