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The more I think about this thread the more I remember all the papers I signed off on promising that my kids would indeed do the work and yes, they did do that work. This happened more in secondary schools then elementary. Most of the AP and honor classes have summer assignments and parents as well as students have to sign off that they will do them.
Our district does not provide instruments to students, with the exception of large marching instruments like tuba's and yes, we signed off all the time that the kids did practice. It's pretty darn common for kids to say they practiced when they didn't. Hopefully the parents will not sign if they didn't really do the practice.
Interesting POV. I don't know that I agree with you that *most* people send their kids to public school to learn how to "think like the herd", "go with the herd", but you are entitled to your opinion on that.
I may not have been clear. I didn't mean to imply that you send kids to public school to attain a herd mentality. I meant to imply that in order to implement the programs to herds of kids it's one size fits all. Don't be offended by the schools herd mentality. If you don't want government programs to influence your life then don't sign up for them. Public school is funded by the government and implements programs you obviously don't agree with. That's obviously going to be a problem.
Singling out your child because you don't agree when you signed them up for it will only hurt the child. If you are adamant about it then don't put them in the public school system. But rocking the boat isn't going to help the child. Just make them a difficult child with difficult parents in the eyes of the school.
They teach hundreds of kids. You really have to give in to the herd mentality before you enter the herd or you might not benefit from it. It's a choice to join it in America. No use fighting a system that is simply a choice. Sometimes it can work to your advantage going with the herd if you are in it.
Sounds like you are fighting the system. That isn't going to help your child after you've signed them up to use it.
You might want to just teach your child tolerance and explain that it's a general program and not suppose to specifically offend her or you. That is the herd mentality. Enough kids needed it so that it was implemented. Just do it and don't get all riled up about it. Don't take it personally. That would benefit her more, IMO.
The more I think about this thread the more I remember all the papers I signed off on promising that my kids would indeed do the work and yes, they did do that work. This happened more in secondary schools then elementary. Most of the AP and honor classes have summer assignments and parents as well as students have to sign off that they will do them.
Our district does not provide instruments to students, with the exception of large marching instruments like tuba's and yes, we signed off all the time that the kids did practice. It's pretty darn common for kids to say they practiced when they didn't. Hopefully the parents will not sign if they didn't really do the practice.
I did as well. You have to roll with it, no reason to fight it and make a fuss. It's there for those who need a bit of help. I never minded signing off on nightly reading. I didn't think they thought we didn't ever read.
But, I did know that some kids needed to have their parents address reading so it was for them but in a public school setting we all had to participate. No biggie.
After all stats were showing how many kids couldn't read by graduation. I understand why they did it. Same with children's diets now, I can see why they have to address it. Doesn't mean they think all parents withhold veggies.
Last edited by PoppySead; 10-15-2012 at 08:26 PM..
ETA: the only instruments the school provides are the ones too large to lug back and forth from school. The orchestra or band student must still have one at home, and the schools do not provide the smaller ones. Even the basic recorders the students start out with are purchased by the parent.
My wife's district was 90%+ Free and Reduced Lunch. They would not have had an orchestra program if the district did not provide the instruments. For double bass, students would keep one at home and one at school. All the other instruments had to be brought home every day; in some cases the students shared instruments and rotated who got to take one home to practice.
Ani, since you and I no longer have school age kids, you may have missed what's been going on in public school cafeteria's in the last 2 years. If you do some research, you'll see what the problem is.
Mrs. Obama and the federal government have drastically altered the school lunch programs in public schools across the nation.
The program is not going well. At first these changes were just thrust on the kids without any education or explanation in many cases.
Because so many are now in an uproar, Mrs. Obama is championing an educational effort like the one our OP describes.
What they basically did was put the cart before the horse.
Cafeteria workers and managers I know are just livid. Kids are blaming them and I am told, are wasting TONS of food, especially expensive fresh fruit, in protest and because they don't the low calorie choices being served.
Sure, it's a "well-intentioned" program, and I agree we have an obesity problem in our country and need to address it...But like many liberal agendas, this one was just not well thought out or executed.
Agree.
Quote:
For many students, L.A. Unified's trailblazing introduction of healthful school lunches has been a flop. Earlier this year, the district got rid of chocolate and strawberry milk, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, nachos and other food high in fat, sugar and sodium. Instead, district chefs concocted such healthful alternatives as vegetarian curries and tamales, quinoa salads and pad Thai noodles. [b]Participation in the school lunch program has dropped by thousands of students.
If I was a drug dealer, I'd drop the drugs and park my car outside the schools and sell what they want to eat. What could I be arrested for, pushing potato chips?
Nobody voted for Mrs Obama.
Last edited by toobusytoday; 10-17-2012 at 08:05 AM..
Reason: link and snippet (three sentences please)
Our kids are getting fatter every year; if we don't change SOMETHING, nearly 60% will be obese in next 20 years. Why is is MY business if YOUR kid is obese? I will be shouldering his/her healthcare costs because the premiums only the obese pay will not cut it.
The school lunch calorie retriction tried to target this. The notion was school lunch programs would choose healthier foods to reduce caloric content. What our school did was simply serve less of the same crappy food to meet the calorie restriction, i.e. 1 slimy hotdog on high carb bun instead of 2.
Our kids are getting fatter every year; if we don't change SOMETHING, nearly 60% will be obese in next 20 years. Why is is MY business if YOUR kid is obese? I will be shouldering his/her healthcare costs because the premiums only the obese pay will not cut it.
The school lunch calorie retriction tried to target this. The notion was school lunch programs would choose healthier foods to reduce caloric content. What our school did was simply serve less of the same crappy food to meet the calorie restriction, i.e. 1 slimy hotdog on high carb bun instead of 2.
The problem here is that obesity will not be changed by giving kids at school a single healthy meal, especially when they are going to throw most of it away.
The problem is in the homes and life environment with what the parents feed their kids.
A 10 year old does not do the food shopping for the household or decide what's for dinner or where to eat on the weekends.
But the schools cannot get into the homes to educate the parents.
Received a paper today the school sent by my GD in second grade. It's a Fruit and Vegggie Tally Chart. We're supposed to make a mark for each helping of fruit and veg she eats each day for a month. And get this - at the bottom is a statement saying the info is true with our signature beside it! Are they going to get us for child abuse if there's not enough marks??? Where does the school get off keeping track of what I feeds my kids? Are they underweight? Sickly looking? Act ravenous? What's the real reason of keeping tabs on kids food? I'd hoped not to get into politics, but it's pretty obvious Gov-Co wants to tell us what to do in the privacy of our home and have power over that too. Not if I can help it! Think my kids are being abused? Come in and take a look in my cupboards and fridge, but don't think I'm going to bow to pressure that you don't have any right to assert. This is the kind of thing we've been fighting for four years now - loss of our fundamental freedoms. The very audacity is mind-boggling and I won't stand for it! And you shouldn't either. Let's stand up to so-called Big-brother and let them know we won't give up our rights to our Constitutional freedoms and to keep their nose out of our business!
The problem here is that obesity will not be changed by giving kids at school a single healthy meal, especially when they are going to throw most of it away.
The problem is in the homes and life environment with what the parents feed their kids.
A 10 year old does not do the food shopping for the household or decide what's for dinner or where to eat on the weekends.
But the schools cannot get into the homes to educate the parents.
You are correct; schools can't get into the homes and educate the parents. But as a parent who DOES make good choices and is trying to teach my kids good food choices, I personally am glad the school lunches have finally gotten healthier. Last year, on many mornings the choices for breakfast was a packaged chocolate chip muffin or high sugar yogurt. The parents who are complaining about this years' lunches and saying the schools shouldn't be legislating healthy meals don't seem to consider those of us who WANT healthier choices for our kids.
The new lunch limits allow plenty of calories, and quite frankly too much sodium.
Our kids are getting fatter every year; if we don't change SOMETHING, nearly 60% will be obese in next 20 years. Why is is MY business if YOUR kid is obese? I will be shouldering his/her healthcare costs because the premiums only the obese pay will not cut it.
The school lunch calorie retriction tried to target this. The notion was school lunch programs would choose healthier foods to reduce caloric content. What our school did was simply serve less of the same crappy food to meet the calorie restriction, i.e. 1 slimy hotdog on high carb bun instead of 2.
It's not just food. A lot of it is that kids don't run around anymore. Some schools are eliminating recess. Many are shortening lunches. Parents are too afraid that their kids are going to get kidnapped to let them go outside, and kids would rather play video games than run around. I grew up in the 90's, and most of the kids grew up eating very similarly to how kids are eating today. We ate junk food all the time. However, hardly anyone was overweight. The difference was that we ran around for most of the day.
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