Bring or buy?

By: Brad Tripp

It’s 11:45a.m and the bell rings.  Students from what seems like nowhere appear, their eyes wide, mouths watering, and all they want is food. They grab a cafeteria tray and the food is now within inches of their fingers. The food is then paid for and consumed. What did they just buy? How healthy was it? Is the American lunch program good or bad? Here’s a look:

 

History:

In 1946, the 79^th U.S Congress started to look more closely at the things public schools needed, like equipment and food to feed the students. According to the United States’ Department of Agriculture, this is when President Harry Truman put into effect the National School Lunch Program. The take off of this program was slow, but it was eventually authorized by Congress and any equipment, food or space needed would be provided to feed the students (if the school hadn’t the funds for it). In some cases, this is still in effect, but requires pay back.

Nutrition:

How good is the food being served to the students today? According to the Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education, “all food brought in for the school lunch program must meet all federal requirements in order to be served in schools.” The most current dietary guidelines for Americans instruct that the food served in schools includes no more than 30% of our dietary fats be saturated and 10% unsaturated fats and no more than 30% of your daily protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, protein, calcium and calories.

Changes:

As time has moved on, what changes have we seen in the lunch programs? These changes include better nutrition and meal size in school lunches. However, many think the proportions aren’t big enough. Why is this? Michelle Obama has worked to put in place guidelines for school lunches nationwide, which will try to save money and still provide proper nutrition. Included with this, schools were only to serve diet sodas. This is because it helps to limit fats and sugar and, hopefully, aid in combatting childhood obesity.  Some schools are just ignoring this program, claiming that it is unworkable. According to newsmax.com, some schools are beginning to lose money trying to meet the new guidelines, so they’re resorting back to the old means of feeding the students.

Bring or Buy?:

So, should lunches be brought or bought? This depends if the person is getting the nutrition and fullness they desire. For instance, it’s better to bring for more food, nutrition and control over what is consumed. However, this may not be the most cost effective means of lunch. The average price of a school lunch ranges from free to $3.00 a day. It can be tough to spend less than that if you’re bringing your own food.

 

 Some lunches may not look so good, but they do meet standards of the federal government. Whether you prefer this or making your own lunch, it’s your decision.



Gender based classrooms: what they do, do they work?

By: Autumn Hill

          Do boys and girls learn differently? Would being in a single sex classroom be less distracting than a “regular” classroom? What about the instructors in the gender-based classrooms? You may have heard that same gender classrooms can be easier for students, they can learn quicker and easier that way.

Indeed, studies have shown that same-gender classrooms increase students’ motivation, and students tend to become distracted by the opposite sex very easily. In an article on ascd.org, Jamie Smalls states, “Offering single-gender classes is an effective response to school-level data that shows achievement gaps between males and females, where students are not achieving at expected levels, or as a way to engage parents by offering a choice.”

            However, not everyone agrees with this. Tolerance.org, a discussion based website for gender-based classrooms, says, “There is no reliable evidence that segregating students by sex improves learning by either sex.” Diverse Learning Today, a group that looks at gender specific classrooms, states, “Recognizing diversity in the classroom is important. Excluding gender from that recognition limits the options educators can consider. Looking at gender differences and single-gender options as teaching tools can allow educators to better meet the needs of all students.”

Public schools can be more stressful for some (students), for a variety of reasons. Would the same thing happen in single gender classrooms? Some would say that the same gender classes causes students to be more loud, or chatty. Teens tend to engage more rather than focus more when they are with the opposite sex. Many private schools subscribe to the philosophy that single gender classrooms will make students more comfortable and less stressed.  

Perhaps single-gender classrooms are a good idea for some students, but not all. What about when they go out into the world and are put with the opposite gender, however? The Education Development Center asks, “Do boys and girls need different things to get a good education? They well may, because although girls and boys are more similar than they are different, our society treats them as if they are separate species.” If we were put in the same gender classrooms, then we wouldn’t know much about being with the opposite sex, making it difficult going into the real world. Bottom line, more research is needed before we switch to gender based classrooms across the nation.