Anyway,
why don't we put more emphasis on teaching nutrition to our kids? Other than that lame food pyramid, I didn't have any nutrition education until I got to college. Even then, is was a quick 10 lesson PE course taught by some dude who could golf, but his only nutrition experience was reading the textbook one lesson ahead of the students.Here's where we could improve: start teaching nutrition in school. I mean REALLY teaching nutrition. Have qualified nutritionists with real credentials. We require math and science teachers to be qualified and let's face it, I have never used Calculus in my adult life, yet I put food into my body at least 5 -10 times a day. Seems like I would have benefited much more if someone had told me what that daily big gulp from 7-11 was doing to me while I was in high school.
It would be great if our young kids knew why they're obese. Yes, I know some kids ha
ve genetic issues that cause the obesity, but I would venture to say the vast majority of obese kids are obese because they eat too much and exercise too little. They have no idea that a soft drink is not good for their system. They've been programmed to think soft drinks are normal sources of hydration.As I parent, it's ultimately up to me to make sure my kids know what's up. I just would like our society to put as much emphasis on nutrition in schools as we do other subjects that have far less impact on the rest of our lives.
1 comment:
You seem to be really interested in education Uncle Bill. Maybe you should get in the ring and go a few rounds as a teacher. I think you would be a good one. Of course you should wait until you earn your pension...that way you don't have to worry about the measly salaries we make.
I think your nutrition idea is very good and I totally agree with you. The absence of effective nutrition education is as worrisome as the total lack of PE at many schools. It has to do with the political machine that has public education firmly in its grip. Politicians rally against education in every election and continually feed the public the idea that the system is full of inept teachers who don’t know what they are doing. The result is an increasing emphasis on standardized testing in the core subject matters of math, science, and language arts. History, by the way, is not considered a core subject in my state. That alone may explain a lot.
The No Child Left Behind Act, a legacy of the current administration, has had the same effect on the education system of our country as Operation Iraqi Freedom has had on Iraq. Both have a noble goal in mind but are hampered by absence of forethought. Funding gets funneled into the core subjects while all the other programs are cut. Students are enrolled in multiple remedial core classes in order to prep them for standardized tests that have repeatedly been proven to not be an effective measure of student (or teacher) progress. Students may have 3 math classes a day but no PE or electives because federal funding is based on core subject scores. That coupled with a shrinking tax base has resulted in bare bones education funding that puts things like nutrition education in the back of the line behind things like fixing holes in school roofs or filling school buses with gas.
There is also the assumption that nutrition is a matter of choice and not a socio-economic constraint. Many districts have high percentages of students on free and reduced price meal programs. Students eat two marginally nutritious meals a day at school and then go home to fend for themselves for dinner. If you took a Sunday drive to the other side of the 405 and 110, I bet you would see many liquor stores and 7-11s but very few grocery stores. Fresh fruit and vegetables are about as easy to find in those communities as pawn shops are in Malibu. When it comes down to it, Johnny doesn’t give a damn what Mr. Dingleberry said about nutrition in 3rd period if he lives next to Burger King and has $2 for dinner.
There are many other factors as well. For example, I would be interested in knowing how much the marketing departments of McDonalds spent on its Olympics commercials and Taco Bell on its “fourth meal” campaign vs. the amount LA Unified has in its cafeteria budget.
Anyway, just something to think about…
Your nephew,
Brian http://sites.google.com/site/blschum/
P.S. If you haven’t heard the Pearl Jam Bonnaroo concert from June you should go to Pearljam.com and download it. It rekindled my interest in the band after not listening to them for years.
Post a Comment