Whose job is it?

Throughout every presentation we kept hearing about how we as teachers, nurses, administrators, etc. are continually doing the job of parents. This is especially apparent when discussing health issues. As a teacher I try to remember several things. First, the way I live my life and what I expect is not the same as every family I work with. I think this is important because different cultures view things differently. In some cultures, their traditional foods are fattening or the larger you are, the higher your status. This is not the general case in America or in our society, but it still affects some of the students we are teaching. The second thing I try to think of always, is the type of example I am setting for my children. The article about the Oregon teachers and the junk food controversy really points out how we want to preach one thing and often do another. We are such large influences in our children's lives, and we need to be setting the best example we can at all times. The obesity rates Amanda showed in her presentation were alarming. And they are on the rise each year!! I send home a newsletter every other week, and I included Amanda's resource book- Eat This, NOT That! as a suggestion for parents to pick up. Do I feel as if it is my responsibility to feed these children, and make sure each health issue is addressed? No. But I do think I can do all that I can by setting a good example and dropping subtle hints to families about healthy living. If it even makes a small difference, maybe we can see those obesity rates and life expectancy rates for the future change for the better. 

Health Issues

Citizens of today’s society have been hood winked. Our freedoms are slowly being taken away from us and we don’t even realize it. The reason for this is…we are being told it’s to protect us, it’s in our best interest, and it’s healthier for us. Blah, blah, blah. Even being responsible for ourselves is being snatched away as we move through our daily lives, by government, insurance companies, and yes ladies and gentleman…school districts.
Even choices during school lunches are diminishing and it’s not just affecting students, it’s now affecting faculty. In the article, “Federal Bill Targets Junk Food in Schools”, the government is now structuring a bill to eliminate vending machines in schools in an effort to possibly curb obesity in students, to provide them with healthy choices and basically take the responsibility for their bodies away from them. How do they explain the lack of exercise provided during the school day? Children are becoming more obese because they no longer know how to play, they are secluded by parents fears of bad neighbors/neighborhoods, video games, email, internet, etc. and even the elimination of recess/gym periods, as mentioned in the article “Facing Up to the Obesity Problem”, published in Edweek in their February publication. Is it truly the food or the lack of activity that is causing health concerns in today’s youth/society?
We have become a society of followers instead of leaders. Decisions are being made for us, we are being told what to eat, not eat and when we do something wrong instead of taking responsibility for our actions we look for someone else to blame. Why didn’t society protect me from myself?
I believe we are well intentioned. We want to do good; protect children the best we can, but in doing so we are educating our children to be irresponsible and dependent on society. Give the responsibility back to the parents where it belongs even if they fail, remove the burden from the teachers and the schools for the well being (health wise) of their students. Teachers have enough to do without burdening them with health issues too.

Did it start with free breakfast?

This week we discussed many different health issues that are being faced every day by our children. Some health issues that our children are facing include Childhood Obesity and Nutrition. As we were discussing the topics we kept referring to parent’s responsibilities. I feel that every day we educators are taking more and more of a parental role than ever seen before.
As I discussed this topic with my peers at work this week, we keptreferring to the same thing time and time again. They feel that theynoticed the biggest shift from parent responsibility to teacher responsibility occurred with the inclusion of free breakfast to students. The teachers said that before this occurred they could remember how actively involved all parents were, but once the free breakfast started parents started showing less and less. Also if they had food for their child, they would just send the child to school early so that the child was out of their hair earlier.
Over the years we have seen a huge increase in the amount of students who are obese. I believe this is a direct connection to the children now eating twice a day at the school. As stated in the article StudiesSuggest School Cafeterias Still Need to Trim the Fat showed this example“elementary school students were more likely to be overweight when their schools offered French fries or desserts more than once a week.” Every day at our schools the student’s lunch comes with some type of dessert, whether it’s a cookie, pudding or jello. If studies are showing this type of statistics why are we offering this type of food to our students?
So I believe that it is a joint responsibility on how poor our children’s shape is. If the schools had not started offering free breakfast I feelas though parents would be more responsible. At the same time we should be able to offer different programs for the needy and not have parents abuse the program meant to help others receive the nutrition they need to participate throughout a rigorous day of school.

Should we have to add one more thing to our to do list?

As a teacher you hold many responsibilities in taking care of your students and their education so should improving our students health care be added to the list? I think schools can help improve a students health but I don’t think they should be held responsible. Most eating habits are started at home, which then influence what they eat at schools. Just as teachers hold a role model position in learning I think they can hold the same position with health issues. They can mention in class different activities the students can do at home and then share stories about when they do something active and how much fun it was. When it is a nice day I always tell my students that part of their homework is to go outside and have fun! Then the next day I would ask who went outside and mention if I either took a walk or went bike riding in hopes it may give the ideas to try it themselves. I once told my students that I was going to take a day off one day because I was going to run a half marathon. We then talked about what a half marathon was and how long you have to run to complete one. The next day one of my students told me she was inspired to go jog a mile because if I was able to run 13 miles at my age then she should be able to jog a mile but she said she was surprised how difficult it was. So we can be an influence by role molding the behavior.
In the article from Edweekly “Oregon Teachers want a Bite from Forbidden Foods” it mentioned how teachers were petitioning to get junk food in the teachers lounge, even though the kids were restricted. I know how hard it is to get through the day without junk food but it’s important to follow through with what we tell the kids is good to do and do the same habits ourselves. In the article it even mentioned, "If we pass this law (allowing junk food in the teachers lounge), we are setting up teachers for accusations of hypocrisy”, which is true!
Part of being in a safe and welcoming environment is being in a healthy environment as well. One way is to eat healthier but there are other things you can do too. In the speech it mentioned how kids today have a lower life span then their parents and that obesity rate is three times higher then it was in the 1970’s. These facts just show that our kids not only need exercise but also education in how to be healthy. That is why health classes are important and even in science teaching them how their body works can start a lead to a healthier lifestyle. Just as it’s important in educating the students it’s also important to educate their parents when you can. During open house at the beginning of the year you can have a speaker come in and talk about the importance of vaccines and health insurance. In the article “Insurance Access Linked to Scores” in mentioned how students with health care improved reading scores on national assessment test. Yes, this could be a coincidence but think about it. Don’t you often feel like you function better when you are healthier than when you are sick. So just like us at work it’s just as important that the kids get the best opportunity to stay healthy. So I believe it’s not our sole responsibility in teaching kids to have a healthy lifestyle, but we can help it many little was throughout the day to lead them down the path of becoming healthier.

Shared Responsibility?

I think that several different issues and people come into play in this situation. The home life for many children is not always the most stable situation (ex. poor meal choices, no meal choices). So for these children the examples that they are following are more often than not, very negative. Often times for children with a poor home life, school is going to be the most stable situation for them. If the schools these children are attending are not setting a positive example like offering mini-donuts, or pop-tarts for the breakfast being served, children are going to think that all of these situations are okay to follow.

These foods that are being served in such large amounts in the schools are what I think are leading to such high obesity rates in our country. The article entitled Studies Suggest School Cafeterias Still Need to Trim the Fat showed this example “elementary school students were more likely to be overweight when their schools offered French fries or desserts more than once a week. Among middle and high school students, attending a school with vending machines stocked with junk food was associated with obesity.” I think this example showed that because the elementary students were offered those options in their lunches, that they ate it, but the middle and high schools students had options to choose from in their vending machines and may have opted to go with a “better choice”

The article “Oregon Teachers Want a Bite at Forbidden Junk Food” was very irritating to me. I agree with the teachers that said “As adults, teachers say, they should have the right to decide whether they want to gulp sugary sodas and munch snack foods” They should be able to eat and drink whatever they so choose, but the reality is they are the ones who really are setting an example for their students.I think that there is a time and place for everything, but maybe to set a positive example for their students, they should not be eating these "high-calorie snack foods" in front of them. “It’s not about treating teachers like kids. It’s about teachers being role models and creating a healthy environment for kids.” It may be a little extreme to be banning all high-calorie snacks from school property, but I do think that the teachers should have the option of choosing the snacks that they would like during their lunch time in the teacher break room.

I really think it comes down to this, any adult that has an active role in a child’s life is going to influence the decisions that they make, including the food that they choose to eat. It may not seem like the schools should be so involved but that is where children are spending a majority of their time.

Responsibilites

The issues of nutrition, obesity, and vaccinations are things we face everyday in the educational setting. As with many other issues, the school is gaining more responsibilities in the areas covered by Celeste, Amanda, and Ria. Not only are we to educate the children (and have them meet all state standards), we are to feed them (and sometimes dress them), be sure they are vaccinated, and give them ample opportunity for exercise and play. Such things used to be the responsibility of the parents and I believe they still are. Yet, we are in a time in which parents are often parenting alone, working long hours, struggling with finances, and/or not taking their parent-role seriously. Therefore, schools must come alongside the parents to educate them and their children and to provide an environment where health issues are addressed. The school health program supplements and reinforces parents' or guardians' efforts by encouraging students and parents to use health resoruces in the community to aid them in health decisions. In order for a school health program to be beneficial, the school, community, and the home must be involved in the arrangement.
Nutrition and obesity are issues that are interrelated. In an article entitled "Are Parents Repsonsible for Child Obesity" (www.ezinearticles.com), the blame for obesity lies within society. "Parents cannot watch their child twenty-four hours a day. It is impossible. The only thing that parents can do is to teach their children what a healthy diet consists of and hope that they will follow it." Cafeterias are also blamed as they provide junk food in efforts to increase their revenue. The multi-billion dollar industry of fast food is another part of our society, as are the "heat and eat" meals found in our groceries' freezers. Yet, it is the belief of the author of this article that the responsibility "ultimately falls upon the parents to provide healthy nutritional meals for their families when they sit down to evening dinner." Who sits down to an evening dinner anymore? The problem lies in the fact that our children are a reflection of what is acceptable in our adults. Obesity is a problem not just limited to children, but to our "responsible" adults as well.
Vaccinations to prevent communicable diseases should be required before the student enrolls in the public school setting. Our school is presently dealing with pertussis and the health department has become involved requesting shot records for four of our students. It is suspected that one student had not completed his vaccination series as required before entry into school. Our school nurse was just hired this school year and is responsible for students in grades PreK to 8, so she is overwhelmed at this time as she is now checking everyone's shot records and dealing with the health department. Parents must be held responsible for their child's health, including his/her vaccinations. Most school districts require proof of immunization before entry into school. "Infectious Disease, Vaccinations, Responsibility, and Irresponsibility" is an article that discusses parents who choose not to vaccinate their children (www.scienceblogs.com). "Parents who decline to vaccinate their children aren't just putting their own kids at risk, which is bad enough, but they're also putting other children at risk, which is unexcusable."
So, are the schools responsible for the nutrition, obesity, and vaccinations? No, ultimately, the parents are responsible. But we must be willing to work with parents, as a piece of the puzzle, and promote the well-being of our students.

Heathier school lunches

The role of our schools is to teach good health habits. How can we teach good nutrition in our classrooms and then send our students to the cafeteria to buy junk food? My friend is the head cook at one of our school cafeterias. When she questioned her boss about the sale of junk food, she was told that the cafeteria needed to be financially self-supporting; the sale of daily lunches does not bring in sufficient income to pay all of the cafeteria expenses, so added sales are needed. The article, “Studies Suggest School Cafeterias Still Need to Trim the Fat”, claims that school lunches are getting healthier. I would have to agree, at least on the elementary level in our district. Items that were once fried are now baked, and pizza is offered only once a week. Most often fresh fruit or unsweetened apple sauce is offered. However, that doesn’t mean students are eating them. When junk food is an option, many students opt to purchase those items and forego the healthy choices. Sometimes well-meaning parents, like me, do not even know what their child is buying for lunch. When I questioned my son about why he needed more lunch money when I had just put a deposit into his lunch account, he revealed he had been getting ice cream everyday along with his lunch. This was a few years ago; now, at his former elementary school, parents may put a junk food block on their child’s account. The school has a responsibility to teach good nutrition and to make choosing healthy foods for lunch easy for their students.

EDUCATION ON HEALTH ISSUES

Although the issues of obesity, nutrition and vaccinations have not been traditionally considered within the jurisdiction of the role of schools, I feel that schools need to be educating our children on these issues.

On the issue of vaccinations, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 20 states allow philosophical exemptions for those who object to immunizations because of a personal, moral or belief (Samuels, 2008). Legally, I agree with these states. Parents should have the right to withhold vaccinations from their children if they have concerns. There is controversy over many vaccinations, particularly the current HPV vaccination. Morally, it would be wrong for schools, or the government to make these types of vaccines mandatory. However, as with other communicable diseases, would a parent who denies vaccines for their children, be putting others at risk? Charlotte Vandervalk, an assembly woman for the state of New Jersey, says that many diseases have been eliminated through proper sanitation. She also says that it would be the child that does not have the vaccination who would be at risk for a disease, not the vaccinated child (Samuels, 2008). Her point is that if a parent chooses to take this risk, then that should be their legal right. I agree! Schools, however, could educate parents and children about the risks of not being vaccinated.

As for the nutrition and obesity issue being taken as the responsibility of schools, I would state that to some extent, these issues need to be addressed while children are in the care of schools. Proper nutritious food should be provided in schools, with junk food eliminated. However, it is not up to schools to police what food parents send with their children. This would violate their rights. However, schools can teach proper nutrition with the hope that educating children will lead to a change in behaviors. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the first way to help obese kids manage their weight is to meet with them once or twice a week, for six to 12 months, and to teach them about nutrition and exercise (Bell, 2009).

Finally, I am vehement about the rights of parents and their role as primary educators. As for those parents that usurp this responsibility, well, the only thing that schools can do is educate on these important issues.

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.

Health Issues, Who is responsible?

I don’t believe any one person is responsible for the obesity epidemic in this country. I believe schools and the parents play major roles in this. I think school districts need to make more an effort to control the nutrition and physical education factor within a school district. A report from Action Healthy Kids concludes that obese children have lower tests scores and academic deficiencies. You would think with how important test scores are in this country, we would jump at the opportunity to fix this problem. But when we need to cut something, physical education is amongst one of the first to go. Schools can only do so much, but they can do a lot. They have children 5 days a week 6 hours a day. Providing a well balanced meal, information on nutrition, and physical education should be sufficient. In 2007, Oregon passed a law restricting sale of soda, high calorie/fat foods in schools. I think this was a good start. However, the teachers are having a problem with this, because they have also been taken out of the teachers lounge. I think it is our job as a teacher to be role models and encourage our students to stray away from junk food and lean more towards something nutritious. However, if they want to snack on junk food on their break away from their students, I feel that they should be allowed. Now, what about the parents? Parents also need to be educated on nutrition. Literature should be sent home on nutrition.
As far as, immunizations, I believe it’s important for children to have them to attend school. I think it’s the parent’s responsibility to make sure their child is up-to-date. Schools should send home the information about the immunization and clinic information.

Health and Play

As teachers we are responsible to help the children grow. I feel that this doesn't stop with academics, we should contribute to helping with lifeskills too. The undertanding would be that this is a collaborative effort between schools and home. The parents have this same responsibility with the home life. Sometimes one end doesn't hold up their responsibility. But if both ends gives in then the kids have no support. As teachers we do our best to hold up our end and encourage parents to do the same. One way in with this happens is by helping the kids to learn to make good choices in relation to their health. By creating ways for the kids to build their own responsible habits we can help them to take care of themselves for life.
I was reading over our articles and the one that keeps jumping out at me is in regards to children and play, "Children's Lack of Playtime". I have been working with kindergarteners and preschoolers this year and the concept of time to play is always in the back of my mind. I think this free exploration time is so important to the development of the young. It can get overlooked at school due to the importance of standards and amount of time spent on classroom management in the young grades. It can get overlooked at home by parents overbooking their schedule with organized events or not helping to create the avenues for their free exploration. Academics and organized events are important for building skills, but they are still kids, right? This article discussed the importance of recess during the day and stated that "children tend to be even more active when they are initiating their own play." Creating their own fun and imaginative ways to be active will build these assets as interests that keep them moving.
Preparing children to make their own responsible choices will create values that stick with them for life. The article, Federal Bill Targets Junk Food in Schools, talks about take junk food completely out of schools. Is this really the way to be responsible teachers? I don't know that completely removing junk food is the best way to approach this issue. Then the students go home and can eat twice the amount they otherwise would have consumed. Or, like someone stated in class, they can bring in pop from home. Yes, what they do at home is the responsibility of parents. But while they are at school teachers can use this as a teachable moment. The article states that the typical school lunches are balanced, but kids replace the healthy items with sugar. Assuming this is correct, and the lunches are balanced, by teaching them to make good health choices they will instill life long values. Hopefully these values will help in the areas of obesity and other health concerns. (Attention: This is all assuming that the lunches are balanced, as the article states. Celeste pointed out in the class that this isn't always the case, which I agree with, but that is a different issue.)
Overall, I know it is so hard to fit all we need to do into the 6 hours the children are in school. But, by utilizing teachable moments, encouraging active lifestyles, and supporting good choices we can hopfully assist the students in creating healthy habits to stick with them for life. This is our way to contribute to their well-being, and lets hope that the homes will do the same. :)

Who is responsible

I think that the ideas of health, nutrition and obesity are necessary for the schools to evaluate and consider, but I'm not convinced that all of these issues are the responsibility of the school. Celeste and Amanda's presentations were in correlation to each other because I think that obesity and nutrition work hand in hand. The school plays a lead role in obesity(if applicable) and either poor or adequate levels of nutrition, in terms of what it offers students for breakfast and lunch. According to the class discussion, it seems many of the school offerings are poor substitutes for good food. So, yes, the schools (government) should be held accountable for what they feed the students while in the school building, but cannot be held liable for what a child eats outside its walls. It is depressing to see the rates of current and future childhood obesity and I agree with Amanda in that parents must be educated in this area of nutrition. What the child consumes at home plays a significant role in the level of nutrition he receives. We can, as in the article about banning french fries, restrict certain junk foods, but the student needs to have them limited at home too.
Ria offered insight into the necessity for immunizations and while I believe wholeheartedly that they are necessary, I do not believe that it is the school's responsibility to provide that service. I think that the current approach the school's hold right now is sufficient, that the shots must be up-to-date in order for the child to attend class. I like the school providing clinic information to the parents, as Ria does. Some immunizations aren't given for religious reasons, and the government cannot interfere in religious matters (seperation of state and religion) so it follows that the government cannot be responsible for these procedures.
Parents are responsible for their children. Some parents don't follow through on that duty but it is just that; a parental duty. Schools are responsible for what they feed children, mentally and physcially. The schools must teach proper nutrition habits, allow for daily exercise and ensure that physcial education is offered. Beyond that, parents have to be ultimately accountable for their own children.

Who is responsible