As a 2nd grade teacher at a Title 1 school, I am afforded the opportunity to witness many students coming to school hungry. Over half of our school consists of low income families and living in under privileged communities. As an educator, I have come to the conclusion that if our students continue to come to school and leave hungry everyday, there is a possibility that a student's academic success will be hindered.
I remember last year, I had a student that always asked if I had any breakfast leftovers or could they take a candy bar home during dismissal time. After a while I asked, "Why do you always have to have a snack during dismissal?" My student's reply, "We don't have anything at home to eat." At that moment, I knew it was time to research a plan of intervention to ensure all students are fed and academic successful.
As a problem solver I want to implement ways how a student will have enough to eat when they come into their learning environment. First, I would contact the school counselor and relay the issue and will wait for them to get back with me on how they can assist. I would then suggest to incorporate a health talk every morning in my own classroom. Through health talk, I will share the importance of eating three meals a day along with snacks. Students will watch videos and complete worksheets and activities that depict the topic of how important it is to eat.
While I wait for the counselor and their team to give me further instructions, I would contact the cafeteria manager to see if they have any extra granola bars or any other healthy snacks they could spare for a stash in my classroom. In addition, I would close monitor that specific child that is always hungry and try my best to assist them until I receive further instructions from administration.
According to hungerinourschools.org, (2015) a teacher suggested that he created a morning assignment for an entire week for students to journal the meals they had eaten the night before and before they arrived to school. Through this journal activity, this specific teacher was able to view what students are eating on a consistent basis.
References
Hungerinourschools.org (2015). Retrieved from http://hungerinourschools.org/
Phyllis,
ReplyDeleteYou tackled an issue that is very near and dear to my heart. Most of my teaching experiences have been in low income and poverty stricken schools. I currently teach preschool in a school with 85-90% percent of our students experiencing poverty.
I love your idea of having Health talks with your students on a daily basis. Oftentimes, we cannot control what children are receiving in their homes as far as food and nutrition information so it is important to "arm them", so to speak, with that knowledge so they can begin to advocate for themselves as we assist them in getting enough food to eat.
At my school, our school clinic keeps additional food, juice, and milk stocked for any students that may need it in the morning. Although our breakfast ends at 8:30 am, we never turn away students who come in late who have expressed hunger and/or lack of breakfast and we send them to the clinic to get something to eat. However, these efforts would not possible if it wasn't for our strong administration, office staff, cafeteria staff, and clinic staff. Our teachers are also wonderful because most of them keep a stash of snacks in their own classrooms realizing this is a need for our students.
Our school counselor also participates with two area churches that provide non-perishable food for families that wish to sign up and those families receive that extra food weekly to bi-weekly.
Once children's bodies are properly fed, only then can their minds be fed.
Nicki
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ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on my posting on childhood obesity. I also enjoyed reading your posting. on poverty. It clearly reminds me of my school where 75% of the school population are on reduced or free lunch. Teaching in a title 1 school has its own challenges and I think it requires a great person like you. to meet those challenges. Congratulations, you are doing a great job. Looking closely at obesity and poverty, do you think that they can be linked together? One of the research claimed that poverty can contribute to young child eating problems which tends to promote obesity. What are your thoughts?
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