The end is finally here. All the hard work has hopefully paid off and you are happy with your growth as a professional teacher and as a student. Have you been counting down the days? Did you ever think this day would come? Do you find yourself counting down in your regular classroom?
The end of the school year always seems to be so far away as you approach your room late in August. When the end finally does arrive, you wonder where all the time has gone and start to reminisce about the good old days with your current class. Vicki Blackwell has a personal webpage with tons of activities to celebrate the end of the school year. She also has activities to make the last days more meaningful. I especially enjoyed the tip of making t-shirts with your class. I currently make t-shirts the last week of school with my students and I love seeing them the following years.
But as the year winds down you find yourself on the celebrated last day of school. What do you do with those final hours? Beth Lewis offers many neat ideas that can be modified for any grade level to take up those final hours of school. Writing a letter to next year’s students, making a memory book, have a spelling bee, focus on next year and my favorite, clean, clean, clean are just a few she offers.
As those students walk out your door, you only can hope everything you have worked so hard to teach them will stay in their little minds. You pray they will at least pick up a book or two over summer vacation or try and practice a little math. Sometimes parents don’t realize how much their child can regress over the summer and then start the next year far behind. As students start school again in the fall, they have lost one to three months of learning. Brain Drain can happen and probably will, happen to all our students. Some tips you can offer parents are: keep math in mind, keep lots of books around and encourage reading, consider summer school and look into educational programs or camps.
When it quiets down and you begin to reflect upon your year and your empty classroom, many thoughts may rush to your mind. You may be so satisfied with how the year turned out and cry tears of happiness. You may be so happy the year is over and rejoicing you will start all over with a new class next year. You may be waiting for the end of contract time to meet up with friends to have a few celebration drinks.
But then… you may think, Why am I doing this? You may feel you have no desire to return next year. Many teachers get the blues and some never return to teaching again. If you do ever run into this situation, just remember why you became a teacher in the first place and use several motivational techniques. Also find comfort in other teachers and get support. But most important always remember… You Are Fantastic!
Good Luck in your many years to come! Jenna
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
You mean you want me to talk to myself?
Have you ever found yourself talking out loud as you work? Did it make you seem like you were losing your mind? Have you ever felt as if you think better when doing it out loud? Did you ever think it could be a good thing?
Thinking aloud is a great way for students to gain a higher understanding of the skills taught. But what is it? Thinking aloud is a way to get students to slow down and think about their thought processes. It helps students to understand what type of thinking is needed for a specific task.
Thinking aloud can be used in many areas of education. Specifically it can be used in math. Thinking aloud in math allows students to be engaged and walk through the problem step by step. Math think-alouds allow students to crawl into your brain and bring invisible mental processes visible. Scholastic offers several different examples of think-alouds in math. One I like to use is elapsed time. I always talk out loud when I think about how much time I have left or how much time is in a day. Scholastic also gives many examples of using math think-alouds at home, such as estimating the cost of groceries while shopping.
HotChalk, an online lesson plan page, offers a fantastic lesson plan to introduce and teach how to use math think-alouds. It can be adapted for any age although the lesson is set up for grades 6-9. One thing I found very useful is the math think-aloud prompts. It gives examples of prompts to use in order to get students to think aloud during math. Some examples of the prompts are:
· The problem says…
· What am I trying to solve?
· The important information is…
· The strategy I will use to solve this problem is…
Here is an online printable version to use with all the math think-aloud prompts.
Focus on Effectiveness has an article from a first grade teacher explaining how she incorporated math think-alouds into her classroom. She first taught them problem solving strategies in a very systematic way in order to get her students into a routine of thinking “math”. The first step is to make a picture, then act it out, make a systematic list, guess, check and revise, look for a pattern and eliminate possibilities. As they grew throughout the year, her students were taught to summarize what they were doing as they were in the process. She also had her students use the math think-aloud prompts when working through a problem. This first grade teacher shows no matter what grade you teach, math think-alouds can be effective.
In my school, we have had a huge push for think-alouds during reading. I had no idea there was think-alouds in math. I am currently working with a math interventionist to come up with activities for low math achievers to work on. I plan on using the math think-alouds not only with them but with my class.
The goal, I am finding, is create math thinkers, not just a group of bodies who can produce an answer.
They need to be asking why and how.
Thinking aloud is a great way for students to gain a higher understanding of the skills taught. But what is it? Thinking aloud is a way to get students to slow down and think about their thought processes. It helps students to understand what type of thinking is needed for a specific task.
Thinking aloud can be used in many areas of education. Specifically it can be used in math. Thinking aloud in math allows students to be engaged and walk through the problem step by step. Math think-alouds allow students to crawl into your brain and bring invisible mental processes visible. Scholastic offers several different examples of think-alouds in math. One I like to use is elapsed time. I always talk out loud when I think about how much time I have left or how much time is in a day. Scholastic also gives many examples of using math think-alouds at home, such as estimating the cost of groceries while shopping.
HotChalk, an online lesson plan page, offers a fantastic lesson plan to introduce and teach how to use math think-alouds. It can be adapted for any age although the lesson is set up for grades 6-9. One thing I found very useful is the math think-aloud prompts. It gives examples of prompts to use in order to get students to think aloud during math. Some examples of the prompts are:
· The problem says…
· What am I trying to solve?
· The important information is…
· The strategy I will use to solve this problem is…
Here is an online printable version to use with all the math think-aloud prompts.
Focus on Effectiveness has an article from a first grade teacher explaining how she incorporated math think-alouds into her classroom. She first taught them problem solving strategies in a very systematic way in order to get her students into a routine of thinking “math”. The first step is to make a picture, then act it out, make a systematic list, guess, check and revise, look for a pattern and eliminate possibilities. As they grew throughout the year, her students were taught to summarize what they were doing as they were in the process. She also had her students use the math think-aloud prompts when working through a problem. This first grade teacher shows no matter what grade you teach, math think-alouds can be effective.
In my school, we have had a huge push for think-alouds during reading. I had no idea there was think-alouds in math. I am currently working with a math interventionist to come up with activities for low math achievers to work on. I plan on using the math think-alouds not only with them but with my class.
The goal, I am finding, is create math thinkers, not just a group of bodies who can produce an answer.
They need to be asking why and how.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Does size really matter?
Does size really matter? According to research, you bet it does. And according to my personal opinion, it should be one of the biggest issues in education.
Research has been conducted on the academic effects of small class sizes. It has been proven small class sizes are effective in helping struggling students. The problem the education system is running into is the research does not justify the extra cost of additional teachers and classrooms. Two main points are highlighted about class sizes: reduced class sizes can expect to increase student scores and benefits of a reduced class size occur when there are 20 or fewer students.
The Center for Education Reform provides information on two studies conducted to promote small schools not necessarily small classes. Although flaws from the studies are outlined, the benefits are also noted. Specifically in California, small schools have been a mission of theirs. But the research has shown it isn’t the small school that makes a difference. It is the small class sizes that make the difference in a child’s education and their success.
But are there any long-term effects from small class sizes? According to an article on Disney Family Parenting, it has been researched how small class sizes lead to an increase in graduation rates. The study highlighted how not just one year of small class sizes makes the difference. It states 3-4 years of small class sizes leads to higher graduation rates, an increase of almost 12%. The study also shows how the importance of small class sizes occurs early on. The most benefits happen when students are in small class sizes in grades K-3.
Finally, the National Teachers Council of English provides guidelines for class sizes and teacher workloads. Some guidelines I found were similar to those I currently follow. Such as keeping class sizes fewer than 25 students, 30 minutes of planning time each day, the availability of clerical assistance and access to a computer. One guideline I found very interesting stated a half-day each month should be devoted to long term planning. I think this would benefit all teachers if they had a half-day off each month just to plan long term.
So what needs to happen to get smaller class sizes? Does more research need to be conducted? Does there need to be more funds devoted to promoting smaller class sizes?
What would you do with fewer students? Would it make a difference in your teaching if you didn’t have as many students in your classroom as you do now? What could you accomplish if you cut your class in half or maybe by thirds?
I will wait for the day when I start the year with fewer than 20 students, until then I can only dream what it would be like…
Research has been conducted on the academic effects of small class sizes. It has been proven small class sizes are effective in helping struggling students. The problem the education system is running into is the research does not justify the extra cost of additional teachers and classrooms. Two main points are highlighted about class sizes: reduced class sizes can expect to increase student scores and benefits of a reduced class size occur when there are 20 or fewer students.
The Center for Education Reform provides information on two studies conducted to promote small schools not necessarily small classes. Although flaws from the studies are outlined, the benefits are also noted. Specifically in California, small schools have been a mission of theirs. But the research has shown it isn’t the small school that makes a difference. It is the small class sizes that make the difference in a child’s education and their success.
But are there any long-term effects from small class sizes? According to an article on Disney Family Parenting, it has been researched how small class sizes lead to an increase in graduation rates. The study highlighted how not just one year of small class sizes makes the difference. It states 3-4 years of small class sizes leads to higher graduation rates, an increase of almost 12%. The study also shows how the importance of small class sizes occurs early on. The most benefits happen when students are in small class sizes in grades K-3.
Finally, the National Teachers Council of English provides guidelines for class sizes and teacher workloads. Some guidelines I found were similar to those I currently follow. Such as keeping class sizes fewer than 25 students, 30 minutes of planning time each day, the availability of clerical assistance and access to a computer. One guideline I found very interesting stated a half-day each month should be devoted to long term planning. I think this would benefit all teachers if they had a half-day off each month just to plan long term.
So what needs to happen to get smaller class sizes? Does more research need to be conducted? Does there need to be more funds devoted to promoting smaller class sizes?
What would you do with fewer students? Would it make a difference in your teaching if you didn’t have as many students in your classroom as you do now? What could you accomplish if you cut your class in half or maybe by thirds?
I will wait for the day when I start the year with fewer than 20 students, until then I can only dream what it would be like…
Thursday, November 19, 2009
PTC: Stressful or Not?: Blog 13
The time of the year approaches when everything in my room is exactly where it should be. All my student’s desks should be cleaned. Student work is neatly hung all over my walls. No papers linger in my hand in basket. Everything is ready… everything is clean… I walk in wearing my best looking suit and prepare myself for the road ahead. Parent teacher conferences. Do they have to be so stressful?
Every year as conferences approach, there seems to be stress in the air. Teachers are at the top of their game. They are more organized than usual. They are working on report cards, and pulling out their hair. They are administering assessments and correcting like crazy. But does it always have to be this way? What can I do to be more relaxed when this time comes?
Teachervision has an extensive list of tips to help prepare you for parent teacher conferences. Not only does it offer tips to prepare you before conferences, it offers tips to help you through your conferences and then to follow up after your conferences are finished. One tip I found especially useful was keeping a note card on each student with topics you want to discuss, this way I won’t forget to mention anything, whether it is good or not so good.
I have found no matter how prepared you are and how much you have communicated with a parent, you still can have a not so friendly conference. I remember my very first conference I had a parent begin firing accusations of me not doing my job correctly even before the previous parents were out my door. Since it was my first year teaching and only my fourth conference, I was totally caught off guard. I wish I would have come across Handle with Care before now. The article offers more tips for conferences, but focuses on handling difficult situations. First, before the conference, document, document, document. It is important to document any difficulties you are having in the classroom. Some of the tips they offer for during the conference include, taking notes, having support present, and allowing for anger. After the conference, don’t forget to follow up, and continue to communicate with the parent.
Finally, Education World offers tips and strategies for both teachers and administrators to help get the most out of conferences. Sometimes I think teachers get so wrapped up in just making it through their conferences, they forget the real reason they are there meeting with the parents, to keep them involved in their child’s education. For the administrator, prepare the teachers, let the parents know what the goals are from the conference and make it easy for every parent to attend. For the teacher, notify parents of the conferences, plan for a successful conference, and allow for parents to get the most from their child’s conference.
Hopefully these sites will help prepare some of you for successful conferences. Maybe you don’t need any help. But it never hurts to be extra prepared, especially for those unexpected conferences that catch you off guard.
Every year as conferences approach, there seems to be stress in the air. Teachers are at the top of their game. They are more organized than usual. They are working on report cards, and pulling out their hair. They are administering assessments and correcting like crazy. But does it always have to be this way? What can I do to be more relaxed when this time comes?
Teachervision has an extensive list of tips to help prepare you for parent teacher conferences. Not only does it offer tips to prepare you before conferences, it offers tips to help you through your conferences and then to follow up after your conferences are finished. One tip I found especially useful was keeping a note card on each student with topics you want to discuss, this way I won’t forget to mention anything, whether it is good or not so good.
I have found no matter how prepared you are and how much you have communicated with a parent, you still can have a not so friendly conference. I remember my very first conference I had a parent begin firing accusations of me not doing my job correctly even before the previous parents were out my door. Since it was my first year teaching and only my fourth conference, I was totally caught off guard. I wish I would have come across Handle with Care before now. The article offers more tips for conferences, but focuses on handling difficult situations. First, before the conference, document, document, document. It is important to document any difficulties you are having in the classroom. Some of the tips they offer for during the conference include, taking notes, having support present, and allowing for anger. After the conference, don’t forget to follow up, and continue to communicate with the parent.
Finally, Education World offers tips and strategies for both teachers and administrators to help get the most out of conferences. Sometimes I think teachers get so wrapped up in just making it through their conferences, they forget the real reason they are there meeting with the parents, to keep them involved in their child’s education. For the administrator, prepare the teachers, let the parents know what the goals are from the conference and make it easy for every parent to attend. For the teacher, notify parents of the conferences, plan for a successful conference, and allow for parents to get the most from their child’s conference.
Hopefully these sites will help prepare some of you for successful conferences. Maybe you don’t need any help. But it never hurts to be extra prepared, especially for those unexpected conferences that catch you off guard.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Did you read the newsletter? How about my blog?
Hello??? Is anybody even reading this?
Do you ever feel like this when you send out parent emails or newsletter?
How do I reach all my parents? How do I keep them involved in their child’s education? How much is too much information? What will my parents take out of my communication? Is technology the answer? Am I ready to try classroom blogging?
First things first, what types of parents are out there? How much involvement do they want in their child’s lives? There are three main parenting styles. First you could have a “cop” for a parent. They demand their children obey and accomplish all goals with perfection. When communicating with this type of parent, they will want to know everything that is expected so their child can achieve perfect results. Second, you could have a “social worker” for a parent. They minimize consequences and try and protect their children. When communicating with this type of parent, they will make excuses for their child and try and cover for their child. Finally, you could have a “coach” for a parent. When communicating with this parent, they will be active but allow the child to take responsibility. They will not cover for their child and will respect you as the teacher. Now, how do you reach all types of parents in a reasonable yet effective way?
Scholastic offers several different ideas for communication with parents. Ideas like phoning home, writing a note or email, or sending out a newsletter, are great ways to keep your parents involved. The site also offers tips for writing a great newsletter. Keep the tone the way you want to convey your room, keep the length short and to the point, and decide how frequently you want to send a newsletter. But what can be done to showcase the technology generation z is so used to? Is classroom blogging an answer?
Education World describes blogging as “elementary. Students as young as kindergarten are blogging daily. Research has shown students become better writers when they have an authentic audience over the internet. So what does this mean for my classroom? Students can blog along with their teacher, or contribute their own information for a blog. Education World offers tips in getting started with blogging whether you are a primary or an intermediate teacher. You can also find advice for safety tips.
Since research shows students become better writers when they have an authentic audience, ThinkQuest is a tool you can use to not only keep parents active in their child’s learning, but you can allow your students to publish more than just their writing on the internet. It has tons to offer for all ages of students and is a free program. Blogging would only be the beginning.
Whether you choose to communicate through blogging with your students or not, I think all students need to learn to be Cybersmart. They will not only benefit from it in the classroom but at home as well. There are so many resources in technology to use for communication, take the plunge and try one out. Your generation z students might thank you and it might rub off on your parents too.
Do you ever feel like this when you send out parent emails or newsletter?
How do I reach all my parents? How do I keep them involved in their child’s education? How much is too much information? What will my parents take out of my communication? Is technology the answer? Am I ready to try classroom blogging?
First things first, what types of parents are out there? How much involvement do they want in their child’s lives? There are three main parenting styles. First you could have a “cop” for a parent. They demand their children obey and accomplish all goals with perfection. When communicating with this type of parent, they will want to know everything that is expected so their child can achieve perfect results. Second, you could have a “social worker” for a parent. They minimize consequences and try and protect their children. When communicating with this type of parent, they will make excuses for their child and try and cover for their child. Finally, you could have a “coach” for a parent. When communicating with this parent, they will be active but allow the child to take responsibility. They will not cover for their child and will respect you as the teacher. Now, how do you reach all types of parents in a reasonable yet effective way?
Scholastic offers several different ideas for communication with parents. Ideas like phoning home, writing a note or email, or sending out a newsletter, are great ways to keep your parents involved. The site also offers tips for writing a great newsletter. Keep the tone the way you want to convey your room, keep the length short and to the point, and decide how frequently you want to send a newsletter. But what can be done to showcase the technology generation z is so used to? Is classroom blogging an answer?
Education World describes blogging as “elementary. Students as young as kindergarten are blogging daily. Research has shown students become better writers when they have an authentic audience over the internet. So what does this mean for my classroom? Students can blog along with their teacher, or contribute their own information for a blog. Education World offers tips in getting started with blogging whether you are a primary or an intermediate teacher. You can also find advice for safety tips.
Since research shows students become better writers when they have an authentic audience, ThinkQuest is a tool you can use to not only keep parents active in their child’s learning, but you can allow your students to publish more than just their writing on the internet. It has tons to offer for all ages of students and is a free program. Blogging would only be the beginning.
Whether you choose to communicate through blogging with your students or not, I think all students need to learn to be Cybersmart. They will not only benefit from it in the classroom but at home as well. There are so many resources in technology to use for communication, take the plunge and try one out. Your generation z students might thank you and it might rub off on your parents too.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
When will the correcting stop? Blog 11
How many days does it take for a teacher to have had enough?
An article posted by TimesDaily.com states nearly half of teachers quit within the first five years of teaching. When people think of dropout rates, they usually think of students who don’t make it through high school. But actually the dropout or burnout rate for teachers is even higher. The teachers who dropout first are usually the most qualified teacher and leave because they have an easier time finding work somewhere else because of their qualifications. Why are teachers leaving? Due to budget cut backs, NCLB, and increased paperwork teachers are finding they can be of service in some other career.
What is causing such a fast burnout rate? Teacher burnout is caused by several reasons and may vary from teacher to teacher. A new teacher soon finds out the day does not stop when the last bell rings and also finds out the work does not stop even on the weekends. Correcting papers, planning lessons, evaluating test scores, and other resource gathering takes time, lots of time. State and Federal guidelines also put burden and stress on a teacher to meet goals in student growth which sometimes seem unattainable. Finally the lack of funding and support can cause missing materials, textbooks and a substandard workplace, which can push a teacher to find work someplace else.
So what can be done to prevent teacher burnout? First things first, THINK POSITIVE! Make to do lists that are attainable and detailed. If you make a list with huge expectations, you are more likely to fail. But setting goals which are easy to attain quickly will give you a sense of satisfaction and pride. Accept there are some things in teaching you cannot change. Relax, watch a movie that makes you laugh, and try something new. Don’t bring your work home with you, leave the teaching at school. Get plenty of sleep every night. Talk with positive people, especially teachers. Finally, celebrate what it means to be a teacher and be thankful for what you have.
Still struggling to continue teaching? Check out the Top 10 Reasons to Become a Teacher, from student potential and success and daily humor, this list sums up some great reasons to become a teacher. Not only will you stay younger when you are teacher, but will have your summers off (which they listed as number 10). But I think the most important reason is the impact a teacher has on the future. They have their hands on so many lives; they will have a huge impact on the future and many more to come.
An article posted by TimesDaily.com states nearly half of teachers quit within the first five years of teaching. When people think of dropout rates, they usually think of students who don’t make it through high school. But actually the dropout or burnout rate for teachers is even higher. The teachers who dropout first are usually the most qualified teacher and leave because they have an easier time finding work somewhere else because of their qualifications. Why are teachers leaving? Due to budget cut backs, NCLB, and increased paperwork teachers are finding they can be of service in some other career.
What is causing such a fast burnout rate? Teacher burnout is caused by several reasons and may vary from teacher to teacher. A new teacher soon finds out the day does not stop when the last bell rings and also finds out the work does not stop even on the weekends. Correcting papers, planning lessons, evaluating test scores, and other resource gathering takes time, lots of time. State and Federal guidelines also put burden and stress on a teacher to meet goals in student growth which sometimes seem unattainable. Finally the lack of funding and support can cause missing materials, textbooks and a substandard workplace, which can push a teacher to find work someplace else.
So what can be done to prevent teacher burnout? First things first, THINK POSITIVE! Make to do lists that are attainable and detailed. If you make a list with huge expectations, you are more likely to fail. But setting goals which are easy to attain quickly will give you a sense of satisfaction and pride. Accept there are some things in teaching you cannot change. Relax, watch a movie that makes you laugh, and try something new. Don’t bring your work home with you, leave the teaching at school. Get plenty of sleep every night. Talk with positive people, especially teachers. Finally, celebrate what it means to be a teacher and be thankful for what you have.
Still struggling to continue teaching? Check out the Top 10 Reasons to Become a Teacher, from student potential and success and daily humor, this list sums up some great reasons to become a teacher. Not only will you stay younger when you are teacher, but will have your summers off (which they listed as number 10). But I think the most important reason is the impact a teacher has on the future. They have their hands on so many lives; they will have a huge impact on the future and many more to come.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Hot or Cold
Choice 1 or Choice 2. Hot or Cold. Eat at school or go out. What are our students eating? Is it healthy? Do they have enough time? I wonder this as I helped serve lunch for All Star Lunch Week. The students thought it was great to have a new teacher serving them their meal for the day. But as I watched closely as each student went through the line and then began to eat, they barely had anything on their trays and the last student to go through the line only had 7 minutes to eat. How can we expect children to perform after having a snack when it should have been one of the more important and filling meals of their day?
According to CHOICE, Citizens for Healthy Options In Children’s Education, children who intake a healthy lunch are more peaceful in their studies and in social environments. The School Lunch Program was founded in 1946 to ensure all students were provided a health meal. Students can receive meals at cost, reduced cost, or free according to their family income. Students gain almost ½ or their nutritional intake from their school lunch and depend on the nutrients. School lunch maybe the only hot meal of the day, or even worse, could be the only meal the child is getting. So why is their not more focus put on school lunches?
The School Nutrition Association is coming up with a plan to make school lunches healthier and more appealing to students. They believe if students develop healthy habits at a young age it will carry over into upper grades and also into adult life, hoping to lead to a healthy, active lifestyle. They are bringing in Chef Ann Cooper, the “Renegade Lunch Lady”, to speak during their next conference about the “Lunch Box: Healthy Tools to Help all Students” initiative in hopes of bringing stakeholders together to provide healthier school lunches.
Kids Health online offers great ideas to encourage your child to make healthy choices while at school and offers some ideas of packing healthy lunches from home. They also provide comparisons of foods once or still served in school lunches and offer alternatives to replace these foods. For example, replacing bologna with turkey ham and mayonnaise with mustard has less fat, and fewer calories.
Time for Lunch is a national campaign designed to provide students with foods that are clean, good and fair. Congress will be meeting in 2010 to address school lunches and Time for Lunch has hopes of change. Their mission is to get more funding to raise it from $1 a child, protect children from junk food, and link schools to local farms. Time for Lunch also partners with Better School Food and offers several suggestions for healthier eating in schools and at home.
I think change needs to happen in schools to improve their lunches and allow students to make good choices and take the time to eat. I feel this will lead to healthier classrooms and healthier lifestyles.
According to CHOICE, Citizens for Healthy Options In Children’s Education, children who intake a healthy lunch are more peaceful in their studies and in social environments. The School Lunch Program was founded in 1946 to ensure all students were provided a health meal. Students can receive meals at cost, reduced cost, or free according to their family income. Students gain almost ½ or their nutritional intake from their school lunch and depend on the nutrients. School lunch maybe the only hot meal of the day, or even worse, could be the only meal the child is getting. So why is their not more focus put on school lunches?
The School Nutrition Association is coming up with a plan to make school lunches healthier and more appealing to students. They believe if students develop healthy habits at a young age it will carry over into upper grades and also into adult life, hoping to lead to a healthy, active lifestyle. They are bringing in Chef Ann Cooper, the “Renegade Lunch Lady”, to speak during their next conference about the “Lunch Box: Healthy Tools to Help all Students” initiative in hopes of bringing stakeholders together to provide healthier school lunches.
Kids Health online offers great ideas to encourage your child to make healthy choices while at school and offers some ideas of packing healthy lunches from home. They also provide comparisons of foods once or still served in school lunches and offer alternatives to replace these foods. For example, replacing bologna with turkey ham and mayonnaise with mustard has less fat, and fewer calories.
Time for Lunch is a national campaign designed to provide students with foods that are clean, good and fair. Congress will be meeting in 2010 to address school lunches and Time for Lunch has hopes of change. Their mission is to get more funding to raise it from $1 a child, protect children from junk food, and link schools to local farms. Time for Lunch also partners with Better School Food and offers several suggestions for healthier eating in schools and at home.
I think change needs to happen in schools to improve their lunches and allow students to make good choices and take the time to eat. I feel this will lead to healthier classrooms and healthier lifestyles.
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