More than academics?

As we have seen both in class and witnessed in our own lives, the roles and responsibilities of schools and educators as a whole have transformed over the years. In the past, schools were responsible for educating students and making sure they had learned the information and skills they would need to succeed in their next level of education, and in the jobs that they would eventually have. Today, schools seem to have a more influential role in making sure that students are learning the content of their academic subjects, but they are also monitoring how students are doing in other areas of their lives; including their mental and physical health. I do not necessarily believe that this is a negative thing, but I do think that it is ultimately the parent’s responsibility to monitor the health and well-being of their children.
It is my belief that one reason this transformation may be occurring is because of the general “breakdown of family” crisis that seems to be happening more and more in our society. Unfortunately, it appears that children are spending a lot of time on their own or being “babysat” by television, video games and the computer. They seem to be missing that parental involvement and attention that is so important throughout childhood and adolescence, and also the physical activity where they just go out and “play”. Parents/guardians who do not necessarily have the time or energy to educate their children on the importance of being healthy are leaving it up to the schools to teach their children how to make healthy choices.
I do believe that certain aspects regarding children’s health are within the jurisdiction of the schools. In regards to school nutrition and obesity, I think that it is the school’s responsibility to serve healthy meals that follow nutritional guidelines. This becomes difficult when you take into account that a large percentage of students are part of the free or reduced lunch programs, because healthy food costs more and is more difficult to keep fresh. In Celeste’s presentation she told us that the government reimbursement does not cover the complete cost of most school lunches, and also “It’s being projected that an increase of 1.5% of families will be in need of school lunch programs” (School Lunch Programs Hit Hard by Food Prices, 7/9/08). Unfortunately, this is something that will only continue to be an issue as the economy continues to suffer.
Schools also have the responsibility to provide ample time, especially for younger students, to get outside for recess. According to the article Children’s Lack of Playtime Seen as Troubling Health, School Issue, Michael Thompson says that “forty percent of elementary schools now offer less than twenty minutes of recess in a six-hour school day”(Education Week, 12/3/08). I agree with Amanda in that there are many things that teachers can do to allow students to move around and be active in the classroom, but they still need to have that “free-time” during recess to have uninterrupted exercise, as well as time to socialize with their peers. This continues to be an important issue, especially when schools are beginning to reduce or cut physical education time in order to provide more time for classroom instruction.
Vaccinations are another health issue that has become more of a school “responsibility” than in the past. As Ria talked about in her presentation, it is difficult to keep track of the immunization records that are not complete. I believe that it is the responsibility of the parent to make sure that their child is ready for school, and this includes having certain immunizations. I think that it is great that she provides the information for parents as to where they can go to get the free vaccines, but do not think that schools need to start providing the actual service of giving the shots.
Overall, I believe that parents have the ultimate responsibility for their children’s health, but schools do have certain obligations that they should adhere to, because students do spend a lot of time in school. Schools should care that they are providing not only for an education in school subjects, but also the whole child.