The Garden, Our Teacher

The Garden, Our Teacher

Reflections on my first year working at Good Neighbor Gardens

In October 2023, a close friend invited me to the premiere of Common Ground, a documentary exploring agricultural policy and the urgent need to regenerate our soil. The film highlighted the work of Good Neighbor Gardens, and I was thrilled to see Mia Vaughnes, its founder, step up to the stage afterward as part of a panel discussion.

At that time, I was jobless and in a state of transition—I had just moved back to the U.S. from Israel, where I’d been working at a Jewish-Arab agricultural school and volunteering on an organic farm. Seeing Mia speak and feeling the alignment in our values, I was inspired to approach her. After the panel, I went right up to her and asked if she was hiring. I’ll never forget her response: “I prayed this morning that someone would ask me this.”

A week later, I was hired. 

Now, a year into my journey with Good Neighbor Gardens, I can confidently say I have the best job in the world. My role here has been a multifaceted, transformative experience. I’ve grown professionally and personally, with each responsibility deepening my passion and sense of purpose.

The 5 Essentials ALL LIVING BEINGS NEED TO THRIVE

My favorite aspect of the job has undoubtedly been in garden education with elementary school children. 

In the first lesson, we introduce students to the five essentials that every living thing needs to not only survive but thrive:

  • sunlight

  • water

  • nutrients

  • air

  • love

This simple list underscores a universal truth—that you, I, the plants, animals, and all life forms are sustained by these five elements. Through this lens, students begin to see themselves as part of a shared existence, realizing they’re much more connected to a tomato plant or a fruit tree than they previously realized.

Our garden program goes beyond teaching the mechanics of planting and growing. It’s about nurturing an understanding of life’s interconnectedness and cultivating a conscious relationship with nature. In the garden, students learn how caring for plants mirrors caring for themselves. I watch their perspectives broaden as they learn they are not isolated but intrinsically connected to the natural world. Time and again, I see a child observe a flower, a spider, a grasshopper, or a leaf, mirroring its movements, drawn to understand its place in the ecosystem as a reflection of their own.

As they grow, students take on projects that transition them from consumers to producers. They learn how to prepare a meal for their peers and experience the joy of giving without receiving anything tangible in return. They learn to make soil from green and brown waste donated by local businesses they frequent. They organize a student-led farmer’s market, budgeting for items sourced from local regenerative farmers, fostering a deeper connection to their community and environment.


The Garden Teaches Us Empathy, Resilience and Responsibility

Through garden education, we’re not only teaching children to plant seeds in the soil, but also planting seeds of empathy, resilience, and responsibility—qualities that will serve them as compassionate and active members of society.

I’ve never felt as deeply connected to a job as I do with Good Neighbor Gardens. There’s nowhere I’d rather be investing my time and energy than in the gardens that GNG stewards. I genuinely feel like the luckiest person in the world because I wake up excited every day to go to work. This role fills me with gratitude—for a job that brings me closer to my spirituality and the divine beauty of the natural world, for the students who continually remind me of the wonder and perspective that the garden holds, and for Mia, who has been a kind and caring mentor, providing me with the space to explore my passions within this work.

Looking back on that chance meeting with Mia, I realize how serendipitously I was brought to Good Neighbor Gardens. Every day, I’m reminded that this is exactly where I am meant to be, growing alongside our students and witnessing the beauty of our interconnected world.

As I continue to grow with Good Neighbor Gardens, I hope our work serves as a reminder that we are all deeply connected to the earth and each other. It’s my wish that everyone, no matter where they are, finds a way to experience the beauty of cultivating life in a garden—and in doing so, also finds themselves growing as a person.

Written by Talia Herzberg, garden educator and social media manager for Good Neighbor Gardens.

Talia H.