The school garden

Source A: an original contemporary non-fiction-style account.

“Our school garden began with four raised beds beside the sports hall. We planted beans, lettuce and marigolds in March, with one class responsible for watering each weekday. During the first holiday, nobody had agreed who would visit. We returned to wilted leaves and a hose locked inside the caretaker's shed. The garden had looked excellent in the opening photographs. It had not yet become a routine.

That failure improved the project. We drew up a holiday rota, asked the caretaker about access and stopped treating the beds as a display. The garden became a slow teacher, refusing to reward a plan merely because it was neatly written. Some seeds did not grow; others escaped their labels and appeared where we had not intended them. Students who rarely spoke in classroom discussions became experts on the damp corner or the first signs of slugs. We did not grow enough food to change the lunch menu. We did learn that shared responsibility needs named people, practical arrangements and someone willing to check whether the soil is actually dry.”

Source B: an original nineteenth-century-style letter or account, written for practice; this is not an archival document.

“The small plot attached to our school has lately been criticised as an amusement which steals time from proper lessons. I invite the critics to consider the work before dismissing it. The children measure the beds, keep an account of seeds and observe changes which no diagram can complete for them. A careless guess about distance produces a crowded row; neglect is not corrected by an elegant excuse.

I would not have the garden praised beyond its merits. It does not turn every child into a cultivator, nor does it provide a cheap solution to the school's dinner. Its value lies partly in the patience it requires and partly in the dignity it gives to exact, useful attention. One pupil who struggles to read aloud can distinguish a healthy shoot from a damaged one before I have noticed the difference. The classroom and the plot should assist, not insult, one another. We must also arrange care during holidays, for a plant cannot be instructed to suspend its needs until the next term.”

Refer to both sources. Infer the differences in the educational activities and learning described in the gardens. Write a summary supported by details from both sources.