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Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

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Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#131

Post by gavinlynch »

unimpressive wrote: post #85
superuser2 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course, the justification wouldn't have been "her actions," but the reasoning would go something like this: 1. She is a student using personal electronics on school property during school hours without permission. This is explicitly disallowed in the handbook she and her parents would have been compelled to sign. This is not about food - she broke the rules. 2. That's great that she wants to be a journalist, but y…

The more conspiratorial side of me likes to think that school is a prison camp used by vested interests to teach American citizens from a young age that they have no rights and to stymie any sort of real intellectual development by providing large globs of homework and projects. But some people require more than the standard to weigh them down. Like in Harrison Bergerson.[0] And the only reason that they don't force…

Honestly, you're giving the entire institution of education waaaayyy too much credit. I think they're just trying to teach children with as little expense possible, in a way that panders to the lowest common denominator and what you see in public education today is the end result. Homework is just a happy byproduct of a poorly structured industry :p They can't be evil geniuses and inept at the same time can they? At least that's how I view it.

I think educational institutions attempt to shape young people in a way they imagine makes them contributing members of society.

At least, that was the starting point. What it has boiled down to (getting back to pandering to the lowest common denominator, the bad system structure in it's entirety and desire to spend the least amount of money + the fact that it's flipping hard to get kids to do what you want, ask a parent) is that they are now basically just hoping young people don't get into trouble. Just get through to college without ruining your life or the life of someone else, and hey.. maybe you'll even learn something.

This type of system doesn't breed the next Steve Jobs, but it probably does get a few extra kids of the street and maybe impart some knowledge.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#132

Post by cullen »

sukuriant wrote: post #22
cullen wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beat me to it. Agreed. There's no way we'd put up with that kind of insolence over here.

You know. I can read the arrogance in your statement, and I think that's exactly how the school would respond, with exactly that tone. I think that was your point. It's terrible that we would respond in such a way, rather than fixing our ways and feeding children a healthy lunch when they get the assisted lunch plan (this is often given to kids that honestly cannot afford other food, and may be their only real meal o…

You nailed it. Of course all usual caveats apply. I won't be surprised to find a few excellent schools out there; but, I expect them to be the exception, not the rule. Education in this country is a national disgrace. Have kids? Get yourself on the local school board.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#134

Post by tjpick »

hack_edu wrote: post #42
tjpick wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Preparing and cooking fresh food requires much, much more effort than prepared packaged foods. Microwavable or similarly low/zero-prep food products. Microwaving corn on the cob is pretty much as low effort as it gets.

Someone has to remove the husk, de-hair it first, and chop it to size, not to mention dress it with butter or etc. Each single one. Compare that to the amount of effort it takes to microwave a 20lb bag of creamed corn that is already dressed, and ready to be scooped onto a plate. Go inside a small kitchen at 4pm or so and watch the amount of effort it takes to even chop onions in preparation for dinner service.

No you don't. You take the whole thing, with the husk on, and microwave it. Then you give it to the kid, and they pull the husk off, eat it, and throw the husk and cob into the compost bucket.

If you are worried about healthy meals, you probably don't put butter on it at all.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#136

Post by swah »

superuser2 wrote: post #67
slantyyz wrote: post #2

I get the impression that had she been American, the school would have suspended her for her actions.

Of course, the justification wouldn't have been "her actions," but the reasoning would go something like this: 1. She is a student using personal electronics on school property during school hours without permission. This is explicitly disallowed in the handbook she and her parents would have been compelled to sign. This is not about food - she broke the rules. 2. That's great that she wants to be a journalist, but y…

Appreciate the freedom you guuys have to homeschool your kids. In my contry, parents that didn't enlist their children into schools have gone to jail.
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