I see this as a possible metaphor for the learning outcomes our students produce that we (as educators) didn’t intend. We may have “planted zucchini,” but our students produce “weeds”; are we wise enough to let the weeds co-exist with the zucchini?

Heather Flores writes in FOOD NOT LAWNS that she opposes pulling up any plant from the ground unless we know exactly what it is and what it does. Her point is that many plants perceived as weeds are in the ground for a reason, and we need to understand the relationships between these plants; we should have a really good reason for getting rid of a plant that has sprouted.

Of course, there are some plants that we need to get rid of – invasive species, for example, that crowd out other plants. And plants aren’t neurons, obviously; we can only make the metaphor go so far. But I wonder how often we destroy (or attempt to destroy) a student’s learning, if you will, simply because it doesn’t match our idea of what students “should be able to do”?