For all the biochemistry and taxonomy and gene technology my kids have thrusted upon them in Room B360, there are very few things I truly care whether they take with them as they wander away in June.

1) The ability to think critically.

2) First hand knowledge that seeds will grow if you plant them, water them, and give them a source of energy.

3) Clams are out there for the taking--wild critters within New Jersey, some decades old, just there for plucking.

Maybe I should award my top student with a clam rake, a $10 bill to cover the license, and a map.

We are growing wheat in class. In a few months I will grind a few wheatberries fed by the CO2 of my students, and offer it to them.

If they sort of get biology, they will be grossed out as they contemplate where the CO2 came from. ("It came from inside Billy? Gross!")

If they really get biology, they will break the bread with the solemnity of a newly ordained Jesuit priest, and the joy of a zealot.

I get one or two a year like that. It's why I keep teaching.