#NaBloPoMo #septemberchallenge 3 - Lessons

 

Thursday, September 3, 2015

What is/was your favourite thing to pack for school lunch?

~~~oOo~~~

OK.  Like I can remember back that far.  Literally, the only thing I can remember about school lunch (from my own school days) is when they started to have a 'salad bar' option in high school.

Our two sons spent at least a year or two in public school before we started homeschooling them, and our daughter has always been homeschooled.  About the only thing I remember from the school lunches, etc., for the boys was the hubbub about 'pink slime' - which is I suppose whatever they tried to pass off as ground beef.

But why should the subject of school lunch be any less political than the rest of public education?

• When I started grade school, children brought home-baked cakes or cupcakes to school for their class on their birthdays.  Do that these days and CPS (Child Protective Services) will show up at your door.
• Peanut butter and jelly was a perfectly acceptable option for sack lunches.  These days, schools actively discourage these because some children have virulent nut allergies.  (OK.  I can see that one.)
• My high school had rows of soda machines and a 'snack bar' with potato chips and candy bars.  It brought in income for the school.  These days, you'd probably be lucky to find anything like that.

And since this post is shorter than normal for me, I'm going to allow myself a wee 'school rant'.

No, not a "I used to walk uphill to school both ways in the snow" kind of thing.  (Although, I did walk to school in sandals one day and walked the mile and a quarter home in two feet of snow.)  Bear with me, please.

Is it me, or do schools seem more and more intent these days on turning out good little Stepford citizens than on developing the intellects and creativity of the students over whom they have charge?  These students' scores are lower in math and engineering than those in another country, so lets take away their art and music instruction, and recess, so they can concentrate on academics.

I'm not knocking math.  I liked math.  (Yes, I was weird that way.)  I was good at it.  In college I tutored other students in their various math subjects.

But I don't think the way to provide a 'better life' to someone is by taking away some of the very things that make life worth living!

And, again, I'm not knocking teachers.  I think there ought to be a line item in the application for sainthood that gives extra credit to anyone with teaching experience.

I'm knocking the treating students, especially in the younger years as pint-sized 'future employable units'.  They are children.  Let them be children.  Let them run and play and fingerpaint in addition to the "3 R's" (reading, writing and 'rithmatic - 3 words that start with the "r" sound).  That is the way to foster a life-long love of learning.

I could go on (believe me, I could).  But I'll stop there.  For now.

As for our 'school lunches' on our homeschool days?  They look a lot like our lunches on our non-school days.  So if you happen to be visiting and survived the rant above, maybe give me suggestions for new lunches to try?

Thanks for visiting.  Have a great day!  Learn something new. ;)