Joshua Capodarco

teaches: Agriculture; grades 9-12

experience: 7 years

It was one of those cold spring days where you flip-flop between huddling in your jacket and shedding any sleeves to absorb the sun rays that are warm for once in what felt like forever. I was crouched over in a field with my mentor, Ron, a farmer of 30 years. We had done the work; we had tilled and fertilized and seeded and watched. Now, as those seedlings emerged from the soil, we were investigating, digging out a sacrificial seedling to check on root development. As we popped that seedling from the ground, we saw roots, but we also saw two separate species of worms retreat into their burrows. We saw other soil arthropods scatter to and fro. We saw a tiny mushroom sprouting from a piece of detritus, with its long mycelium webbing deeper into the soil. At that moment, every lesson on soil ecology was living, breathing and thriving in front of me. As an educator, I seek to create moments like that for my students. I hope to offer them opportunities to see the lessons, concepts and practices we explore in my classes brought to life.

501 South Bird Street
Sun Prairie, WI 53590

501 South Bird Street
Sun Prairie, WI 53590