Thursday, September 3, 2015

#NaBloPoMo #septemberchallenge 3 - Lessons

NaBloPoMo 
September 2015   Everyday Gyaan

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. ;)

5 comments:

  1. :-) LuAnn, my school memories are nothing like schools today! I was laughing at your reference to Stepford!

    My son would insist on taking something that is "easy to eat, non-messy and quick" so that boiled down to veggie mixed dough flattened into Indian flatbread or rotis, rice dumplings and "dosas" :) He would occasionally carry sandwiches but didn't prefer them as there would be nothing left for lunch. Quite a few schools are trying to set up canteens these days to provide healthy hot lunches.

    I loved your post!

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    1. So true, Vidya! Those 'sack lunches' have a way of not making it to lunch! And I'm so glad someone got my 'Stepford' reference! :O)

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  2. I think I agree with you, LuAnn. As one eminent professor in India said, in many of the International schools, even the football fields must be airconditioned! That's because the buses and the classrooms are too. Parents pay huge fees and the children turn out to be snobs!

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    1. A/C on the football field, eh, Corinne? That's a new one on me! :O)

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  3. I do not have any memories about lunch at school, because I used to be home from school by lunch time :) Heee...

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