Can’t blame McDonald’s or schools for children’s eating habits. Or can we?
Interesting news story today about the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based consumer advocacy group, threatening to file a lawsuit against McDonald’s, saying that the fast food chain’s marketing of its Happy Meal toys “has the effect of conscripting America’s children into an unpaid drone army of word-of-mouth marketers, causing them to nag their parents to bring them to McDonald’s.”
Blaming McDonald’s for obese kids is akin to blaming schools. I have disagreed on this issue with some of my food writer friends who believe that schools ought to be teaching nutrition through what they serve in the lunchrooms and that schools play a key role in childhood obesity.
I don’t think McDonald’s is the parent here. Nor are the schools. If parents don’t want their kids to eat french fries, say “no” when the kids ask to go to McDonald’s. If parents don’t like the calorie counts of school lunch options, pack a lunch for the child.
I remain leery of expanding the list of things that schools ought to take responsibility for, such as teaching kids to be civil, to perform CPR and to count calories. My wariness is a result of meeting with too many well-meaning organizations who believe that their agenda – whether financial literacy or organic produce — ought to be adopted by schools.
I see no problem with a toy in the Happy Meal. Is it a lure? Sure, but life is full of lures. Parents have to teach their kids to resist the negative ones.
I have friends who hate that some teachers offer candy to students as a prize or treat. I don’t. I just don’t think the problem is a peppermint or candy Kiss now and then.
According to the story:
McDonald’s has fought such criticism for years, and the company made a pledge in 2007 to advertise only two types of Happy Meals to children younger than 12: one with four Chicken McNuggets, apple dippers with caramel dip and low-fat white milk, or one with a hamburger, apple dippers and milk. They both meet the company-set requirement of less than 600 calories, and no more than 35 percent of calories from fat, 10 percent of calories from saturated fat or 35 percent total sugar by weight.
CSPI argues that even if those Happy Meals appear in advertisements, kids order the unhealthier meals most of the time.
Again, there’s parent in this scenario. I am not sure why the parent can’t say “no” to the less healthy version.
I know many of you will disagree with me, but I think parents have a lot to do with food choices. When I was a kid, I pleaded with my mother to buy soda (soft drinks to those not from the Northeast). Never got any. And I don’t buy them much now, regarding a six-pack of Coke as a treat for my teenage son and his pals. I don’t let my 11-year-olds drink them. (I do let them order sodas in restaurants as a treat.)
I agree with keeping vending machines out of schools. I don’t think we should make it easy for children to buy junk. Nor do I think schools ought to make money from kids’ poor choices.
But we can’t shift the burden of children’s eating habits onto schools or restaurants. Because last time I looked, there were no 7-year-olds behind the wheel in the drive-thru.
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106 comments Add your comment
More teaching accountability
June 24th, 2010
12:31 pm
The obvious answer, is to make teachers accountable. They are the ones teaching the children, and that includes health. Every child should have a body fat index at the beginning of the year, and if the class score indicates the overall fat index has increase, that teacher should be put on a Professional Development Plan.
More teaching accountability
June 24th, 2010
12:36 pm
If the teacher is using researched based best practices, and making the lessons on healthy food choices interesting and engaging enough, then the students will naturally not want the unhealthy foods, even if they are offered at home.
This is clearly a case where the teachers have failed to properly educate, and failed to properly implement the outstanding GPS health standards, and the teachers need to be held accountable for that failing.
More teacher training is clearly needed and should be provided.
Atlanta Mom
June 24th, 2010
12:36 pm
Can you say “nanny state”?
This is beyond ridiculous. One time, when I was sick, I let my children watch Saturday morning TV. That was the last time they watched Saturday morning TV. Way too many commercials.
Saying “No” isn’t that hard, once they know you mean it.
More teaching accountability
June 24th, 2010
12:41 pm
This is from the GaDOE
The new Georgia Performance Standards for Health Education are based on the eight National Health Education Standards, copyright 2007, developed by the Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards which consisted of representatives from the following organizations and agencies: American Association for Health Education, American School Health Association, American Public Health Association, and the Society of State Directors of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
Clearly the GaDOE, under the leadership of Kathy Cox, has provides the guidance for teachers to be able to be fully successful in implementing engaging health lessons.
Maureen Downey will confirm the research that says the teacher is the single greatest factor in a child’s academic performance, therefore the answer to this is to make the teacher accountable for providing engaging lessons that will make the students want to embrace healthy food choices.
To blame McDonald’s for this is clearly wrong, when the accountability should lie with the teacher.
ConcernedFultonMom
June 24th, 2010
12:46 pm
I’m not sure how mandating teachers to teach “health” will help…
however, what I do know is that as a parent it is my responsibility to set limitations for my children. Just because they want something means that they have to have it – no matter if it’s a Happy Meal or a Pan Pizza.
I agree with Atlanta Mom…saying “no” and meaning it goes a looong way…
ConcernedFultonMom
June 24th, 2010
12:47 pm
“Just because they want something means that they have to have it – no matter if it’s a Happy Meal or a Pan Pizza…”
I meant just because they want something DOESN’T mean they have to have it
Atlanta Mom
June 24th, 2010
12:47 pm
“schools play a key role in childhood obesity”
I believe that may be true, due to the entire lack of PE/recess in schools today.
But, I have a question–have school lunches changed that much in 20 years? I always brought mine to school because the school lunch was too horrible to consider. My children never wanted to each school lunches either. Are they truly worse today than in the past?
td
June 24th, 2010
12:49 pm
This is a total parent issue. When we as a society decide that the education system should be used for Reading, Writing and arithmetic only and not for social programs then we will see our children becoming smarter. Until then, we will continue to be stuck in mediocrity.
More teaching accountability
June 24th, 2010
12:50 pm
ConcernedFultonMom, Maureen Downey has cited research over and over again that the single biggest influence on a child’s academics is the teacher. There is no denying this, because as Downey points out, it’s researched based.
Therefore if the teacher is held accountable for teaching engaging health lessons, then the student will make the correct choices, just like if the teacher is held accountable for teaching other engaging content lessons, the student will make the correct choices on assessment.
Really, what the child chooses to eat is just another form of authentic assessment, and therefore we need to hold the teacher accountable for what they are teaching as far as health.
RobertNAtl
June 24th, 2010
1:16 pm
@More teaching accountability: I get the snark, and agree with the point you are making overall. I take some exception to singling out Ms. Downey for implied criticism; I regard this blog and the comment forum as one of the best ways to educate myself on, and think about, educational issues. Therefore, I react somewhat defensively to posters who take Ms. Downey to task for her positions (especially when they do so repeatedly, as you do in this thread, and as that other poster with his/her repetitive admonitions about the “e-rate” issue). Ms. Downey is a reporter/blogger, not a part of the educational establishment IMO, and I think there are more worthy targets of criticism even on issues where you disagree with Ms. Downey. In this particular case, for example, Arne Duncan would be a more logical target for your snark (which, again, is well-received on my part). Anyway, just my opinion.
More teaching accountability
June 24th, 2010
1:32 pm
Snark RobertNAtl? There are people who would never consider this a snark. How bad has it gotten in public education as far as our scapegoat the teacher mindset? Try an administrator who suggested excessive absences were primarily the fault of the teacher, because if the teacher had more engaging lessons, the child would come to school.
But RobertNAtl, it’s Maureen’s blog, not Arne Duncan’s. She’s the one who talks to Arne Duncan when he comes to Atlanta, but won’t ask him to comment on the largest cheating scandal in Georgia’s history, even as the person at the helm during the scandal is being pushed to guide federal education policy.
She’s the one who refuses to acknowledge discipline as a major issue, when you have school systems engaged in massive under-reporting and teachers brutally assaulted in the classroom despite the fact they pleaded repeatedly for assistance from administration.
She’s the one who won’t follow up when a teacher’s legal rights are violated, such as when people were willing to go on the record when no less than a state senator was alleged to have shut down a grievance hearing in DeKalb when allegations of even more cheating were about to become the subject of testimony.
The free press is a conduit for holding government officials accountable, and when they won’t they deserve to be called on it.
Cora Kelly
June 24th, 2010
1:35 pm
Concerning McDonald’s being sued over toys in Happy Meals, alot of the ills in modern day society can be laid at the feet of parents, or lack of parental guidance. Parents can say “no” to their children, and the child will survive not being able to have whatever it is they want, but very seldom really need. It is far easier to just give in and say “yes”. A parent of three now grown children, I know at times I took the path of least resistance. I also know in hindsight I often paid the price for that lax attitude at a later time. Parenting is hard work, and gets harder every year that child grows towards being an adult.
ConcernedFultonMom
June 24th, 2010
1:35 pm
@moreteaching….
I’m sorry – are we talking about a teacher who is teaching a health class?
because most of the teachers I’ve seen are spending most of their time having to “teach” students to pass a ridiculous test…
and I agree with Atlanta Mom…recess & PE are largely left out of many students’ day – yes, just what we need in the age of video games.
@Atlanta Mom…
YES – the food “offerings” are quite scary. Have you seen that Jamie Oliver show on school lunches?
schooled
June 24th, 2010
1:42 pm
Why does Ms. Downey continue to ignore what readers and responders of the Get Schooled want? We want a discussion on discipline. We want the candidates for State Superintendent to be asked about discipline. I realize that the Happy Meal story was big news yesterday, but why tie it to a blog about health ed standards just to avoid a discussion on the MOST IMPORTANT topic related to education- DISCIPLINE? The Happy Meal story could have easily been discussed on MOMania or some other parenting blog. Thanks to the responders for making it about education as you focus on how teachers will be blamed once again. Maybe student food choice could become another component of how teachers are judged according to RTTT? The other blog entry is about an atheist charter school in England??? Other topics readers and responders seem to want to talk about include: RTTT, lack of diploma options and Math 123.
It's up to the readers
June 24th, 2010
1:48 pm
Poster schooled just gave you a blueprint if you want to improve this blog, and let the blog maximize it’s ability to bring to light the changes that need to be made to truly improve what happens day to day in the actual classroom.
Readers, you have a blueprint. It’s up to you to follow it.
Maureen Downey
June 24th, 2010
1:56 pm
@school: There is one poster – albeit an incredibly active one – who mentions discipline no matter what the issue is. There are thousands of readers of this blog. (We have a counting system here to measure that.) I cannot tailor this blog to a single reader or two or three.
I personally like a variety of topics. The growth of the blog readership since I’ve taken it over suggests that readers do, too. (From 29,000 page view 10 months ago when I took it over to nearly 400,000 last month.)
There has to be a balance of topics between what teachers want to read and lay people. And that is why I put up 70 different entries last month, so there is something for everyone. It is also why I still post even when I am on vacation so there are new topics every day and usually more than one. (I searched back three months and found 14 entries where I mentioned discipline issues.)
I am sorry that this blog can’t confine itself to five topics, but this is a newspaper with a wide online readership of more than a million people. My charge is to offer a broad array of topics. And again, I have to be driven by the data, which suggest that readers like a variety of issues.
Maureen
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
2:02 pm
Maureen the issue isn’t that you don’t constantly talk about it. It’s that you almost NEVER talk about it.
Can you cite an article you have written exclusively devoted to the proposition that the classroom teacher should be more empowered to hold students accountable for behavior, without a fear of administrative retaliation for doing so?
Can you cite even ONE column you have written exclusively devoted to that?
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
2:06 pm
Ok Maureen we see the 14 references. But can you cite even ONE for the following:
Can you cite an article you have written exclusively devoted to the proposition that the classroom teacher should be more empowered to hold students accountable for behavior, without a fear of administrative retaliation for doing so?
Or is it your contention that this is simply not an issue that affects the integrity of the current teaching and learning environment in the public schools?
M
June 24th, 2010
2:10 pm
What the h*ll is “white milk?”
JB
June 24th, 2010
2:11 pm
Who cares if you can calculate the area of a triangle if you don’t know how to set goals, budget, maintain your health and keep from getting pregnant before you are ready to parent? A lot of our citizens are failing on these points and it requires massive amounts of taxpayer money to treat. The curriculum should incorporate skills you need out in the real world. Even if you are lucky enough to have a parent that teaches you these things, nothing wrong with reinforcing it at school.
Devil's Advocate
June 24th, 2010
2:11 pm
Yay Maureen! Hopefully this person will clam up now! Thank you!!!
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
2:15 pm
I’m sorry Devil’s Advocate, but I’m not nearly as emotionally invested in currying favor with Maureen as you obviously are.
Why do YOU cite the article Maureen wrote written exclusively devoted to the proposition that the classroom teacher should be more empowered to hold students accountable for behavior, without a fear of administrative retaliation for doing so?
Or would you like to come on here DA, in support of Maureen, and proclaim that it is simply not an issue that affects the current teaching and learning environment in the public schools?
John
June 24th, 2010
2:20 pm
There is not enough food on any school lunch tray to even begin to make a child obese even if the child ate every bite every day.
Maureen Downey
June 24th, 2010
2:22 pm
@Maureen, Let me go back to the origins of our exchanges on this single issue, which I fear is boring everyone else by this point.
A long time ago in my pre-blog days, you suggested to me that teachers were being assaulted with impudence, that teachers were suffering serious injury and that students were not being punished. So, I made calls and could not find any examples. I asked you for names. None were forthcoming.
Now, you have shifted to a broader landscape; teacher are not allowed to “discipline” kids, that classrooms are the wild west. So, I remain confused as to whether you are saying that teachers are being physically hurt or that teachers can’t tell disrespectful kids to shape up or ship out
Have I written about discipline? Yes, I have. Have I written that Georgia teachers are under siege from unrestrained and unchecked student behaviors? No, because I don’t see it.
I have not taught in k-12, as you like to note. But I have visited hundreds of schools. I have seen plenty of kids in in-school suspensions. I have seen plenty of kids suspended. I have seen plenty of kids sent to alternative schools.
And I have about 100 e-mails in my in-box from teachers on a variety of topics. Not one is telling me that they fear for their lives, that they can’t discipline their students without fear of retaliation.
That appears to be your experience and that of a few other teachers here. I don’t invalidate that, but I don’t see it as a major problem. I have also noted that there are great disparities in discipline reports teacher to teacher and that classroom management is a critical skill that new teachers complain they are not being taught.
Maureen
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
2:24 pm
Come on Devil’s Advocate, don’t be shy. Tell us that the lack of administrative support for discipline in the schools and the atmosphere of retaliation when teachers ask for that support isn’t worth EVEN ONE column exclusively devoted to it?
Put your money where your mouth is, and let’s get back to the role of childhood obesity and the public schools!
Peadawg
June 24th, 2010
2:25 pm
“The obvious answer, is to make teachers accountable”
Nope. The obvious answer, is to make PARENTS accountable.
USAFMom
June 24th, 2010
2:27 pm
For Christ sakes – tell your kids no. It is not going to kill them or hurt you! It is not McDonald’s responsibility. It is not the school’s responsibility. It is the parent’s responsibility to teach their kids how and what to eat. Quit trying to be their friend and be a parent. A parent tells their children no all their life.
Benny
June 24th, 2010
2:31 pm
Peadawg – won’t happen. By sheer numbers politicians fear numbers. More parents vote than teachers. Don’t tell the parents they should be responsible. Nope blame someone else and tell parents it’s not their fault.
Betty Crocker
June 24th, 2010
2:31 pm
I am assuming that putting the responsibility on the teacher to present engaging lessons regarding healthy food choices will make some parents actually prepare the meal and sit down together as a family to eat it. Are the posters who advocate this serious or just being facetious???? There is a limit to what a teacher can do. Good Lord, aren’t parents accountable for anything????
Betty Crocker
June 24th, 2010
2:34 pm
And yes, cafeteria lunches are horribly unhealthy. But has anyone ever noticed what kids bring from home for lunch?? Equally unhealthy. Many parents pack convenience lunches. This whole McDonald’s thing should be a non-issue. Stay home and cook.
Dewey
June 24th, 2010
2:36 pm
I personally like the fact that different issues are covered in this blog. The fact remains that the real answer is in parent/child accountability. The only reason why BMI index is not used to hold PE teachers accountable is results cannot be manipulated to show improvement. Heaven forbid a teacher tell a parent their child is morbidly obese or for that matter actually failing a subject, or report the child as being disruptive. They are all angels, right? The sad part some are angels and/or trying. They are the ones that are getting left behind as the education bends over backwards to help the ones that do not want any. It’s called personal responsibiltiy. As far as the subject of this article goes, if YOUR child is fat don’t let them eat at McDonald’s, turn off the TV, have them go outside play, take them to the boys and girls club, etc.
@Maureen-here's some data
June 24th, 2010
2:37 pm
Maureen here is some data to back up my point since you mentioned being “data driven”.
The report, as referenced in the Washinton Post, was entitled “Teaching Interrupted: Do Discipline Policies in Today’s Public Schools Foster the Common Good.” The organization that published it is Public Agenda, and the organization that sponsored it was called common good, a decidedly non partisan group considering Newt Gringrich and George McGovern are on the board!
Now Maureen I ask: Are ALL these teachers wrong? Am I the ONLY person who thinks the lack of support for discipline is an issue?
Here is the report’s most unsettling summary of its findings: “Teachers operate in a culture of challenge and second-guessing — one that has an impact on their ability to teach and maintain order. Nearly half of teachers (49 percent) complain that they have been accused of unfairly disciplining a student. More than half (55 percent) say that districts backing down from assertive parents causes discipline problems. Nearly 8 in 10 teachers (78 percent) say that there are persistent troublemakers in their school who should have been removed from regular classrooms.”
FIFTY FIVE percent say they don’t get administrative support. Are the ALL wrong Maureen?
Hey, It's Enrico Pallazzo!
June 24th, 2010
2:37 pm
My wife is a SPED teacher in a Dekalb County HS. While the population in her class is MOID, Autistic, and have behavior issues and has had her nose broken by one of her students trying to transition him; it is when she is asked to help get regular education students out of the halls and into the classrooms that she is most concerned. She is cursed at, leered at, and intimidated anytime she tries to get some of the kids into their class. Because there are not enough adults around to maintain a sense of discipline, this behavior is rewarded. It will only get worse as the class sizes increase.
PJ
June 24th, 2010
2:45 pm
The part that concerns me most about the lawsuit is that they are concerned that parents are made to say “no” too often & being worn down to get their children these meals. Whoever is having such a major problem teaching their kids good from bad, healthy from unhealthy is going to have the drug-addicted, chain-smoking, teenage mothers & fathers who end up with no sense of personal responsibility. I’m not saying my kids never eat McDonald’s as that would be far from the truth. It is a treat every once in a while. Yet they know about healthy foods, healthy choices and are more excited about the fresh garden veggies they planted & bi-weekly local, organic produce boxes than they are about a McNugget meal. Schools should absolutely offer nutritious lunches and more time for recess and PE, but a sense of personal responsbility comes from home.
Devil's Advocate
June 24th, 2010
2:53 pm
@@Maureen – Discipline is always an issue, but I have always felt backed up by administrators for the most part. My school regularly sends the worst offenders to alternative schools. I have also found that teachers that complain the most about discipline have zero classroom management skills. And I also always try to remember that we are dealing with KIDS! They are supposed to be discipline issues and difficult to deal with for a good part of their lives. I was. I was a teenaged mess who acted out too much and embarrassed my parents at times, but it didn’t mean the whole world was failing.
Get over yourself.
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
2:54 pm
Maureen, have you ever considered that some are not writing you about the issue of retaliation…because they fear retaliation for talking to a reporter? Seriously Maureen.
But since you are very prodigious in your output, why not just put it out there in a forum where readers can respond FREELY and OPENLY?
Why not just ONE blog, a SINGLE blog, that asks “Some teachers, and supporters of teachers claim that teachers are not getting consistent administrative support in discipline and at times are even being retaliated against for bringing light to the subject. Is this a legitimate concern?”
“Let’s discuss”
If you are willing to do SEVENTY blog topics in a single month, are you saying you can’t devote even ONE to the question administrative support in matters of discipline?
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
2:57 pm
So Devil’s Advocate the SEVENTY EIGHT PERCENT of teachers who said that they have chronically disruptive students who should be in a different environment are ALL weak classroom managers.
The FIFTY FIVE percent of teachers who say districts don’t back them up in discipline matters are ALL weak classroom managers?
Are you claiming, by logical definition, that anybody who highlights discipline problems in the public schools is a weak classroom manager?
Michelle B.
June 24th, 2010
3:04 pm
@ More teaching accountability in your world which teacher would be held accountable for what each student puts in his/her mouths daily? The PE teacher, language arts, social studies, math etc.? Who’s accountable? Most 6-8 teachers get a 20 minute lunch from the time we take our class steps into the lunch room and leaves, so we basically have about 10 minutes to physically eat our lunches … and the teachers in your world are now going to be not only watching behavior but also what 25 – 30 students are consuming too. Are you kidding me? Until food daily food consuption is on the CRCT, that won’t be happening. My principal is more concerned about wether my students have learned their prepositions, different types of pronouns etc., and from the the looks of him, he’s eaten one too many fry in his day too.
Maureen Downey
June 24th, 2010
3:05 pm
@Maureen, Are you interested in writing up a piece on this issue that I could post citing your own experiences? There are more responses and interest when there is a real example in the blog entry.
Devil's Advocate
June 24th, 2010
3:05 pm
Sure, 78% WISH they could remove students more easily, who wouldn’t? But easily removing students doesn’t happen for a reason, it should be difficult to do. Part of our job is socializing students and teaching them from their mistakes. So, though we might WANT it to happen, it would be terrible for the students if we could do so easily.
And frankly, from my experience, I would say that close to half of teachers aren’t good classroom managers, it’s hard to be a good one. Very hard. But, administrators are in an impossible place. They weren’t in the room, and they have to at least entertain the possibility that the teacher wwas partly in the wrong, so the teacher doesn’t get a satisfactory result sometimes. Plus, it is just part of the culture of the profession to complain about administrators, so poll results will always be skewed. I would much rather see a scientific study of such issues.
Too much credit
June 24th, 2010
3:06 pm
People are giving way too much credit to the schools and teachers for THEIR CHILD’S nutrition. These same children have lived for 4-6 years with the parent before entering school. As a teacher, I have seen students arrive to school with chips and blue “drink.” These same children will either eat it along with the school breakfast or with lunch. Who purchased this! Parents. As educators we can teach the food pyramid and portion control. We do teach health as a part of the curriculum, but we do not enter the child’s home and stock the pantry.
As a parent, I occasionally purchased a Happy Meal. The key word was occasionally. Two of my children shared the order of fries. Moderation folks. The toy is not what keeps the parents coming back. Cheap, easy food does. The toy is merely a treat for good behavior etc.
Jaime
June 24th, 2010
3:10 pm
I can’t believe this is even a viable dispute. Is this really what our nation has come to? No one is responsible for anything? Nothing is anyone’s fault? The teacher made me do it, McDonald’s made me do it and so on? They are my kids. I am responsible for what they eat and how they eat and I am responsible for how they are educated, whether in academics or in health. I am sure these people who want the teacher to be in charge of their children will be horribly offended when she/he says “Put down the cookie. It is making you fat.”
irisheyes
June 24th, 2010
3:10 pm
Once again, parents are allowed to opt out of parenting. I don’t think it’s McDonald’s that’s causing the obesity problem in America. It’s parents who let their kids play video games all freakin’ day. It’s parents who buy their kids an XBox, PS3, and a wii. (Yes, I’ve had students like that, even in my Title 1 school.) It’s parents who think that two big honeybuns constitutes a healthy snack (I shudder to think what they eat for meals at their houses). Do I take my kids to McDonald’s? Sure. Maybe once or twice a month. Do we eat healthy all of the time? Nope. Have my kids spent the summer sitting on the couch playing video games or watching TV? No, we’ve been to the pool, and they’ve been out in the evenings (when it’s not so blazingly hot). Plus, I’ve told them that fast food isn’t healthy, and it’s only occasional. Sure, their definition of occasional is means more frequently than mine, but they can’t eat it if I don’t buy it.
Strong parents needed!
June 24th, 2010
3:17 pm
Parents are ultimately in control of their children. When my own children were small they could only get white milk with lunch on Monday-Thursday. Friday was a treat day. If one of them wanted that nasty red or orange drink it was fine with me. One day a week. I did NOT need to send a note to the school or have the cafeteria put restrictions on my children’s lunch account. All I had to do was tell them and that was it. As an active volunteer in the school, I would pop in for lunch occasionally and peek at my childs’s choices. I shaped my child’s decisions even from afar. It is important that we as parents teach our children to make reasonable choices on their own.
It does not matter if the kids select vegetables and fruit during lunch and then leave it to be thrown away. It only matters if they actually eat the healthy choices. That begins in the home. Exactly what is being served at home?
Teacher, Too
June 24th, 2010
3:22 pm
It’s the parents’ responsibility. Turn off the T.V. and take away the video games. I’ve been teaching a long time. When I was younger, I brought lunch to school because I couldn’t stand the school lunches. I was chubby– but by no means was I the size of many kids today. There are kids who can’t fit into a desk. It isn’t school lunches that make the kids obese or overweight!
Think about the changes in kids’ lives in the past twenty or thirty years. T.V. has become more dominant as well as video games and movies. I was not allowed to sit and watch T.V. all day. Mom shooed me out of the house and said to go play. I found things to do outside. Certainly, we didn’t have computers back then, so there was no sitting for hours on end playing video games, some that are excessively violent.
We are the most obese country in the world (or, at least one of the top ten, I would venture to say). It wasn’t always like this. But it’s not the school’s fault. Parents, take the kids to a park on the weekends, or, as a family, take a walk after dinner.
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
3:25 pm
@Maureen, Are you interested in writing up a piece on this issue that I could post citing your own experiences? There are more responses and interest when there is a real example in the blog entry.
Maureen that’s a dodge; you have done PLENTY of topics without having a “real example” for a lead in.
But maybe this exchange will inspire someone to provide an experience. Maureen has been good in the past at letting someone do a lead in and maintain anonymity, so perhaps she would provide a forum to talk about discipline and retaliation, without being retaliated against for daring to do so.
Have you talked to any of the professional organizations about this issue?
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
3:28 pm
“So, though we might WANT it to happen, it would be terrible for the students if we could do so easily.”
Just so we are clear Devil’s Advocate, when you have two or three chronically disruptive students who are doing severe damage to the integrity of the learning environment, it would be terrible for the other 25 students who are applying themselves to have those two or three removed?
Stockholm Syndrome anyone?
Devil's Advocate
June 24th, 2010
3:33 pm
@@ Maureen- Seriously? You aren’t going to step up? Wow.
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
3:37 pm
And who is to say that I haven’t done so?
I don’t see you “stepping up” and writing a blog on how so many of your colleagues are in reality weak teachers. Heck, I don’t even see you stepping up on this blog and giving straightforward answers to simple direct questions.
lori
June 24th, 2010
3:39 pm
more teacher accountability, what are you smoking? If your kid is fat, it’s YOUR fault. Not your kid’s fault, not McDonald’s fault, not the teacher’s fault, not the education system’s fault. YOUR FAULT. You are the only person who buys food for your child. Buy better food!!!
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
3:39 pm
Go ahead Devil’s Advocate, since you are so convinced the problem is that so many of you colleagues are weak teachers, submit a column to Maureen and ask her to run it on Learning Curve.
I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to oblige.
schooled
June 24th, 2010
3:50 pm
Maureen- Thanks for your response. I understand a variety of topics keep things interesting, but many bloggers have begged for you to ask the State Superintendent candidates about RTTT, Math 123, the lack of multiple diplomas and discipline. Why not ask these questions? You would get tons of interested readers and comments. I read the comments posted on the questions you gave the candidates. Let’s just say found a lot of information by just looking at the candidate websites. I hope Georgia voters will read and find out as much as possible about the candidates. Thank you for providing this forum for discussion of these issues. Please consider asking readers to suggest questions for the candidates.
I haven’t heard of a situation where a teacher fears for his/her life, but I do know it is difficult to conduct a class due to discipline. I am not a new teacher and have tons of classroom management experience, but unless the administrators, system, state and society in general back up the teacher’s authority in the classroom nothing will help. As a classroom teacher, I do not fear for my life, but fear for the kids sitting in classrooms where they can’t learn because two or three students continue to cause problems. Another poster mentioned administrators are good about sending kids to alternative school if needed. This may be the case in some systems, but most places only have a certain number of slots at the alternative school. If the kids get out of school suspension they are more likely to drop out. To prevent dropouts many systems just choose to keep these kids with the regular population which means they continue to display disruptive behavior.
Teachers are being held accountable for the way a kid behaves, they way he/she performs on test, whether or not he/she graduates on time, whether or not a kid is stimulated enough in class to do homework, student attendance and tardiness, and possibly his/her food choices. If food choices are the responsibility of parents shouldn’t everything else be the responsibility of mom and dad?
Ask MACE
June 24th, 2010
3:54 pm
Maureen, I’m sure Dr. John Trotter will give you all the background information you need to develop a blog topic for school districts not enforcing the discipline policies they have on paper.
Devil's Advocate
June 24th, 2010
3:56 pm
I think most teachers do a pretty good job, and I feel that the issue of poor teachers gets more than enough play on this blog. So, the last thing I would want to do is embark on a mind-numbing rant that eventually just serves to diminish an issue I hold dear.
What is Learning Curve? I am not familiar with it, and I am not aware of any questions that I haven’t answered.
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
4:11 pm
“So, the last thing I would want to do is embark on a mind-numbing rant that eventually just serves to diminish an issue I hold dear.”
Mind numbing? Don’t sell yourself so short Devil’s Advocate. And don’t, whatever you do, admit you don’t know what Learning Curve is. You’ll hurt Maureen’s feelings.
Maureen Downey
June 24th, 2010
4:26 pm
@schooled, My AJC colleague Kristina Torres is doing the Atlanta Press Club school superintendent debates Sunday, which will air live at 7 on GPB. She asked me about possible questions and I suggested both the math issue and RTTT. She may not be able to ask both as there are other people asking questions as well.
I did not write the questions asked by the AJC Sunday package, but I did note in my coverage of the Georgia Schools Boards Association panel in Savannah last week that both John Barge and Richard Woods oppose RTTT.
JP
June 24th, 2010
4:29 pm
I had a student who constantly complained about the school lunches. I suggested to her that she bring her lunch from home. Her response was, “You can’t expect my parents to pay for my lunches. I eat free.”
@Maureen-here's some data
June 24th, 2010
4:40 pm
From the same Public Agenda study: “More than half of teachers said that behavior problems often stem from teachers who are soft on discipline because they can’t count on parents or their schools to support them”
What good does it do to spend BILLIONS teaching teachers “research based best practices” if the teachers aren’t going to be supported in putting them to use when it comes to discipline?
Asking candidates about education issues without asking about discipline, is like asking the President about Afghanistan without asking about the Taliban.
It’s a charade. And we have the bottom of the barrel ranking to prove it.
catlady
June 24th, 2010
4:41 pm
I know our meals at our school are carefully planned to meet all kinds of rules. HOWEVER, the food has too much fat, too much breading, too much salt, too much processing, too much plastic wrapping. I would like to see meals served that aren’t full of “ingredients.” Just simple things: turkey, apple, green beans, etc.
A few of our children bring good food from home. Most bring junk, plain and simple.
As to what parents allow their children to eat at home, not up to us. But at school, with our “captive audience” we can refuse to serve plastic, non-food, high-fat junk. If the kids eat, good. If they don’t, okay.How much a child eats is also NOt our decision. At my school 70% of the kids eat free. Give them wholesome food to choose from.
The problem is, the government subsidy allows the system to pay its workers. It behooves the food service to send the cheapest “food” to the most children. This is one reason why we cannot dismiss schools on snowy days until AFTER lunch is served, no matter how early we have to serve it (9:30 one day this past year!) no matter how hard it is snowing.
We don’t let kids get cokes, but they can go to the school snack store after lunch and get garbage. I am constantly surprised at how much the kids on free lunch spend at the store!
Devil's Advocate
June 24th, 2010
4:50 pm
@@ Maureen A OPINION POLL of teachers will always support your contention. Teachers love to play the martyr card about parents, administrators and discipline. Please show us actual academic research that suports your claims. That would be more interesting and useful.
Tweets that mention http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/06/24/cant-blame-mcdonalds-or-schools-for-childrens-eating-habits-or-can-we/?cxntfid=blogs_get_schooled_blog%3Futm_source%3Dpingback -- Topsy.com
June 24th, 2010
4:59 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by . said: [...]
@Maureen-here's some data
June 24th, 2010
5:03 pm
Devil’s Advocate, it’s no opinion that up to one third of new teachers leave the profession, and that pay and discipline are the two major reasons given for leaving.
Now maybe some of these teachers needed to leave, but are we going to assert that ALL of them are wrong, and that there is NO merit to their opinion?
This paper has done research. Forty schools with ZERO discipline problems in APS and when called on it the reason giving was that their reforms are working so well that there are no discipline problems to report. Fifty calls to the Atlanta Police Department by one Atlanta high school, but the official discipline report said there were ZERO incidents of major behavior problems. If there are ZERO major problems, why are you calling the police over FIFTY times. The AJC let APS off the hook, by refusing to do a follow up story. It would be interesting to talk to some former AJC reporters and find out if they were ever “leaned on” not to do certain stories.
Alvin Wilbanks signed of a falsified data that underreported the discipline cases by forty THOUSAND. Forty THOUSAND incidents just disappear, and we still claim to the fantasy that school systems are operating with integrity on discipline problems Devil’s Advocate?
Devil's Advocate
June 24th, 2010
5:09 pm
Oh, here we go. The investigation that led to nowhere you like to bring up so much…great.
@Maureen-here's some data
June 24th, 2010
5:13 pm
Wrong Devil’s Advocate. The investigation proved the data was falsified. The problem is, the FINDINGS led to no consequences.
Why are some people so adamant on arguing for the current status quo when it comes to the level of support for the classroom teacher? Have some teachers just become so psychologically battered, that like some battered women, they’ve come to think they deserve it?
ASHLEY
June 24th, 2010
5:14 pm
What exactly is the responbility of parents to there children? I know for a fact a childs eating patterns are not the teachers I knew what the food groups were even before I started school and sweets and soft drinks were not on the menu. Pop and coffee were reserve for adults and in my house adults were the people who paid the bills. The last time I checked “N O” was still part of the english language . Saying no might cure all this entitlement nonsense. parents instead of trying to police MacDonalds why don’t you try policing your own children and their diet remember obesity starts at home and not some fast-food restaurant. Going to a fast-food joint use to be a luxury not an necessity. Happy meal or not MacDonalds is not your mother or you father. Until they turn 18 kids are your responsibities and their eating habits should be also.
Now we know
June 24th, 2010
5:17 pm
The same mindset of abdication of parental responsibility that leads to lawsuits like this, leads to the problems we have in public schools in holding students accountable for behavior and learning.
Are we going to hire bodyguards so that they can’t enter McDonald’s, to save them from themselves? Why not, we already promote them even if they fail the CRCT year after year, to save them from themselves.
Devil's Advocate
June 24th, 2010
5:21 pm
We can always do better…and we should always want to do more to support teachers, but now that you have compared us to battered women, I will excuse myself.
Have a good night.
Just the Facts
June 24th, 2010
5:27 pm
As a veteran middle school teacher in a school infested with gangs , I can honestly say that I have never been afraid for my life OR bodily injury. In fact, my teaching team often said the same thing…and that if anything happened it us it would be from a ricocheting bullet meant for another student. So, IMO , when you ask teachers for examples of discipline problems, it sounds as if what you expect is some example of violence. Most often, violent behavior is not the problem
HOWEVER, that does NOT mean that student discipline and administrative support for it is not a crucial issue in classrooms today. In fact, most discipline concerns in the classroom do not involve violence….but rudeness, impudence, insolence, vulgarity, and general disrespect. AND if it becomes necessary to remove a student from the class in order to continue a lesson, there is rarely support from the administration. In fact, there is always the implication that the misbehavior is the teacher’s fault.
@Maureen
June 24th, 2010
5:36 pm
But Devil’s Advocate, you don’t want to do more. You want the level of support to remain EXACTLY like it is, just improve the teaching which isn’t too much unlike advising a housewife if she wants to avoid trouble she should just have the dinner warm and the beer cold.
It’s a mindset, and it’s one of the reasons that teaching conditions have deteriorated.
trying hard to be patient
June 24th, 2010
5:41 pm
I agree with catlady. The junk these kids buy is astounding. Our school is also very high in free and reduced lunches and it amazes me at the huge numbers of kids who get these free lunches, don’t eat them, but, buy ice cream everyday. I’ve been told that we cannot refuse them ice cream because it makes money for the school. It should not be teacher accountability, it should be parent accountability!!
penguinmom
June 24th, 2010
5:42 pm
what I hate is that some nut group out there is going to impact my choices for my kids. My kids Like Happy Meal toys. I choose to let them have the meals occasionally. I don’t want some lawyer who think he/she knows better than me to either take away my kids’ ability to have french fries on occasion or take away my kids’ fun toys.
Really an occasional Happy Meal is not going to make your kid fat. They probably are getting fat from watching too much TV and playing too many video games. If they thought they could make money/get publicity from it, the CSPI would probably sue Nintendo or Nickelodeon to force them to put time limits (controlled by the government) on all their devices.
When will parents rise up and tell these clowns at the CSPI that we are completely capable of parenting our own kids thank you very much.
Maybe I’ll take my kids to McDonald’s tonight to do my little part to help support the fast food side of the lawsuit.
Ward Cleaver
June 24th, 2010
7:59 pm
This lawsuit makes American parents look like total idiots. If those protesting McDonald’s Happy Meals don’t like to say “no,” well then what does that say about their parenting skills which includes discipline? Is it any wonder then why discipline is such a hindrance to a teacher’s instruction? Kids have learned all kinds of foolish behavior long before they ever come to school, because their parents have enabled them to be spoiled brats who have no sense of responsibility about their behavior. I salute the parents who are good parents, my rant is NOT at you.
@Maureen-here's a story
June 24th, 2010
11:42 pm
Maureen you say you need a story for a jumping off point to discuss the lack of support for discipline. Well I found one for you.
You say you don’t see these problems you’ll see in the article when you visit the schools. You aren’t supposed to Maureen, you’re a VISITOR. That’s why I bet it’s often the case you are escorted to selected classrooms on your visits right Maureen?
Please stop insulting our intelligence!
No one ever saw Uncle Louie with the bottle of rum in his underwear, screaming that the Trilateral Commission was controlling his TV set either. Didn’t mean he wasn’t doing it, it meant we had enough sense to HIDE HIM when company came.
But these things DO happen. Here’s a story to prove it.
Look for the words “pregnant teacher assaulted,” “not an isolated incident,” “students choking teachers from behind” and “teachers feel under siege” then…
Let’s discuss.
By Rick Wills
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, December 19, 2009
A pregnant elementary school teacher in Woodland Hills School District returned to the classroom Friday — a day after officials said a fourth-grader attacked her.
The student, a boy who attends Benjamin Fairless Elementary School in North Braddock, hit and shoved his head into the teacher’s stomach after she told him to get out from under a table in the school’s cafeteria, said Superintendent Walter Calinger.
“The district does not tolerate this kind of behavior. He has been behaving badly for some time,” Calinger said about the episode, which happened at 12:15 p.m Thursday.
The teacher, whom Calinger declined to identify, was taken to a hospital. He did not know the extent of her injuries. Calinger said there are different versions of what occurred, but said the teacher acted appropriately.
“The teacher is doing what she should be doing,” he said. “There is no reason to think otherwise.” Police and teachers union representatives said the episode is not an isolated one but, rather, the latest in a series of problems at Fairless. North Braddock police Chief Dean Bazzone said officers have been called to Fairless about 30 times this school year.
At least four Fairless teachers have been assaulted this year, said Butch Santicola, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Three of the teachers were hospitalized, and another 10 teachers sought medical attention, he said.
“The teachers feel under siege. There are isolated problems in other schools,” Santicola said. “In this school (Fairless), the problems are constant.” Last week, union officials held an emergency meeting with some Fairless faculty.
“This school, by far, is the most serious problem we have anywhere,” Santicola said.
Other problems at Fairless have included students choking teachers from behind, he said.
“Apparently, they have had a problem all year long. There have been multiple incidents — and we are talking about younger kids,” he said.
Santicola said the union plans to investigate Woodland Hills’ response to teacher complaints.
“Many, many complaints have been turned into the administration, and nothing seems to have happened. Our people have been attacked, and the administration keep burying their heads in the sand,” he said.
Calinger could not be reached to respond to Santicola’s comments.
Police had not filed charges against the boy and were waiting to interview the teacher.
“We want to talk to her more,” Bazzone said.
The boy did not attend school yesterday, Calinger said.
The superintendent declined to comment on discipline that the boy might face, but said students involved in such incidents typically are suspended for the state-allowed maximum of 10 school days and can face expulsion by the school board.
School Lunch
June 24th, 2010
11:52 pm
Last time I looked, the sugar content of a high school strawberry milk was through the roof.
Puzzled
June 25th, 2010
12:36 am
This is just dumb. And really…I don’t get it.
I’m baffled by the idea that kids can “nag” their parents into doing things. When my brother or I asked my mom (or dad) for something and the answer was “No,” that was the end of the conversation. Asking a second time only got “I said ‘no.’ I’m not going to change my mind. Don’t ask me again.” Asking a third time meant punishment, guaranteed. And when we went to restaurants, they ordered for us until we were at least about 10.
I have a friend whose son knows that when mama says “No” to something he asks for, that’s it. I’ve even seen her make him take something she was going to buy for him out of the grocery cart and put it back on the shelf because he kept asking for something else she’d said “no” to twice already. She said that when he gets old enough to think through consequences and cause/effect relationships better, she’ll be more willing to negotiate some things, but right now she wants him to get the message that the adults are running the show. He makes good grades and is well-behaved in school.
Another friend with a son the same age allows marathon sessions of whining, begging and tantrums over something he wants. He’s already been expelled from preschool and suspended from first grade for hitting other kids.
Coincidence? Doubt it.
AJinCobb
June 25th, 2010
6:04 am
If we have to talk about discipline no matter what the nominal topic, let me just say that I have minimal interest in discipline as a “Get Schooled” topic. I haven’t noticed any particular discipline issues in my child’s East Cobb elementary, middle and high school. I have friends and colleagues in North Fulton. I don’t hear of any discipline concerns over there either. Somewhere in the state I guess there are out-of-control kids, from the sound of things on here. But since it’s not an issue in my area, I certainly do NOT think it should be the number one priority of the DOE and education coverage in the media, and I’m incredibly bored by the endless posts on this topic, and the (to my mind) bizarrely rude attacks on Ms. Downey because her blog is not preoccupied with this hobby horse.
Shrug
June 25th, 2010
6:14 am
I was gonna comment on the Happy Meal thing, but I guess this isn’t a forum that actually talks about the topic.
oh, well…
s2k
June 25th, 2010
6:46 am
Let’s also bring up what junk food exists in the school stores of many high schools. Where I teach, kids stand in line to buy Doritos and “Big Texas” cinnamon buns for lunch. I’m curious as to how this doesn’t get in the way of Federal lunch guidelines.
We can all agree that parenting is hard. It’s easy to give in to the kids to get them to shut up so you can have some peace. It takes a real parent, one whose willing to PARENT and say NO until the kid gets it.
It’s these little thinkgs done at a child’s early age that parents (in their actions) determine WHO is in charge of the family. Soft parents will end up having the least amount of control over their kids and the kids will grow up disrespecting their parents. I see it in parent conferences all the time and it makes me cringe.
Get your child used to hearing you say NO, and stick to it, at an early age, and I’m telling you, you’ll have an easier road for the next 15-18 years.
An advocate for public education change & choice
June 25th, 2010
10:36 am
This topic is simple to break down, kids develop the habits born of what is renforced by the behaviors of their parents.
As with so many things it starts in the home, period!
McDonald’s is business acting in their own self interest (increasing their bottom line revenue potential by whatever acceptable means available to them) as you would expect them too. We want to talk about how marketing and propaganda is used to direct people’s thoughts and behaviors then this conversation quickly expands to include everything from religion to poltics.
Jay
June 25th, 2010
10:44 am
This is ridiculous. The health of children and what they eat is the SOUL responsibility of the parents. Do not blame McDonald’s and the schools because you as a parent can’t tell your kids “NO.” If you do not want your child to eat at McDonald’s because its unhealthy, don’t take them there. If your child is whining about a toy, again the word “NO” comes in handy. As for the schools, you’re the parent. You teach your kids about healthy living and eating. The schools should be teaching this, but in the long run its the parents duty to reinforce it. If you don’t like the crap food the schools are feeding your children, pack a healthy lunch yourself for your child. Don’t blame the institutions for your lack of parenting. It’s that simple.
Emma
June 25th, 2010
10:56 am
If we want to be a strong nation, we have to bring up healthy and right-minded generation. Childhood obesity is a problem that cannot be kept on ice anymore.
Learn some tips about healthy nutrition and share your thoughts on http://medicationforum.blogspot.com/
AJinCobb
June 25th, 2010
12:12 pm
There’s no oil spill in Atlanta either AJinCobb, so I guess the newspaper shouldn’t talk about that either.
Ole Guy
June 25th, 2010
12:19 pm
Teaching Accountability, you can’t be serious. Your suggestion would have kids taking a whiz quiz and holding teachers accountable for high sugar levels…YOU’VE GOTTA BE OUTTA YOUR MIND!
Am I the Only One???
June 25th, 2010
1:10 pm
Am I the only one who realized that “More Teaching Accountability” was being sarcastic (in mirroring the oft-spouted line of “more teaching accountability” being the solution to society in general and education reform in specific)??
FC teacher
June 25th, 2010
4:12 pm
@ @Maureen: Honestly, just start your own blog and stop forcing your OCD on us all.
@FC teacher
June 25th, 2010
4:38 pm
Ok FC teacher, just give us a compelling reason why out of HUNDREDS of blog topics, this blog shouldn’t be held accountable for doing even ONE blog topic on the lack of support teachers are receiving today.
It is an education blog right? Are you saying the issue is SO minor, that it doesn’t ever warrant a SINGLE mention?
If your THAT invested in maintaining Georgia’s bottom five ranking, by all means tell us why this isn’t an issue.
More teacher accountability
June 25th, 2010
4:41 pm
No, there was one other poster Only One. But it does go to show you how far lost we are in the blame the teacher paradigm, that more people didn’t realize it, and gave credence to it as though it were actually a plausible position to take.
Stacey
June 25th, 2010
5:46 pm
Why are we blaming mcdonalds for the issues kids have with obesity? When is America going to stop playing the blame game and realize that we make the decisions and now we suffer the consequences. Mcdonalds is not making these parents bring their kids to mcdonalds and is not forcing the parents to buy their kids happy meals with french fries instead of the apple dippers. Parents need to wake up and take responsibility for their actions. Are the parents making sure their kids are getting out and excercising? Or do they depend on the schools to do that?
Ole Guy
June 25th, 2010
6:26 pm
Well, Only One, I suppose you’re right. Given the gravity of the topics which Maureen, and the AJC have presented for public discourse, I would imagine there will always be some jerk off who, unable to participate in a meaningful manner, can only resort to sarcasm…how foolish of me to dare to presume that everyone really gives a damn.
@ole guy
June 25th, 2010
7:12 pm
ole guy, I would submit to you the best way to define what the AJC has done is to look at the gravity of the topics they HAVEN’T presented.
Duh
June 25th, 2010
7:40 pm
Can we have a discussion about people who hate sarcasm because they are too dumb to get it?
Amanda Battle
June 27th, 2010
12:22 am
I feel sorry for all of you idiots who think teachers are in charge of what goes on in the classrooms in Atlanta Public Schools. Let’s get real!!! North of the Grady curve, it’s the affluent parents who call the shots. The best teachers are placed in these schools but it’s the jack ass parents who think they know everything who call the shots. If you don’t believe it, try spending some time in these schools and within a very short period of time you will discern that affluent parents with “SPECIAL” children can actually bend the curve. These wealthy parents with dumber than bisquit children have figured out how to get their children a private school education in a public school system. And for the poor souls south of the Grady curve, PUU-LEASE!!!! You have Executive Directors like Michael Pitts who think Concept Based Units are the “Bees Knees”. Google “MIchael Pitts” and see what you find. Does the word FOOL come to mind? Hey Michael Pitts, the concept based units are not working for us. How long is it going to take for you to actually get it???? Dr. Hall, do you even know what we are talking about? You brought this nut to the system now deal with him. Maybe you should have left that country bumpkin in Tennessee because he sure as h#$l hasn’t done anything for SRT2. Oh my mistake. He has made us feel that it is ok to cheat on the CRCT to get HIM some good scores What a shame.
Amanda Battle
June 27th, 2010
12:40 am
AJinCobb you ar so far in DENIAL you think it is a river (The NILE). Demand that your principal give you the REAL discipline statistics. Don’t you know that administrators are demanded and compensated to dumb down the statistics for holier than thou parents like you? You better wake up and smell the coffee!
Ole Guy
June 27th, 2010
10:21 am
Some of you friggin people are truly amazing. Some self-righteous dipstick who adopts the nom de plume “More Teaching Accountability” issues remarks which are dumber than dumb. Upon realization that said remarks were completely (I am at a loss for nice Sunday-type words) stupid, the writer takes refuge in the “I was just kidding” cover. And some of you idiots (Duh…what an appropriate name) actually fall into the abyss of gullibility…the very same gullibility which leads you and your kids to the drive-through at any one of thousands of “fried guano” fast food establishments.
As far as I’m concerned sir/ma’m, your demand for teaching accountability is exceeded only by the need for your self-accountability.
If people insist on slowely killing themselves, that’s their business…one of the “freedoms” which they take for granted everyday. Just don’t go foisting the droppings of your idiotic behavior upon teachers who, according to your “sarcasm”, should be held accountable for kids’ stupidity…the very same stupidity which they inherit from stupid parents.
silly laws
June 27th, 2010
9:14 pm
I think this is just silly. I am a mother of 2 boys and it’s not that hard to say to them. I control what they eat when we go to restaurants. McDonald’s doesn’t tell me I have to order the fries and soda with their meals, I’m the one who decides and if my kids choose not to eat or drink what they get that’s their own fault. I don’t understand how you could make teachers responsible for what goes on outside of school. Everyone in this country is just so sue happy. We need to take accountability for our children and their actions and stop blaming everyone else.
john.m.scanlan
June 28th, 2010
1:29 pm
Silly, don’t you get it?! Teaching Accountability was only kidding…er, make that sarcasticising.
Gotta love people who write what they mean and mean what they write.
However, you are absolutely correct in that way too much government intervention has crept into our daily lives. It wasn’t until some idiot, 30-or-so years ago, scalded the “privates” by placing a hot cup of Mickey D’s in the most convenient location. I don’t recall the specifics, however, I believe the corporation was judged, in court, liable for not providing sufficient warning of the hot contents, and the potential for injury. You will notice the warning labels on virtually any-and-all coffee cups…the printing, no doubt, adds to the final costs of just about any liquid which, in the hands of Darwin Award contestants, could prove injurious.
As I pointed out previously, Silly, the respondents to the subject under discussion are either “on board” with respect to leting kids know who’s in charge, or we’re seeing the writings of those who think/wish they had control of their kids’ actions.
Either way, the blame game, as I highlighted with my little story about hot coffee in the hands of idiots, has been a part of the American fabric for a long long time; it’s probably going to take at least that long…if ever…to reverse the trend. Meanwhile, it’s up to parents, like you, to set that trend reversal into practice. Good luck and Godspeed!
Teacher, Too
June 28th, 2010
3:32 pm
I went to McDonald’s today. I had a small hamburger and a small fry. I loved every bit of it. Then, I got on the tread mill to work it off. I hadn’t been to McDonald’s in at least six months.
When I was in college, I went to McDonald’s every day for lunch. Had the same thing then that I had today. I walked everywhere, though. I walked from my apartment to the university. From the university to McDonald’s, etc… I kept my weight pretty even from all the walking. Imagine that.
Ole Guy, seriously
June 28th, 2010
4:47 pm
Upon realization that said remarks were completely (I am at a loss for nice Sunday-type words) stupid, the writer takes refuge in the “I was just kidding” cover.
Ole Guy the writer of the remarks knew BEFOREHAND they were in jest, making the point that if someone thought they WERE legitimate, it would show just HOW FAR GONE we are in the blame the teacher game.
Sorry you didn’t get it until OTHERS had to point it out to you.
Try to keep up, Ole Guy; you’re embarrassing yourself
Educator for Life
June 28th, 2010
9:44 pm
It is really some ignorant bloggers on here. Stop placing the blame on others and take responsibility for your actions (or lack thereof) at home. Yes, some of you on here are not really parents because YOUR children tell you what they want, not ask you. “Boo Hoo, McDonald’s is causing my child to be fat and have rotten teeth. Boo Hoo, the lunches at school are healthy enough”. Please, show your child the birth certificate to see who the parents are and fix your child’s lunch everyday. Man, this is crazy! Kinda reminds me of kids wearing baggy pants. Umm, who in the heck bought the pants? The immature parents.
Ole Guy
June 28th, 2010
9:59 pm
Accountability, lighten up, for cryin out loud! We can bat this ping pong ball back and forth till the air is gone. The mere fact that you insist on pursuing this point tells a story about your self-doubt. It is indeed shameful that grown adults become so side-tracked on issues so superflous as this.
As I recall, the issue under public discussion centers on the role fast food, and fast food marketing tactics, play on youth. Whereas parental influence, in kids’ choices of diet, plays a large role, ultimately, in the health and well-being of youth, it would appear that all-too-many parents take a completely hands-off approach in guiding their kids’ decisions.
I don’t know about you, Accountability, but I think this is an extremely critical factor in the health and viability of our future movers, doers, and shakers…certainly far more critical than tryin to get the last word in on clarity of expression.
Rachael
June 29th, 2010
1:39 pm
I agree that, to an extent, the public has fallen into a pattern of blaming others for their own poor health choices. HOWEVER, I feel that the points made in this article are economically biased. There is a clear connection between economic status and obesity. This is because fresh, wholesome foods are much more expensive than the crap you can buy at the local McDonald’s. Also, students on free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs are required to eat the food served at schools because that is the only food they will receive for those two meals. Their parents can’t afford to tell them “no” because if they do their children won’t eat. Similarly the time, money, and effort it takes to take the bus to the grocery store, buy healthy food, and then carry it home and cook it simply isn’t feasible for many low-income families. At McDonald’s you can feed your hungry teenager all the food they can eat in a matter of minutes for about $5. While this is clearly not McDonald’s fault, it does reveal a break-down in our social system when it comes to the health and nutrition of our country’s youth. It isn’t, however, just a matter of “saying no”.
Rachael
June 29th, 2010
1:50 pm
I agree that Americans, in general, are too quick to push blame on fast food chains and anyone but themselves when it comes to their own poor eating habits. HOWEVER, I find the arguments in this article to be economically biased. It’s easy to pass on fast food and pack a school lunch when you have the resources to do so. However it’s important to consider those students on free/reduced price breakfast and lunch programs. These students are required to eat their breakfast and/or lunch at the school because their parents can’t afford to just “pack the child a lunch”. Thus these students are condemned to the high calorie, high fat, and high sodium fried crap served in public schools. Similarly the time and money involved in taking the bus (because not all of us are lucky enough to have a car) to the grocery store, buying healthy food, carrying it home, and then cooking it is prohibitive for many low-income families. Healthy food is expensive. It is much easier and cheaper to walk down the street to the McDonald’s where you can feed your hungry teenager all they can eat for less than $5. While I agree this is not McDonald’s fault, it does shed light on a social problem that is much more complex than simply saying “no”.
Rachael
June 29th, 2010
2:03 pm
Whoops! Sorry I thought my first comment hadn’t gone through.
Maureen Downey
June 29th, 2010
2:06 pm
@Rachael, The filter on this blog is automated and routinely withholds legitimate posts for reasons unclear to me. I try to go in every 20 minutes when I am on the computer and liberate people. That is why you have two posts appearing here.
Maureen
Jasmine
July 1st, 2010
8:36 pm
I disagree on the school lunch thing – schools should be caring for the children wholistically, including what they’re eating. However, I totally agree that parents need to man up and learn to say no to their kids once in a while. Here’s the blog I wrote about the very same McDonald’s issue: http://urbansuburbanfamily.squarespace.com/home/2010/6/28/mcdonalds-toy-scandal-enough-already.html
Happy reading!
Parental responsibility, not McDonald’s lawsuit, the answer – Jackson Clarion Ledger | Fab Fast Food
July 5th, 2010
10:34 am
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