A Green Classroom Revolution That Is Spreading Across The U.S.

Have you ever been in a position to change the world, or at least your small slice of it? Did you do it? Did you take the risks that would make a difference in the lives of others? If something held you back — unfavorable odds, fear of failure, lack of courage or something else — then Stephen Ritz's "The Power of a Plant" is for you.

The book is Ritz's story of how a school teacher used an infectious spirit of optimism to overcome professional setbacks and personal heartbreak to make a difference in the lives of children in the South Bronx in New York City. He did that by teaching them to plant seeds and showing them how seeds develop into healthy food. And how that healthy food can lead to better health, better grades and hope for a productive future.

Ritz, a native of the Bronx, stumbled into teaching in the borough nearly 30 years ago. He was initially placed in a high school of mainly Latino and Afro-Caribbean students where the crime rate was high and the graduation rate was just 17 percent. Once there, he discovered he had a knack for connecting and engaging with these students, especially the ones who seemed hardest to reach.

At first, he used sometimes unorthodox tactics to do that. Then, purely by accident, came a defining moment. He received a package of flower bulbs he mistakenly thought were onions. Afraid they might become missiles in a classroom brawl, he hid them behind a radiator and forgot about them.

Six weeks later, an enraged girl went after a boy who had gotten on her nerves once too often. As the scene unfolded, Ritz rushed toward them to break up what he afraid was about to become a disaster. He saw the boy reach toward the radiator and thought he might have stashed a weapon there. To his amazement, the boy suddenly pulled out a bouquet of yellow flowers and thrust them towards the girl as a peace offering. Stunned, Ritz watched what happened next. The boys started giving flowers to the girls, the girls wanted to take flowers home to their mothers and peace was restored.

The forgotten bulbs were actually daffodils. The steam from the radiator had forced them into bloom. The dramatic episode was an epiphany for Ritz. He realized that if there was power in plants to stop a classroom fight, there must be power in plants to transform lives and communities. Initially, he didn't know how to do that. He didn't have a grand plan. In fact, he readily admits, he didn't have any plan. But he had purpose, passion and hope.