OT - Vent - Teacher's Version of School Wellness Policy

[tlbwriter]

We had swings at school when I was little. If someone was on the bank of swings, you waited in front, in a line until it was your turn. Something about sharing and cooperation........

Yeah, or you could use that same space for something that several children could play on at the same time, and then more kids get to play at once. If it's really that important that your child have a swing, put one up in your own backyard.

 

[eeyoremommy]

This whole discussion is so interesting from a food perspective. Here are some more thoughts:

1. What constitutes a healthy snack? Fruit by its nature, is sugar laden, so tons of fruit, is also not good. Nuts can be salty, juice is full of sugar, etc...

2. Kids are picky because parents have made them picky (excepting special needs children). If kids have been fed chicken nuggets and pop, then that is what they are most likely going to want to eat. All of the new research is showing that this generation of hugely picky kids has been made picky by: chemicals in foods (only crave salts/sugars/fats) and parents who don't model or provide good eating for their kids. Kids can only eat what is in the cupboard, as last time I checked, 4 year olds can't go grocery shopping on their own. LOL! So, once again, we have the home world, crashing into the school world. What's the best way to deal with this? Classroom contracts perhaps are not the best way.

3. School lunches are horribly fattening - my parents are restauranteurs who used to run several highschool cafeterias, plus, I'm a highschool teacher, so I can assure you that school lunches are horribly full of chemicals and fats. Yuck! We joke that you can set a foundation on your house with that nasty gravy! Teens love this kind of food, it's cheap, and commercial food products are made this way, as most of it is packaged/processed in some form. My family actually made homemade food, but after awhile, it got too expensive, and our board couldn't afford it any longer.

4. Kids don't need birthday treats at school - we never had this when I was growing up, and it was just fine. There are lots of other fun ways to celebrate birthdays without always having to involve food. Donating a book to school is a fabulous idea - I've been doing it for years. A book is going to serve much more good than cupcakes and pop. Your child can eat the cupcakes and pop at his/her birthday party at home.

Such an interesting discussion, Tiger

My child is picky, but it is not because of things at home. As I have said in earlier posts, he loves fruits and vegetables. He does not like a lot of meats. He will not touch a chicken nugget. We go out of our way to get a variety of items and have done so since he was a baby to fix and have for meals. He will not eat them. Items he ate as a younger child, he does not eat now. Things he wouldn't eat when he was little, he will eat now. He eats healthy. He does enjoy an occasional pop with sugar or sweetarts. I don't bring things to school to celebrate his birthday to make him popular. He's 6. He has a December birthday and he usually celebrates it along with the regular party. It is just something nice I can do for him and his classmates. I am not trying to make his other classmates or their parents feel bad if they cannot or do not wish to do so. His teacher this year asked for anyone who would like to donate snacks to do so. She provided a list with the types of snacks that were acceptable and said that blueberries and peanuts were not (allergy issues). There was no pressure on parents to send items. If you could, you did. No one knew. Why not let kids enjoy being kids and have a little fun? If that fun is accompanied by a special treat, so what! When did so many people become the fun police?

 

[torinsmom]

We had swings at school when I was little. If someone was on the bank of swings, you waited in front, in a line until it was your turn. Something about sharing and cooperation........

The kids in my class love the swings! We teach them to limit their swing time if another child is waiting and we will remind them of this "rule" if they are swinging for more than 5 minutes with other children waiting. It is another way to teach common courtesy. There is so much other stuff to do on the playground that there is usually not more than one child waiting for each swing. We already have a big jungle gym and other things that the kids can use. I don't know what they would replace the swings with .

Marsha

 

[penn19]

Yeah, or you could use that same space for something that several children could play on at the same time, and then more kids get to play at once. If it's really that important that your child have a swing, put one up in your own backyard.

Wow! We had a bank of 6 swings, so theoreticallly, 6 kids would swing at once. How many kids could slide on the slide at once?

And I didn't say it was that important to me, but you could apply your theory to the whole playground. X amount of kids on the slide at once, get your own slide at home. X amount of kids wanting to play basketball at once, get your own hoop at home.

 

[aprilgail2]

. I find this contract to be very overbearing and I hope her teaching style doesn't reflect this type of attitude. .

I would not sign that contract- I would send it back with a note attached explaining to her exactly what I thought of the contract. Schools are over stepping their boundaries more and more and its time people stopped letting them. Telling me what my child can eat for snack or lunch just isn't going to happen. If I choose to send in cookies and cake one day for my own child to eat (not to share with the class!) then it is my business. If I send her in with a mini can of soda as a treat that is my business not the schools. THey can take their healthy choice agenda and stick it. When they start paying for my kids meals at school then they can put on her plate when they think is good for her...until then I am still the parent NOT the school!
The whole BMI thing annoys the heck out of me- in 4th grade they passed out red papers to certain kids in the class after doing the BMI checks "inviting" these certain children to an after school exercise class...the girls were in tears that got them, all the other kids called it fat camp....it was horrible, those poor kids that got those letters felt humiliated! I don't need the school weighing my child- she goes to a Dr for that...I don't need them checking her eyes, she goes to an eye Dr for that....stick to the educational stuff and leave the other things to the parents where they belong!

I So this year, I asked every family to contribute $10 to our snack fund for the year, and I bring the snacks each week. Since we meet during the traditional dinner hour, I try to make it a healthier menu (this ends up being dinner for my kids on scout nights). A typical snack includes cheese cubes, grapes, carrots and celery with ranch, and a loaf of fresh bakery bread torn into pieces (for some reason they really love this!)
she usually brings a salad, cut-up vegetables and hummus. That's fine, but we usually end up with a bunch of uneaten food and some very hungry kids.

.

I would still have to send my child with her own food for meetings--she wouldn't touch any of that with a ten foot pole! Can't say that I would either though!!

 

[mhsjax]

I have so many thought on this, I don't know where to start.

First, I agree that too many kids eat too much sugar and snacks, if snacks are allowed, should be relatively healthy. This is where the first problem comes in. My DS can't have milk, so no cheese, no pudding, no yogurt, unless the teacher wants to hear his scream for 3 hours as his little stomach tries to digest it and then he throw it up.

2nd, I will put my homemade choc chip cookies up against any processed nutrigrain or cereal bar any day. all that crap they put into that stuff and try to pass it off as healthy, not a chance. Also canned fruit YUCK, I never ate it and neither do my kids, fresh sure but the canned stuff can go.

For lunch he typically takes some rolled up turkey, some grapes or a banana and maybe some graham crackers and sometimes 1 home made treat.

Now the kids that buy lunch, Fried processed fake chicken nuggets, bread, pizza, cheese sticks, turkey fritters(turkey instead of chicken nuggets) they also sell ice cream, popsicles, and pizza form papa johns on Fridays.

When they start serving a healthy lunch, they can tell me what to bring.

 

[tlbwriter]

Wow! We had a bank of 6 swings, so theoreticallly, 6 kids would swing at once. How many kids could slide on the slide at once?

Six swings means six kids are playing at a time. And a previous poster said they had a five minute limit on swings. So that means that six kids are entertained for five minutes. How many kids could go down a slide in five minutes? More than six. And the kids who aren't actually sliding are running back around and climbing up the ladder, not standing behind a swing saying "is it my turn yet?" for five minutes. I'd much rather be the sliding kid.

And I didn't say it was that important to me, but you could apply your theory to the whole playground. X amount of kids on the slide at once, get your own slide at home. X amount of kids wanting to play basketball at once, get your own hoop at home.

Yes, you could. No one has the right to demand *any* specific piece of playground equipment just because it's their favorite. Children have such a limited time at recess today. That five minutes waiting for a swing could be 1/2 or 1/3 of their total time. And they should spend it standing behind someone, when they could actually be playing? That's a *good* thing?

 

[penn19]

Six swings means six kids are playing at a time. And a previous poster said they had a five minute limit on swings. So that means that six kids are entertained for five minutes. How many kids could go down a slide in five minutes? More than six. And the kids who aren't actually sliding are running back around and climbing up the ladder, not standing behind a swing saying "is it my turn yet?" for five minutes. I'd much rather be the sliding kid.



Yes, you could. No one has the right to demand *any* specific piece of playground equipment just because it's their favorite. Children have such a limited time at recess today. That five minutes waiting for a swing could be 1/2 or 1/3 of their total time. And they should spend it standing behind someone, when they could actually be playing? That's a *good* thing?

Not totally understanding the hostility this is causing, but ok...You have your idea of fun, I have my idea of fun as a child. I seem to remember having basically the same amount of time at recess as my kids do now. If you liked the swings, you would swing, if you liked the slide, you would slide. You had choices. While you were waiting in line, you could talk to the kid on the swing, or the kids standing in line next to you. To me that's doing "something". Maybe not physical, but doing something. We used to play jacks on the playground also. Not too many people can play that at once, but it is still part of a socialization process.

I can tell you as a shy child, I liked the swings because I could do my own thing for 5 minutes or so (longer if no one else was waiting) and pretend I was flying, or just the feeling of the wind in my face. Whatever.

I think it is good time management. You don't want to wait 5 minutes for your turn? Then great, go onto the other things to do. But again, it's a choice. A choice I am not understanding why you feel has to be taken away.

 

[hambirg]

Yeah, or you could use that same space for something that several children could play on at the same time, and then more kids get to play at once. If it's really that important that your child have a swing, put one up in your own backyard.

But school is suppose to be a learning environment. And having swings doesn't mean that there aren't other choices available that many kids can participate in at once. The idea that they can't have swings because only a few kids get to use them at once is silly. Waiting in line is a life skill. I'm pretty sure there are a limited number of toilets in the bathroom too... oh the horror! There are many scenarios in life where you have to wait your turn for something. . .this is a Disney forum for crying out loud. . .do we need to talk about waiting in line? I think teaching kids that they might have to wait is not a bad thing. They might as well learn sooner than later. Besides if they don't want to wait, they are free to choose something else.

As far as the snack thing. I do think kids need something to eat besides at lunchtime. But the contract for sending only "healthy" snacks is a little much. First "healthy" is relative and means different things to different people. I can see if she sent a note asking you not to send candy or pop, energy drinks, etc. But really, unless they are buying them, the choice isn't theirs to make. I would just ignore her "contract".

 

[krcit]

Not totally understanding the hostility this is causing, but ok...You have your idea of fun, I have my idea of fun as a child. I seem to remember having basically the same amount of time at recess as my kids do now. If you liked the swings, you would swing, if you liked the slide, you would slide. You had choices. While you were waiting in line, you could talk to the kid on the swing, or the kids standing in line next to you. To me that's doing "something". Maybe not physical, but doing something. We used to play jacks on the playground also. Not too many people can play that at once, but it is still part of a socialization process.

I can tell you as a shy child, I liked the swings because I could do my own thing for 5 minutes or so (longer if no one else was waiting) and pretend I was flying, or just the feeling of the wind in my face. Whatever.

I think it is good time management. You don't want to wait 5 minutes for your turn? Then great, go onto the other things to do. But again, it's a choice. A choice I am not understanding why you feel has to be taken away.

The thought of a kid not getting exactly what they want when they want it has really gotten out of hand. It's like we're raising a generation of Verucka Salts(did I spell that right...from Willy Wonka?) Anyway, kids have been managing to wait their turn on slides and swings for decades, why the big controversy now? A few years ago, one of the mom in our PTA was trying to get volunteers to chaperone recess and organize the games. Ummm, no. that is why we have lunch ladies. Now in the winter when they can't go outside, they do have parents that will come in and do a craft with them or organize group games but as far as playing in the playground for 25 minutes, I think they can manage.

 

[teacherforhi]

I am a teacher and I have a question for all of you. Did you get a snack time during the day at school while in elementary school?? I did not and guess what? I ate my lunch and learned to eat a good breakfast before going to school. My opinion is they shouldn't even have a snack time. The reasons being... it causes bugs and rodents in the classroom, the majority of snacks that kids bring are junk, and they either don't eat their lunches or skip a good breakfast, because they are going to get a snack. Now, that being said, I have to admit I would much rather have snack foods, chips etc... then to eat fruit, so I totally understand where the kids are coming from! But, I agree no one should tell you what to send as a snack, they can make helpful suggestions, but that is as far as it goes. I would NOT sign her contract!

I am a teacher and I disagree. My class eats lunch at 10:35 in the morning. Some of my students eat breakfast at school at 8:00. So, they eat at 8:00, they eat 2 and a half hours later, then not again till 4:00 when they get home. Personally, I feel that that's way too long to expect kids to go without snacking on something. If I don't get a snack, I'm feeling faint by the end of the day.

I will say that my newsletter to parents says 'healthy snacks', but the only time I've ever had to say anything about a snack is when I had one parent send in candy. That isn't a snack.

 

[wide awake]

I haven't read the whole thread so apologize if this has already been posted. Sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity. Been proven w/ medical experiments lots of times. I'm a teacher and I realize my boundaries. Not my business what the kids bring for lunch/snacks. Lots of teachers feel they're the sharpest knife in the drawer, that it is their right, their mission, etc...to spread their wisdom. They're generally dumber than dirt. I imagine there are some families having a hard time coming up w/ any snacks...they don't need a critical watchdog at school. There was a very funny book out about 15 years ago...author Perri Klass, Harvard trained doctor...anyway, the main character, a doctor, had a child in a VERY expensive private school. Notes sent home about no sugared snacks...parents went to a school meeting and the teacher was sucking down a bottle of apricot nectar...nope, not much sugar in that.
I think healthy food is extremely important and spend a lot of money on grass fed beef, farm eggs, organic produce...but that is me. I assume other adults will make the choices for their family.

 

[roscoepc1]

I would staple my own note to it, saying that I am the mother of ______, and know of his/her entire diet (which is what counts, not one meal per day), plus I am familiar with what my child will or will not eat. Therefore I will be filling the lunchbox with whatever will give ________ the energy and stamina to get through the day (as you said, what good are veggies and fruit if they don't eat them?).

If teacher has issues with this, please contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX between the hours of _-_ pm to discuss further.

But I'm a rebel when it comes to some school rules, and all the teachers I've dealt with in the past 10+ years know that now, lol....I'm anti-homeowrk except in cases of goofing off, and I'm against "extra" courses in school beyond acedemic standards....

jmho, flame away. lol

 

[roscoepc1]

i would not sign that contract- i would send it back with a note attached explaining to her exactly what i thought of the contract. Schools are over stepping their boundaries more and more and its time people stopped letting them. Telling me what my child can eat for snack or lunch just isn't going to happen. If i choose to send in cookies and cake one day for my own child to eat (not to share with the class!) then it is my business. If i send her in with a mini can of soda as a treat that is my business not the schools. They can take their healthy choice agenda and stick it. When they start paying for my kids meals at school then they can put on her plate when they think is good for her...until then i am still the parent not the school!
The whole bmi thing annoys the heck out of me- in 4th grade they passed out red papers to certain kids in the class after doing the bmi checks "inviting" these certain children to an after school exercise class...the girls were in tears that got them, all the other kids called it fat camp....it was horrible, those poor kids that got those letters felt humiliated! I don't need the school weighing my child- she goes to a dr for that...i don't need them checking her eyes, she goes to an eye dr for that....stick to the educational stuff and leave the other things to the parents where they belong!



I would still have to send my child with her own food for meetings--she wouldn't touch any of that with a ten foot pole! Can't say that i would either though!!

amen!!!!!

 

[roscoepc1]

I went through something similar when my son was in first grade. For every healthy snack he brought in, he got a sticker. After so many stickers there was a prize. I resented this. IMO - the teacher is there to teach, not monitor food. I understand there is an obesity problem in this country, my child is not one of them. I believe if we make "junky snacks" off limits, this only increases the desire to want it more and thereby over eating when given the opportunity. Finally, when I cook meals, my child eats healthy, if I want to give him some chips for a snack, my choice.

My son is now 17 yrs old, 6' 1", 185 pounds - and healthy! Those chips for snack didn't harm him. I have 2 other kids and through the years I've heard of plenty of wellness policies - I've ignored them all and send in what I want to. (In fairness, I don't send candy, juice or other sugary treats.) I have always sent chips, pretzels, goldfish, chex mix, cookies, cheez its. That type of snack is not going to kill them, IMO

Amen, again!!! Talk about raising a generation of kids WITH food issues!

 

[superme80]

The thought of a kid not getting exactly what they want when they want it has really gotten out of hand. It's like we're raising a generation of Verucka Salts(did I spell that right...from Willy Wonka?) Anyway, kids have been managing to wait their turn on slides and swings for decades, why the big controversy now? A few years ago, one of the mom in our PTA was trying to get volunteers to chaperone recess and organize the games. Ummm, no. that is why we have lunch ladies. Now in the winter when they can't go outside, they do have parents that will come in and do a craft with them or organize group games but as far as playing in the playground for 25 minutes, I think they can manage.

 

[luvmy3]

Six swings means six kids are playing at a time. And a previous poster said they had a five minute limit on swings. So that means that six kids are entertained for five minutes. How many kids could go down a slide in five minutes? More than six. And the kids who aren't actually sliding are running back around and climbing up the ladder, not standing behind a swing saying "is it my turn yet?" for five minutes. I'd much rather be the sliding kid.



Yes, you could. No one has the right to demand *any* specific piece of playground equipment just because it's their favorite. Children have such a limited time at recess today. That five minutes waiting for a swing could be 1/2 or 1/3 of their total time. And they should spend it standing behind someone, when they could actually be playing? That's a *good* thing?

This is really an issue?
Johnny can't go on the swings so he stands there and pouts until Jane gets off or Johnny goes and plays on the slide, or the monkey bars, or the rock wall, or the fireman pole, or the ....... or the......... There are a ton of other things kids can be doing on the playground, sitting there sulking because they can't go on the swings is not a good thing, however that has nothing to do with the lack of options, it has to do with the parents who let their child believe tha they always should get what they want when they want it.

 

[torinsmom]

This is really an issue?
Johnny can't go on the swings so he stands there and pouts until Jane gets off or Johnny goes and plays on the slide, or the monkey bars, or the rock wall, or the fireman pole, or the ....... or the......... There are a ton of other things kids can be doing on the playground, sitting there sulking because they can't go on the swings is not a good thing, however that has nothing to do with the lack of options, it has to do with the parents who let their child believe tha they always should get what they want when they want it.

You got it! Even my 4 and 5 year olds learn that sitting and pouting basically gets them nothing. Now they have wasted the time they could have been on the jungle gym or monkey bars or rock climbing wall, or playing tag in the grass, etc. The same kid that pouts and whines while waiting his turn will be pouting and whining because his turn is over. And if they whine loud enough I can hear them, they are liable to be told to get OUT of the line and go sit out until they can get it together. I don't tolerate whining and pouting about silly things.

Bringing it back to snacks, we have one family bring in snacks for all the kids each week. Whatever is brought in is what the kids eat, unless a child has allergies to something in it. We have some extra snacks for those situations. When we have to give the allergic child something different, we always get the 2-3 kids who don't want the "normal" snack, and think they should get the "special" snack. I don't open that can of worms at all, and I get the whines then. I have even gotten parent emails asking why little Johnny can't have the alternate snack, since he doesn't like graham crackers?(Need a tag here, but I don't see a snowflake )

 

[luvmy3]

You got it! Even my 4 and 5 year olds learn that sitting and pouting basically gets them nothing. Now they have wasted the time they could have been on the jungle gym or monkey bars or rock climbing wall, or playing tag in the grass, etc. The same kid that pouts and whines while waiting his turn will be pouting and whining because his turn is over. And if they whine loud enough I can hear them, they are liable to be told to get OUT of the line and go sit out until they can get it together. I don't tolerate whining and pouting about silly things.

Bringing it back to snacks, we have one family bring in snacks for all the kids each week. Whatever is brought in is what the kids eat, unless a child has allergies to something in it. We have some extra snacks for those situations. When we have to give the allergic child something different, we always get the 2-3 kids who don't want the "normal" snack, and think they should get the "special" snack. I don't open that can of worms at all, and I get the whines then. I have even gotten parent emails asking why little Johnny can't have the alternate snack, since he doesn't like graham crackers?(Need a tag here, but I don't see a snowflake )

Are the parents allowed to send in an individual snack with their child or do all the kids have to eat what is provided by the snack parent? If the are, why can't they just stick somethng in little Johnny's lunch bag

 

[torinsmom]

Are the parents allowed to send in an individual snack with their child or do all the kids have to eat what is provided by the snack parent? If the are, why can't they just stick somethng in little Johnny's lunch bag

Sure they are allowed, but they don't. I mean, if little Mike (who is allergic to bananas) can have goldfish(provided by me), why can't little Johnny? Shoot, the parents were supposed to send in individual snacks for the first two weeks, since we were waiting for a final class list before making the schedule. Only about 1/2 the parents sent anything, so I had to either buy some snacks or have kids crying because they were hungry.