Posthipchick reacts to her school’s latest attempt to fight obesity -- “moving away from food as rewards or gifts.”
I am obviously not for childhood obesity. I am obviously for eating healthy. But I'm sorry, you are going to feed the students low-grade beef, iceberg lettuce, and processed crap for breakfast and lunch but my mini Tootsie Roll once a month is causing childhood obesity? Puh-lease.
It is bad enough that we cannot bring in homemade treats for students anymore (oy, the liabilities), but now this. I currently use a system in my classroom where classes get daily points for behavior, and then about once per quarter, if they have enough points, they get a pizza party. One slice each. Four times per year. No difference between that and the pizza they get at lunch, but clearly we need to 'move away from this system'. Never mind that I have given one referral all year and discipline in my classroom is not an issue.
One time, when teaching Anne Frank, I asked the principal if I could use the over in the cafeteria to heat up latkes, since my students didn't know what they were. I was going to have a little Hanukkah party. He actually laughed in my face and told me in no uncertain terms that there was no way I could be trusted to use the ovens to REHEAT SOME LATKES. Sure, trust me with your children, but god forbid I use an oven...
I fully understand that school is for education, but think about what YOU remember from school. I remember my 6th grade teacher keeping M&M's on his desk and giving them to us as 'Vitamins'. I remember parents bringing in cupcakes for birthdays. I remember day-before-winter-break doughnuts. Food makes people feel like they are part of a community, and there is a lot that students can learn from eating together.
(From posthipchick).
