Life Lessons from the Bees

By Denise Boyd
Science Teacher, Grades K-3
Social Studies Teacher, Grade 3

When families find out I keep beehives at school, their eyes usually widen and jaws drop. “You mean... actual bees…around children?” Yes, real bees. About a hundred and fifty thousand of them. I smile and explain that honeybees are much more interested in flowers than in people, and that these small creatures have become some of my best teachers, both for science and for life.

One of the biggest lessons? What I think the bees should be doing isn’t always what they are doing—and that’s not a problem. In fact, it’s part of their brilliance.

As adults, we often come into a situation with a plan. We want progress, results, structure. Beekeepers do too, but bees, on the other hand, are far more attuned to the needs of the moment. While I might expect them to be making honey, they might be raising new bees or tending to their queen. I might think they have a strong healthy queen that should be laying lots of eggs in the spring, they might think they need to replace the queen when there are not many eggs to tend to. With further observation, those bees had filled up all the empty comb with honey which left the queen nowhere to lay her eggs. Their priorities aren’t always obvious to an outsider—but they’re always purposeful.

It’s a lesson I carry into the classroom every day.

Just like bees, children follow their own rhythms. I might prepare a lesson on seeds, and suddenly half the class is fascinated by the soil. Or a first grader might spend ten minutes watching a praying mantis climb on a flower by the sidewalk when we’re supposed to be lining up. And honestly? That’s okay. That’s learning. I’ve learned that trying to control every moment—whether with bees or with children—misses the point. Real growth, real wonder, real learning comes when we slow down and bee present.

A Few Sweet Truths from the Hive:

🐝 Bee part of something bigger.
Bees thrive because each one contributes to the good of the whole. At Rossman, we grow stronger when we work together—with kindness, empathy, and collaboration. I manage these bees with the help of extraordinary teachers and a master beekeeper mentor. We call ourselves “The Bee Team”!

🐝 Bee adaptable.
A beehive adjusts to the seasons, the weather, and the unknown. Children do this too, often with more grace than we realize. We can support them by giving them room to explore and encouraging flexibility and growth over perfection. The Bee Team has made many mistakes that have helped us to learn so much more than if things had gone as planned.

🐝 Bee curious.
Bees never stop exploring. They follow the flowers, chase the sun, and communicate through movement. Our young scientists are no different. Their questions might seem small—but often, they lead to the biggest discoveries. If you ask three beekeepers the same question you might get six different answers. All of which lead to more questions. That’s okay, that’s thinking like a scientist!

🐝 Bee-lieve in the process.
Nature doesn’t rush, and neither should we. Whether it’s building a hive or building a child’s confidence, the journey is as important as the result. It may take 10 years to hone in my beekeeping skills. It has been such a fun and fruitful experience!

When students visit Rossman’s beehives, I hope they see more than just busy insects. I hope they see a model for how learning really works: through exploration, cooperation, and time.

So if your child comes home talking about bees, dirt, praying mantises, or an experiment that didn’t go as planned—smile. These moments are worth more than gold.

After all, the hive doesn’t always follow a straight path. But it always finds its way—and so do our kids.