![\"Liz](\"https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/LizDesLaurierswp.jpg\")
It was from a former colleague that Liz DesLauriers heard about Pilot Light, a Food Education organization that works nationwide to refine lessons and evaluate food education.<\/p>\nIt was from a former colleague that Liz DesLauriers heard about Pilot Light, a Food Education organization that works nationwide to refine lessons and evaluate food education.<\/p>\n
\u201cA former co-worker told me about this,\u201d DesLauriers said, who joined on a fellowship for the 2023-2024 school year. \u201cI\u2019ve always done a lot of food education in my classroom, so this step to doing this fellowship wasn\u2019t that much of a change or a big difference from what I am already doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the discovery, DesLauriers has found Pilot Light to be a way to further ignite her cuisine teaching in her French classroom to benefit MPA.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince joining the fellowship, I\u2019ve definitely put deeper meaning into my food education lessons and approached it from different angles,\u201d she said. \u201cI was using food as a venue for culture, which I still do a ton, but now I\u2019m bringing in different aspects of where your food comes from, how does your food benefits you, and what you can do with food your food yourself as a young student to feel healthier or feel creative. I feel like we are diving deeper into cultures because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The effort has provided dividends in the classroom as the students have reacted fondly to the teachings. Already well into her year-long stint with Pilot Light, DesLauriers is one of 31 fellows in the program for the 2023-2024 school year. It wasn\u2019t an easy process to join Pilot Light, DesLaurier said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a hefty process at the beginning; it was like applying for a job, really,\u201d DesLauriers said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Though rigorous to join, DesLauriers hasn\u2019t looked back since, enjoying the Pilot Light process. As part of Pilot Light, DesLauriers has been tasked with incorporating the organization\u2019s plans into her lessons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey work with seven standards, and their goal is to incorporate a monthly lesson that incorporates that standard. Some are basic, some are more complex,\u201d DesLauriers said.<\/p>\n
While DesLauriers works to spread Pilot Light\u2019s teachings, an added wrinkle remains: only three of the fellows are language teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an added layer of doing all these things, but we also need to incorporate the language. It is a goal of mine always to have a language component to each lesson I do,\u201d DesLauriers explained, choosing to use it as a chance for growth. \u201cTeachers are coming at it from every different type of area,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The mindset had DesLauriers thinking of all the possible ways to spread both the Pilot Light and her own goals from education.<\/p>\n
\u201cInto world language, you can interweave it into lessons naturally. The avenues in which you can take these food education lessons are endless,\u201d DesLauriers said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where the Haiti Celebration came into play. The celebration explored various aspects of Haitian culture, including its geography, history, language, cuisine, music, and art, marching DesLauriers closer to her continued mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one of my cumulative projects, but I\u2019ll continue to incorporate those lessons into the school year and beyond,\u201d said DesLauriers.<\/p>\n
Food was present and prominent during the Haiti Celebration, and sampling Soupe Joumou, also known as \u201cFreedom Soup,\u201d was one of the event’s many highlights. While one example DesLauriers collaboration with Pilot Light and one of the more significant projects she undertook, she has no plans of slowing down to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll definitely use the lessons and knowledge I\u2019ve gained this year to continue to enhance my food education.\u201d<\/p>\n
DesLauriers\u2019 experience with Pilot Light has inspired her to recommend and actively help grow the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll also have been talking with them about incorporating more language teachers. This is such a gold mine for language teachers. You can learn so much and have awesome prospects to incorporate into your classrooms,\u201d she said. \u201cTo collaborate with other teachers across the country is such a cool thing; I highly recommend.\u201d<\/p>\n