At Pondville Correctional Center, tens of thousands of honeybees are hard at work inside wooden boxes about 40 yards from the facility, their buzzing audible to the inmates in the yard.

By next spring, a dozen incarcerated men hope to don protective suits to join them and learn the art of beekeeping, as part of the Massachusetts Department of Correction’s first prison program on the topic — a dream finally taking flight after a decade, thanks to a retired English teacher’s belief that these small creatures can teach the largest life lessons.

“What makes a good beekeeper is someone who can plan and have impulse control, who can focus, be mindful, calm and curious. They need to be involved in nature, be interested in themself and others, and have empathy,” said Susan Goldwitz, 75.

“These

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