Lunch Time Position Paper
Sharley Wade
Pierce College
Health and Fitness
Davida Sharpe-Haygood
Lunch time is a time to take a break from the day and recharge for the rest of the day. In elementary schools it is also a time to meet up with your friends and socialize. Lunch time is not only time to eat. It is important for the mental, social, and emotional health of the children as well. Children need them chance to unwind and destress, which is promoted by socializing with friends. “Lunch should be an enjoyable part of the school day for students, offering a break from classroom work and a place to relax, socialize, and become nourished.”("The Cafeteria: Creating a Positive Mealtime Experience", 2013) Lunch time should be done in a setting where
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children are free to sit with their peers and socialize with them, not sitting in front of a television in a classroom in silence. Lunchtime silence is a form of shaming students.
“The shamed child is unlikely to reflect on whether and why her behavior was wrong; more likely, she will conclude, “I must have done wrong because you think I did.” The adult’s judgment overwhelms whatever proclivities she might have for independent assessment of the situation.” ("Student discipline: The shame of shaming", 2017) Lunchtime silence has been used at schools as a form of punishment for the students, however, instead of a teachable moment it become uncorrelated. The child cannot understand that they have to suffer a silent lunch because of disruptive behaviour in the classroom. Using silent lunches shames the students and creates the idea that they must be bad students, which is why they are being punished. Although it is used in some schools as a punishment, it is also used in some schools as a means to force children to eat their lunch. Forcing a silent lunch for either reason is demeaning and shaming for students. The students are not prisoners and should not be treated as such with shaming tactics and punishment portrayed as enforcing good behaviors. Lunchtime silence is unethical because it creates a shaming environment for
students. Lunchtime silence in the classroom watching television has a more negative effect than just classroom silence. Research has shown us that eating in front of a television creates negative stimulation which affects how much we eat. We become out of tune with our bodys and are less likely to self regulate our eating. “Experimental studies in adults suggest that allocation of attention on tasks such as video games or TV while eating may disrupt the ability to regulate energy intake and promote overeating (4-8).” (FRANCIS & BIRCH, 2006) Based on the studies, it has shown that watching television while eating has the opposite effect on children. “The results on children’s attention allocation during meals showed that children were fixated with the TV 93% of the time during lunch meals, and 96% of the time during snacks; thus, children were actively engaged with the TV program. And intake was significantly higher in the no TV condition than in the TV condition for both snack and lunch” (FRANCIS & BIRCH, 2006) This is an important reason why children should not be allowed to watch television during meal times. It negatively impacts their ability to self regulate. Young children especially have not yet fully developed the ability to block out stimulus and focus on what they are doing at the same time. Therefore, they cannot focus on eating and watching television at the same time. The studies suggest that instead of eating, they are watching the television, which defeats the purpose of having them sit in silence and watching television. Therefore, children should not be forced to watch television during meal times. Lunchtime is an important factor of children’s social development. Eating in silence prohibits this socialization and is hindering the students social growth. Children engage in extended conversations on topics of their own choosing, learn about small talk and share enjoyable experiences, plan activities together with friends and acquaintances and support each other when life is not so rosy, develop early forms of social capital and learn the give and take of social relationships. School lunchtimes therefore offer a wealth of social, emotional and moral opportunities (Ed Baines, Peter Blatchford, 2012) Children need these opportunities for free socializations without the fear of being penalized by teachers. Students are not allowed to talk during class times, so the only time they have to socialize on their own terms is a t lunch time. By refusing this free social time, we then forc the children to get their socialization out at inappropriate times, such as during a lesson. If we want to reduce this behaviour we have to give them other opportunities to socialize that are appropriate, such as lunchtime. Lunchtime is essential to the mental, social and emotional health of all the students, therefore, it is necessary to offer an open lunchtime free of silence. Children will never learn how to manage their time to eat and still have time to talk to their friends if we force silence upon them. Children will never learn to self regulate their eating if we trap them in front of a television and force silence upon them. Children will never know how to destress and unwind to prepare for the rest of the day with the constant pressure silent forced eating apples. Children are not prisoners that need to be forced to eat, to be forced into silence, to be forced into seclusion. Children need the opportunities to learn and grow. Eating lunch in a cafeteria where they are free to solicilize gives them this opportunity. Let the children be children and give them back their lunchtime. References A. (2013). The Cafeteria: Creating a Positive Mealtime Experience. Retrieved May 6, 2018, from https://www.aota.org/Practice/Children-Youth/Mental Health/School-Mental-Health.aspx Student discipline: The shame of shaming. (2017, October 23). Retrieved from http://www.kappanonline.org/goodman-the-shame-of-shaming/ FRANCIS, L. A., & BIRCH, L. L. (2006, April). Does Eating during Television Viewing Affect Preschool Children’s Intake? Retrieved May 6, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2596580/ E. B., & P. B. (2012, July 24). Let's do (school) lunch: Lessons in social and emotional development can never replace the real thing. Retrieved May 6, 2018, from https://ioelondonblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/lets-do-school-lunch-lessons-in-social-and-emotional-development-can-never-replace-the-real-thing/
Schools are meant to give our children a healthy and nurturing environment, and yet so much of the lunches in schools are fattening; does this stop schools from achieving the aforementioned goal? Childhood obesity in the United Sates continues to be a growing problem despite so any new programs to help combat it, and new research is showing how schools may be playing a large role in childhood obesity. School lunches are showing to be the problem, they encourage poor nutrition in our nation’s students, and simple reform is proving to not be enough to stop the rise in obesity rates.
According to NPR it says that if kids get 20 minutes, they eat 35% less than kids with 25 minutes to eat. “Dedicating to little time for lunch leads to rapid eating which is not good for your health as doctor Patrick Serog told Le Figaro the French newspaper “when we eat quickly we don’t have time to feel satisfied.”
The intake of proper nutrients helps balance the maintenance of bodily functions; supporting the longevity of a healthy lifestyle. (Denton, Carolyn. “How does food Impact Health?” www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu). With constant technological advance in the world, it is important to become aware of how frequent the world changes daily in preparation for self-maturity. What is a more effective way to approach the real world than to have a direct experience? The researcher will address the topic on why community high schools in America should allow its students off campus during lunch. Allowing children to have a better lunch option could help educational strength as well as attend to other essential needs. (Anderson, Melinda. “Do healthy lunches
This will give us the extra push that's needed so the lunch expansion won't be a problem. You’ll still be getting your education and also being provided with more than enough time to devour your delicious lunch meals. Teachers may think this is a great idea. However, students will not want to read a book or do any assignments in this period of time. The hour of lunch should be about eating and eating only. Reading a book will not harm you what so ever. It will only make you better.
“More than a third of the county's children are overweight or obese.”(Gustin, 1). As shocking as this is, it's true. One of the big reasons that children and teens are overweight is because of the foods that they eat. They are fed these fattening and unhealthy foods by the school system. Their futures can be changed if we change our choices. Having more nutritious lunches can have a positive impact on the health of American teens.
Lunch is one of the most important meals of the day and is consumed mostly in school cafeterias for children and adolescence. Wholesome lunches are vital in maintaining a healthy metabolism and give children energy for the rest of the school day. Children are advised to eat healthily but do not always do so because the choices of tastier, fatty foods offered in school cafeterias. The National School Lunch Program, NSLP, which is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools set nutritious guidelines for lunches served in school cafeterias (USDA). However, school campuses still offer foods high in fat as well as selling candy, chips, and soda in their vending machines, as well as their school shops. In order
Wu, Sarah. Fed up with Lunch: How One Anonymous Teacher Revealed the Truth about School Lunches--and How to Change Them! San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2011. E
Not only could a longer lunch period allow students to spend more time with their family, but it would also allow students more time to work on schoolwork and retake tests. According to
During which case of responsibilities that some students have in that in any case leaves a good opportunity for any student to be responsible and get ahead and understand in what matters in any fact of having a nice time in understanding the responsibility of being in charge of something and taking care of it.For lunch time is a good time and enough time for these students to take care of their chores to take care of or as well as of any
2 out of 3 middle school student 's are obese or overweight due to eating the school lunches regularly. Based on the Unhealthy school lunches stats released by experts, kids who eat school lunches can have high cholesterol or LDL kids who bring their lunches with them have a lower chance of having high and bad cholesterol.This is important to middle schools where children become more independent. The choice that kids make about their eating habits at home and at school will expand and continue eating as much as they already have been going through life. People who eat school lunches are more likely to become obese. The student 's that eat two or more servings a day, like hot dogs or chicken daily, that will become a fatty meal. Student 's who eat 2 servings less of fruit everyday will not be healthy. One-third of all kids in the United States is obese or overweight. That means they are at a high risk of diabetes and heart attack when they get old. Student 's who eat
Once said by Benjamin Franklin, “Haste Makes Waste”. This quote says that trying to do something fast may not always give out a better result. Often putting time into things instead of pushing it all together gives more. This is relevant to the topic being discussed because even though schools think that if children have a shorter span of time to eat and more time for doing schoolwork, that they will learn more and benefit from it. This is not always the case, as studies have shown that given a longer lunch period could be advantageous. Having a longer lunch time gives more time for students to eat, get additional help from teachers, and unwind before class starts.
Why is this a problem? Cafeteria food is often cheap, bought in bulk, high in calories, malnutritious, and microwaved. Student polls and opinions prove this. Therefore, this leads to a suggestion: Healthier, tastier foods and a better, more advanced lunch system should be implemented. First of all, students aren’t motivated to eat unhealthy, not-tasty food.
Every student deserves to have some free time in lunch. “Many students may have only 10 to 15 minutes left to eat their meals”. This quote pertains that it takes students over 20 minutes just to get a decent lunch. This is a waste of time and energy because in those 20 minutes students can eat their lunch without any hurry and can also take care of any other important work such as making up any homework or test. This quote also describes that lunch is a break for students to chat with their friends and get fresh from all the ...
At the moment you’re probably wondering: “What is lunch club?”. Well… it’s basically the last thing you want to be in. Although it might sound fun and enjoyable… IT’S NOT! It is basically a detention, just in you class or quad.
However once you limit a students time, once they leave, find a place to eat, and actually eat they won't have time left during lunch to "goof off". Secondly, leaving school for lunch would help students by giving them a variety of choices. Eating school lunch often limits your food options. These foods the school serves could be non-appealing, unhealthy, or you may just dislike the food.