New School Year & 'that' Teacher

ash23

Justask wrote: »

Bento lunches are grand for a 5 or 6 year old. Older then that the slagging would be unreal :rolleyes:

My 8 year old has a lunchbox that is divided into sections. I got it in Aldi. She has pasta or rice a lot of the time for lunch as she's not a big bread fan. She has carrot sticks, fruit salad, yogurt, cheese cubes etc.

I know the ones with shapes are childish but the plain ones are a good idea, even for older kids. As far as I am aware, nothing has ever been said to herself about her lunch.

iguana

Sharrow wrote: »

A bun is a type of cake and there is no way to say that such a thing is considered a healthy food.

Of course there is. I make buns/muffins with banana, porridge and porridge oats milled into flour. You can't get healthier than fruit and porridge and these are basically a bowl of porridge with a sixth of an egg. They are a supremely healthy mid-morning snack. Just being a bun doesn't make it unhealthy.

Morag

Teachers are not going to have time to dissect which 'buns' are ok and which ones are not.
Most have enough fat and sugar to rule them out.

Mini quiches are an alternative if you want to bake and if your child will eat them.

iguana

Sharrow wrote: »

Teachers are not going to have time to dissect which 'buns' are ok and which ones are not.
Most have enough fat and sugar to rule them out.

Which is exactly why it's none of their business. A healthy eating policy is nothing more than a heavy suggestion and not an enforceable rule. The fact is they can't possibly have a clue what ingredients are in home baked foods and if they are told something is healthy they have no choice but to accept it.

Are you honestly suggesting that an incredibly healthy food should be ruled out because it might look like a less healthy food? That's just actually completely ludicrous.

Oh and quiches are so significantly less healthy than a banana oat muffin that's it's not even funny.

Morag

My kid's primary school has a healthy eating policy and it is enforced and it is a rule and not an 'suggestion. Inspections are carried out and children instructed that they are not allowed to eat anything which breaks and rules and it goes home un eaten with a note to the parent in the homework journal.

Those type of buns may be healthy but again most are not and when it comes to a teacher checking the lunch boxes of 25 to 30 kids if it looks like a bun then it's a bun.

iguana

Sharrow wrote: »

Those type of buns may be healthy but again most are not and when it comes to a teacher checking the lunch boxes of 25 to 30 kids if it looks like a bun then it's a bun.

Which is why such a rule is stupid and unenforceable. A teacher can't tell a child/parent that a very healthy food, possibly one of the healthiest things in the class room, is unhealthy because they don't like the look of it. While the child sits and watches other children eat not particularly healthy but yet approved foods like a mini quiche. That's great way to screw up a child's food associations.

CrazyRabbit

Simple fact. Schools/Teachers have no business telling a parent what their child can/cannot eat. It is the parents responsibility to choose their child's diet.

silverharp

just for info, there are probably schools out there that wouldnt allow a can of coke but would allow a smoothies, lol!


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-428455/The-smoothies-sugar-Coke.html

Tesco's banana smoothie and the mango, pineapple and banana smoothie from its Finest range are both also more sugary than Coke.
Brand names are also high in sugar, with many Innocent smoothies containing more than 11g sugar per 100ml - or a staggering 22 teaspoons per litre carton.

muckety

iguana wrote: »

Which is why such a rule is stupid and unenforceable. A teacher can't tell a child/parent that a very healthy food, possibly one of the healthiest things in the class room, is unhealthy because they don't like the look of it. While the child sits and watches other children eat not particularly healthy but yet approved foods like a mini quiche. That's great way to screw up a child's food associations.

I completely agree with this. We had a similar discussion with our kids when they complained that they were told not to bring in 'buns' (which were home made muffins such as in Iguana's post above), and wanted to know why they couldn't have frubes like everyone else. Their 'buns' were far healthier than the sugar laden frubes that the teacher 'allowed'.

But to be fair to the teacher it is difficult to police a policy that is often being driven by the parents! I have heard certain parents harangue the principal over 'allowing' other people's children bring 'treats' into school. Same parents send their children to school with high sugar milk products or highly processed and salted products that I would not give to my child. For this reason we did not make a big deal about it but explained why the 'buns' will be for after school instead.

implausible

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

Simple fact. Schools/Teachers have no business telling a parent what their child can/cannot eat. It is the parents responsibility to choose their child's diet.

It is a school's responsibility to educate a child in more ways than just academically. I've lost track of the amount of rants I've heard on the radio, with people demanding that schools teach everything from sex education to the driving test.

Unfortunately, not every parent is responsible or well-informed when it comes to their children's diets. Often school is the place where some children get their only well-balanced, healthy meal. It also eliminates a lot of pester power and swapsies at lunchtime, if everyone has a healthy lunch. Good habits can be formed and strengthened in the primary school years.

SlimCi

Listen don't get me started. My guy had the same teacher in senior and junior infants and she wouldn't allow any youghurts other than frubes and she had a youghurt station where they would have to stand to eat the youghurt:eek: Even better, last night we were at the start of year introductory meeting and were advised again that the school had a healthy eating policy, which I totally agree with. However it was stated last night that if children bring in non healthy food they will not be allowed to enter a draw for a prize to encourage a healthy lunch:eek::eek::eek: I tell you to make the child suffer for the parents choice of lunch is nothing short of DISGRACEFUL. Also I don't think you can enforce a healthy eating policy unless you advise parents EXACTLY what is unacceptable in a healthy lunch. In my guys class one child brings in coke in a non see through drinks container every day etc etc etc and he wants to know why he cant have it. He's never been allowed it because he's a bit hyper at the best of times! Anyway he's gone off today with two yes TWO homemade buns and I swear if he's not allowed into the draw I will create havoc down there. Because two homemade buns are my idea of a healthy snack once in a blue moon when I have time to make them.:D

Fittle

I think you got a bit of a rough time here OP, but I also think you shouldn't have put the bun in the lunchbox! Anyway, my advice, for what it's worth is that you will not win in the school!

My son is now in 4th but when he was in 2nd, he had the worst teacher in Ireland (I'm not joking here, the woman should have won awards for how awful she was). Like you, I had heard many stories about her from other parents over the years, and was dreading 2nd class.

To say she ruined the whole experience of his Communion would be an understatement - she picked on every child in the class, had issues with every single thing they did etc etc. The list was endless and on the last count - just coming up to the communion - 17 parents out of a class of 24, had complained to the principle about her...and do you know what happened?

Sweet FA!

She's teaching a 1st class this year - she had 5th class last year and one parent almost came to blows with her - I have learned however, that you pick your battles...each time a parent complained, it was acknowledged, she didn't do anything to that child again, but she picked on another child! Each incidence in itself was serious enough for a parent to approach the principal, and two incidences (one with my child) were serious enough for her to be officially reprimanded.

But she's still there!!!

Pick your battles OP;)

paddyandy

New idea to me.Am i to believe that teacher is responsible for children's health? SO AT 17 THE school gets sued for obesity in the child.???

gra26

My son started 3rd class this year and has moved to the senior part of the school- essentially it's a new school. In the junior school no yoghurts of any kind were allowed and no treats except on Fridays. Not sure what the story is with the new school is re healthy eating but I'm guessing it's the same. Sent him off to school this morning with a homemade carrot and cranberry wholemeal muffin (which he loved!) and I would laugh if they said it's not healthy. Of I was asked not to sent in buns of any description fine, but if it's healthy what's the issue.

CrazyRabbit

deemark wrote: »

It is a school's responsibility to educate a child in more ways than just academically. I've lost track of the amount of rants I've heard on the radio, with people demanding that schools teach everything from sex education to the driving test.

Unfortunately, not every parent is responsible or well-informed when it comes to their children's diets. Often school is the place where some children get their only well-balanced, healthy meal. It also eliminates a lot of pester power and swapsies at lunchtime, if everyone has a healthy lunch. Good habits can be formed and strengthened in the primary school years.

So good parents who do feed their children well should give up their right to determine what their children can/cannot eat in school?

Sorry, but placing restrictions on all children because of a few bad parents is not the correct approach. If a child consistently brings in only junk food, then, and only then should the school intervene.
Treat the problem, not the symptom.

afkasurfjunkie

from what ive read here and in other places, it seems the healthy lunch policy is a total minefield. not every teacher is completely picky though.
in my classroom id much rather see a homemade bun, even a homemade 'rice crispie bun' then those awful cheesestring and lunchable plastic things, esp if the pupil has helped making it.
i have great admiration for parents who take the time to make their child's lunch interesting. i've gotten ideas for my own lunch from some of these parents.
i dont believe in confiscating food from children. who knows if the parents are having money problems and finding it difficult to put food in lunchboxes or like me, on a monday morning, havent gotten round to doing the weekly shop and only have cornflakes left in the press:D
the yogurt issue has me bothered though. im coming close to banning it myself, i know its healthy but its sooo messy.
and if you thought a capri sun carton was tricky to open, have you tried putting a straw into one of those innocent smoothie drinks cartons? Nightmare!!

implausible

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

So good parents who do feed their children well should give up their right to determine what their children can/cannot eat in school?

Sorry, but placing restrictions on all children because of a few bad parents is not the correct approach. If a child consistently brings in only junk food, then, and only then should the school intervene.
Treat the problem, not the symptom.

They are not giving up their right, they are being limited in their choices.

Can you imagine the minefield if teachers had to individually contact parents whose kids brought in unhealthy lunches? It would be impossible and even more of a pc nightmare. It's far easier and fairer to set out a clear positive policy of healthy lunches.

However, from reading some of the responses here, it's clear that schools have a lot of work to do in make the guidelines clearer and more consistent.

byhookorbycrook

Innocent smoothies eh...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-425440/Healthy-fruit-smoothies-sugary-cola.html

iguana

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Innocent smoothies eh...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-425440/Healthy-fruit-smoothies-sugary-cola.html

That article is very sensationalist. The sugar they are talking about is the fructose, which occurs naturally in fruit. Innocent don't add anything to their smoothies but fruit and juice, you'd get the same amount of sugar if you just ate the fruit.

run_Forrest_run

can't believe this thread is still going, just goes to show I'm not alone in this 'minefield'

EGAR

And I will keep it going. My son started first class this year. Same teacher as last year. School has a healthy eating policy, so I am aware of it and pack healthy lunches. However, my son told me he wasn't allowed to eat his yohurt in school anymore. Why? He did not know.

So the next day I asked the teacher who told me: "Because there isn't enough time, they have 10 minutes to eat their lunch and then they go out to play."

I am still pondering my approach on that one because last year there was enough time..?

whywonder

Ah, but there could be children in the class who are exceptionally slow at eating their lunch- yoghurt in particular, perhaps. In a choice between your son being allowed the yoghurt or being kept in for another ten minutes so someone else's child can eat one, which would you choose?

dark crystal

For the yoghurt problem, try a Yop! They're gone in a matter of seconds and no fiddly spoons either

Morag

Yougarts are on the verboten list for our primary school. When they spill onto the carpets and in school bags the sickening gone off smell can dominate a class room.

EGAR

whywonder wrote: »

Ah, but there could be children in the class who are exceptionally slow at eating their lunch- yoghurt in particular, perhaps. In a choice between your son being allowed the yoghurt or being kept in for another ten minutes so someone else's child can eat one, which would you choose?

You are missing the point: last year there was enough time for him to eat his lunch and all of it but this year there isn't? It's no good if he comes home with his lunchbox still half full and he is hungry like wolf because there isn't enough time? It isn't just the yoghurt.

EGAR

Sharrow wrote: »

Yougarts are on the verboten list for our primary school. When they spill onto the carpets and in school bags the sickening gone off smell can dominate a class room.

Be that as it may, they are not in HIS school.

EGAR

dark crystal wrote: »

For the yoghurt problem, try a Yop! They're gone in a matter of seconds and no fiddly spoons either

Good idea, thank you!

Fittle

Yop isn't allowed in our school either - in fact, all 'yoghurt products' are banned because kids spill them...
However, I very often stick a frube in his lunchbox and tell him to wolf it down before teacher sees it! He's yet to be caught and is still getting a bit of dairy into him at lunchtime;) The day she catches him, is the day I'll stop sending them in...I think frubes are the least messy of all the youghurts.

Wantobe

Frubes, runny yoghurts etc are frowned on in our school too as they are too messy. For dairy, I give them cheese. Anyway they can have yoghurt at home so it's no big deal. I usually include a sandwich of some kind or pasta salad, cheese, fruit and crackers. That's plenty to keep them going.

Sometimes keeping to the schools policy is a bit of a pain especially when you know what you're giving them is part of a healthy varied diet but there are enough alternatives out there to give plenty of choice and I keep reminding myself that the class size is around 30, so I think I would rather make the teachers life easier whatever way they want! I don't envy them controlling 30 kids eating and I think our schools teachers are really great.

readmylips

ahh, not just me then....healthy eating rules for one classroom, supposedly adopted by the entire school but only practised by one particular teacher! nightmare...thank god my child has moved to a different room this year...bye bye OCD teacher. no white bread (fine but some kids just dont like brown), but burger buns are ok? wha...burger buns ...sugar and processed gloop ! anyway.... so long to that one !!

Best of luck rFr....stik with your gut feelings...my kid was terrified for a long time, and we had many the run in with the teach...she eased up but he was much happier when he moved up.