By Kristin
Two things detoured my walk home when I was in elementary school: the nickel candy bins at the 7-11 and the week's top-forty rack of lyric sheets at the record store.
After school my best friend Diane and I would take the change we'd rounded up from the car floor, dad's dresser and the kitchen junk drawer and hit the 7-11, loading up on candy before heading over to Licorice Pizza to see if Blondie's Rapture had been printed so we could sing along without making stuff up. These days I can google a song if I want the lyrics and the nickel bins are long gone, but that's not all that's changed. What I had to sneak off to 7-11 to buy students are now getting at school. Luckily, the government is getting involved to put an end to it. We are up against enough trying to help our students reach standard every year without loading their bodies up with sugar at break and lunch.
For Diane and me, stuffing our faces with candy when we could was a treat we had to sneak because at our homes there was only stuff that was good for you - whole wheat bread, Tab, and shredded wheat. Candy was sold at my school once a year to raise money, but we were encouraged to sell the chocolate Easter bunnies, not buy them. In those days the push to eat healthy was based on the fear of cavities because candy would "rot your teeth." As an article in The New York Times reveals, the Federal Government is trying to prevent schools from selling junk food to students not for the sake of their teeth, but because kids are so fat.
While I care about obesity, I care more about trying to teach children who are semi-conscious because they don't eat well. It's better than it used to be now that my school no longer sells junk food and sugar soda in the vending machines. The healthy stuff doesn't disappear as quickly and kids load up on candy at the local store, but at least they're not buying it here. I don't buy the argument that we need the money selling candy provides schools. First, the state budget should provide that money and stop forcing schools to use levies and candy to raise necessary funds. Second, if a team needs new uniforms, figure out a way to raise money that doesn't interfere with the intellectual work of schools. New band uniforms or students who are well educated and healthy? Do we really need to debate that one?
I'm glad the government is getting involved. Educators can't complain that we have to parent on top of teach and then parent badly. Candy should be a treat kids go get somewhere other than the place that's telling them to use their minds well.
Great points, both of you. Cup o’noodles may not be candy, but they cause a sugar crash sure to make a child amp up then collapse.
There are so many great programs that encourage schools to utilize local farmers and feed students well. My favorite is Farm to School. When I checked out their website, I saw that Auburn, Olympia, and Orcas Island were involved. Well done you three! I’m envious. It’s frustrating to me that in Seattle the food is prepared off-site and then shipped to schools, where it’s reheated and served. Of course this is to save money. And you know what? I would bet that every person working in food services would rather be chopping and stirring and using their skills as cooks. I think they would love to feed children food they prepared with their own hands. Feeding is a form of loving, as anyone knows who (as I just did) has wrangled a raw chicken into a pan, peeled the corn cobs, sliced the bread.
If you want to check out Farm to School and start advocating for your district to get involved, here’s the link http://www.farmtoschool.org/index.php
Wouldn’t it be great if our students ate well-cooked, good food?
Fortunately, we have no vending machines in my school. I’d like to think that it’s because we’re a health-conscious school, but it’s probably because elementary kids don’t often have expendable pocket change.
What you say is absolutely true, Kristin. Unfortunately, our American culture has never been very good at promoting a healthy diet. When we do attempt it, we end up trying to force “tab and shredded wheat” on our kids and ourselves. I’d love to see our food culture move towards promoting a varied diet based on good taste, good ingredients, and an appreciation of what it takes to make good food.
Good points about not subsidizing junk food culture in school too. Hey, how about moving towards locally grown, fresh produce and actual food-prep cafeterias in our public schools? It can be done – I’ve heard of schools doing this and having actually be cheaper than the processed, truck-delivered food we get in most school cafeterias. Does anyone have any info about that sort of program?
Ironically, I have a friend whose second grader’s oatmeal raisin cookie snack was confiscated by the teacher, and my friend received a scolding phone call for sending a snack that “wasn’t healthy.” On the school lunch menu that day? Nachos. Go figure.
For the first time this year, our student store is only selling diet drinks and 100% juice. However, the high-carb, low nutrition cups of noodles are still selling ferociously. I agree, Kristin, this is really something that we need to work on in education.