"Education policy in the United States has taken a turn in a new direction, and anyone with a stake in public education should celebrate this. Policymakers increasingly recognize that stresses related to student poverty—hunger, chronic illness, and, in too many cases, trauma—are the key barriers to teaching and learning." (Helen Ladd) It saddens me to think about 25% of the United States children are living in poverty or are homeless.
Relevance: It is our duty as teachers to provide a healthy, safe, friendly environment for the students to be ready to learn. They are not coming to school prepared to learn if their bellies are empty. I am a huge advocate for FREE, HEALTHY lunches for all children when in school. It should be a law! We provide free education. Why not free food for children. I hope that every teacher stands up, and gets involved politically to fight for free, and healthy food for student.
Date: 5/11/2016
Author: Helen Ladd
Karleta,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great article! As special educators, we talk all the time about a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE). Many students in special education do not receive the nutrition they need because of cost. At school, they should have access to free and healthy lunches to further support their learning. Healthy and fulfilling food really can help students focus and better participate in school. In my classroom, if students do not come with nutritious food, I try to get them fruit and vegetables from the cafeteria to assist them in having better days.
It is also true in special education that a family's resources may go more towards supports for their child outside of school so they do not have resources to provide the healthy food their child needs. With access to free food at school, this could ease some financial struggles that families might experience.
I agree that proper nutrition is on the top of the priority list for supporting students in their education. I am fortunate enough to work at a Title I school where we not provide free breakfast and lunch to all our students. There have been several instances where students come to us with concerns about lack of food in the home and we are able to assist. I am thankful we have the resources available to send our students to the cafeteria knowing they are getting a well-balanced meal at least two times a day. It is interesting, as we near longer breaks during the year, you begin to sense a rise in stress levels with several students. I believe this rise in stress is due to the students not having two meals provided. It breaks my heart and just reiterates the massive importance proper nutrition plays in the education process.
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