From art to algebra: New lessons turn every classroom into a gateway to plant careers
From art to algebra: New lessons turn every classroom into a gateway to plant careers
Seed Your Future announced the release of its 2025 cross-curricular career lessons, now available for free download on the organization’s website.
Designed for middle and high school educators, the classroom-ready resources help teachers connect core academic subjects — including art, math, business, social studies and English — to real-world careers across the horticulture industry.
The lessons emphasize that horticulture is not just a hobby, but a STEM-rich, global business with complex operations, specialized departments and thousands of career pathways. Through activities such as exploring floral wholesale operations, evaluating sustainability impacts and applying math to pricing and supply chain logistics, students see how everyday subjects translate into plant-focused careers.
“Teachers are the gateway to career awareness,” said Jazmin Albarran, executive director of Seed Your Future. “Once educators see that horticulture is science, technology, business, art and storytelling all at once, they can help students picture themselves in this industry. These lessons give every educator the tools — at no cost — to open those doors.”
Featured lesson: “Help Derrick Rose Get His Roses!”
Among the new offerings is an interdisciplinary lesson centered on former NBA star Derrick Rose and a real-world problem-solving scenario. In Help Derrick Rose Get His Roses!, students take on the role of experts helping Rose source flowers for his fictional floral shop.
In the social studies, math and science crossover lesson for grades 6–12, students:
- Learn how flowers move from farms around the world to local florists
- Evaluate economic factors such as profitability
- Analyze sustainability and environmental impacts
- Explore careers including floral designer, grower, supply chain specialist and wholesaler
- Use data to select the best flower for Rose’s shop
- Write a professional email pitching their recommendation
- Respond to a timed crisis scenario requiring critical thinking, budgeting and logistics problem-solving
The lesson reinforces STEM and business concepts while offering a realistic look at the many people — and career paths — involved in getting flowers from the field to the customer.
Resource for universities and industry
The lessons are also designed to support university horticulture departments conducting grades 6–12 outreach and recruitment, as well as industry partners seeking to introduce local educators to plant careers, particularly ahead of Spring Green Career Week, March 2–6, 2026.
By providing free, high-quality instructional resources, Seed Your Future aims to strengthen the connection between classrooms and the future horticulture workforce.