Instructor Profiles
David Perry
Orchardist
My Philosophy...
Read, learn, do, teach. I’ve done these four things in different ways throughout my life. I immerse myself in things I’m passionate about, learn all I can, put them into practice and then share with others. I’ve unconsciously developed a preservation mindset, reflected in planting native trees in the landscape, grafting heirloom apples in the orchard and practicing documentary photography to capture the present so people in the future can see the past.
Whether I’m teaching grafting, forestry, cooking or photography, I try to help each student focus on their particular wants, needs and skills, then adapt what I teach to help them reach their goals. I love to teach and learn, and believe that the very best classes happen when I also learn from my students and they from each other. A Chinese proverb says “If you want 1 year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people.” My goal is to help each student grow in some way to better themselves and their community.
My Story...
Life has taken me down many paths far and wide, but three things have remained constant: trees, photography and teaching.
I started planting trees from seed over 40 years ago while working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica. Some of those trees are now furniture. I no longer plant mahogany, mango or teak, but continue planting oak, walnut and apple trees on the land my family and I live on in Washtenaw County. Although I enjoy harvesting a tomato, I’m even happier grafting an heirloom apple tree that will bear fruit for 200 years or planting an acorn that will sprout and live 300 years. Robert Louis Stevenson said it best: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”
I studied photography at Ohio University. Over the years I have done many types of photography, from portraits, weddings, architecture, industry, travel, environmental, archeology photojournalism, and documentary. My work—and writing—has been published in books, magazines and newspapers.
I’ve taught many different subjects to a wide variety of students: vegetable gardening to Costa Rican elementary school students, forestry to Costa Rican high school students, photography to adults in Detroit, English to migrant farmworkers in Ohio, and software to auto factory workers from Canada to Brazil. Teaching at the Michigan Folk School is an exciting continuation of my journey.
Read, learn, do, teach. I’ve done these four things in different ways throughout my life. I immerse myself in things I’m passionate about, learn all I can, put them into practice and then share with others. I’ve unconsciously developed a preservation mindset, reflected in planting native trees in the landscape, grafting heirloom apples in the orchard and practicing documentary photography to capture the present so people in the future can see the past.
Whether I’m teaching grafting, forestry, cooking or photography, I try to help each student focus on their particular wants, needs and skills, then adapt what I teach to help them reach their goals. I love to teach and learn, and believe that the very best classes happen when I also learn from my students and they from each other. A Chinese proverb says “If you want 1 year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people.” My goal is to help each student grow in some way to better themselves and their community.
My Story...
Life has taken me down many paths far and wide, but three things have remained constant: trees, photography and teaching.
I started planting trees from seed over 40 years ago while working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica. Some of those trees are now furniture. I no longer plant mahogany, mango or teak, but continue planting oak, walnut and apple trees on the land my family and I live on in Washtenaw County. Although I enjoy harvesting a tomato, I’m even happier grafting an heirloom apple tree that will bear fruit for 200 years or planting an acorn that will sprout and live 300 years. Robert Louis Stevenson said it best: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”
I studied photography at Ohio University. Over the years I have done many types of photography, from portraits, weddings, architecture, industry, travel, environmental, archeology photojournalism, and documentary. My work—and writing—has been published in books, magazines and newspapers.
I’ve taught many different subjects to a wide variety of students: vegetable gardening to Costa Rican elementary school students, forestry to Costa Rican high school students, photography to adults in Detroit, English to migrant farmworkers in Ohio, and software to auto factory workers from Canada to Brazil. Teaching at the Michigan Folk School is an exciting continuation of my journey.
