Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 19:16:39 GMT
Our kids get 10 minutes to eat their lunch at school before they're sent out.
The other grade 6 teacher sometimes makes them wait an extra 5 minutes before they can go to their home room to eat. She does it because a few kids act up, so she punishes the whole class.
Which means they have 5 minutes to shove their food down their throats. If they have food that needs to be warmed up they have 2 minutes, if they're lucky and no one else is using the microwave.
I've had dd come home with her lunch untouched because she had zero time before they were told to go outside.
Am I justified in my frustration? Everyone is always encouraging healthy eating choices, well how can they do that if you take away half of their lunch time!
The one day she had a volleyball game in another community. She came home at 5, starved. I was frustrated with her because she hasn't touched her lunch, until she explained that the teacher had made them stay past lunch because she was mad at a few of the kids. Dd quickly warmed up her lunch when they were finally able to go, and before she could even eat a mouthful her home room teacher said it was time to go out. She didn't want to eat outside in a corner somewhere, so other than a few snacks, she didn't eat. None of the kids did.
It's costing us money because at least once a week the teacher is taking their lunch time away and I'm throwing food away. Punishing the whole class because of one or two students is another issue entirely. I'm all for teachers dealing with rowdy children, I know for a fact our dd is not causing problems but is being punished anyway.
I also tend to support the teachers first if our kids have a complaint, but this one is leaving me feeling like it's just not right.
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Post by pierkiss on Oct 28, 2015 19:19:01 GMT
Not off base. If be pretty upset about that too. Our school also only gives 10 mins to eat. I'm not a big fan of it, but almost always my kiddo gets to eat her whole lunch.
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Post by mrsshampoo on Oct 28, 2015 19:21:12 GMT
Maybe the troublemakers should be the only ones to stay behind and get a short lunch? I agree that something is wrong here.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 19:21:48 GMT
Our kids get 10 minutes to eat their lunch What's the reasoning for that? 10 mins to eat is ridiculous. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 19:22:19 GMT
Your child should have time during the school day to eat her lunch, as should everyone else. The school needs to re-evaluate their schedules to see if they can allot more time for the kids to eat.
I'm not normally a complainer, but the school would be hearing from me about this one.
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calgal08
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Jun 27, 2014 15:43:46 GMT
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Post by calgal08 on Oct 28, 2015 19:22:30 GMT
Not acceptable. Even if you're acting up, you still need to eat. I'd be raising a big old stink about this one.
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Post by missysauter on Oct 28, 2015 19:24:44 GMT
That's horrible that they only give the kids 10 minutes to eat. That's completely unreasonable, as is punishing the whole class for the misbehavior of a few. I would totally take this up with the principal.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Oct 28, 2015 19:24:47 GMT
I was going to 'like' the comment about troublemakers being the only ones to stay behind, but I changed my mind. Only 10 minutes to eat is ridiculous enough in itself; the teacher needs to find a different way of punishing JUST the troublemakers than taking away time they need to eat.
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Rhondito
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MississipPea
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Post by Rhondito on Oct 28, 2015 19:25:12 GMT
I would be having a conversation with someone about that - I'm not a fan of using food/lunch as a form of punishment. And really, the teacher is only making things worse - kids get cranky without food.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 19:28:18 GMT
Not acceptable. Even if you're acting up, you still need to eat. I'd be raising a big old stink about this one. This is exactly how I see it. I don't care how bratty a child is behaving, they need to eat. Heck, not eating is only increasing aggravated behaviour. My dd doesn't want me to do anything about it, she hates controversy even if its justified. But I've already left a message for the school to call me back. For her sake I will ask that my name be kept confidential so it doesn't effect her in any negative way. And I agree, 10 minutes is not nearly enough time to eat. Every parent I've ever asked has said the same. But if you bring it up, we're told that 10 minutes is enough time if the children are eating and not talking too much. |
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johnnysmom
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Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Oct 28, 2015 19:29:03 GMT
Not cool, the teacher needs to find a punishment that doesn't involve the whole class nor shortens their lunch time. I'd also start sending lunches that don't need to be warmed so she has that extra couple minutes.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 19:37:20 GMT
Not acceptable. I can't imagine giving kids 10 minutes! Definitely a policy that needs to be reviewed. I teach K. Even a 1/2 hour lunch is sometimes too short for some pokey kids!  |
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Oct 28, 2015 19:39:09 GMT
I would start the conversation around 10 minutes not being enough time to eat lunch.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 19:40:21 GMT
I am surprised with 10 minutes that there is even the option of warming a lunch in a microwave. I would not send anything that needs to be heated first of all. BUT I would have questioned the 10 minutes as soon as I heard of it, especially if they can't eat outside.
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Post by moveablefeast on Oct 28, 2015 19:42:36 GMT
Nope. Nope nope nope.
Look, 9 times out of 10 I am all in favor of what the school needs to do to run their show and I don't fuss about much of anything.
But this is not OK. I would be speaking to the administration about this. Kids need time to eat. They can't learn if they're hungry.
I wouldn't rely on the microwave in the interim. Without waiting for it, 10 minutes is enough to eat a sandwich.
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Post by rainangel on Oct 28, 2015 19:49:07 GMT
That is not acceptable. I thought group punishment weren't allowed?
I am having the opposite problem lately. My DD, 10 y.o. is throwing her sandwiches in our neighbour's bushes before she comes home from school, because she didn't eat it at school. She gets so preoccupied with other stuff going on at mealtime, that she forgets to eat. Which means she goes without food for 8 hours. I am trying to get her to eat her lunch, but she is easily distracted and I have no control of her actions while she is at school. I have sent an email to her teacher today. This is the second email this semester about the same thing. I am asking her teacher to make sure someone keeps an eye on DD during mealtime and give her a reminder to actually eat. I am so fed up of DD not eating her lunch, and I am fed up asking the teacher to remind my DD to eat (this happened last semester aswell). When there is an adult to supervise during mealtime, why don't they make sure everyone actually eats their lunch? They do, however, watch youtubevideos during mealtime, and I suspect this might be the reason my easily distracted DD is forgetting to eat her lunch. Good grief!
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Montannie
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Post by Montannie on Oct 28, 2015 19:52:33 GMT
These laughable lunch "hours" set up kids for a lifetime of poor eating habits.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Oct 28, 2015 20:00:18 GMT
That's crazy. My only caveat would be to make sure you start by asking questions about the policy and the timeframe - I've been burned more than once on my child's interpretation. I find it hard to believe that not a single kid in the class ate lunch. There's got to be at least one like my son, who gets so hangry the teacher would be throwing food at him to try to turn him back into a normal boy. Now my daughter is one who will spend the 15 minutes, which is what they have, chatting and forget to eat much of anything.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Oct 28, 2015 20:00:53 GMT
Our kids get 10 minutes to eat their lunch What's the reasoning for that? 10 mins to eat is ridiculous. Seriously! That would be my first complaint. Ten minutes is not enough time to eat in a healthy manner. My kid (6th grade) gets 20 minutes before going to recess. I think that is cutting it short. My high schooler gets 50 minutes to eat & roam the lawn/do homework/just sit. I think that is reasonable. |
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akathy
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Post by akathy on Oct 28, 2015 20:10:40 GMT
Not acceptable. Even if you're acting up, you still need to eat. I'd be raising a big old stink about this one. I would too and I very rarely questioned any of the school rules. Ten minutes is ridiculous and you don't withhold food as punishment. That's torture. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 20:12:04 GMT
I just got off the phone and the principal agreed with me. He didn't like that the whole class is being punished. And he didn't like that the method of punishment is taking away valuable lunch time.
But he wants me to talk to the teacher first, he feels it'll help build relationships. Even though I never see this teacher as its not dd's homeroom teacher. So she will be calling me today sometime so we can discuss this. The principal did ask me to let him know how the conversation went.
I do feel a little that he is not wanting to take responsibility here. I asked for my name to be kept out because our dd hates controversy and so I felt it was best if it was dealt with by him. He didn't want to give me that because he wants there to be an open relationship between teachers and parents.
This is a partially private school if that makes a difference to anyone.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 20:18:06 GMT
That's crazy. My only caveat would be to make sure you start by asking questions about the policy and the timeframe - I've been burned more than once on my child's interpretation. I find it hard to believe that not a single kid in the class ate lunch. There's got to be at least one like my son, who gets so hangry the teacher would be throwing food at him to try to turn him back into a normal boy. Now my daughter is one who will spend the 15 minutes, which is what they have, chatting and forget to eat much of anything. I'm sure there were a few children that either had a sandwich or took their food outside? And I did start my conversation with questions on lunch policies so I didn't sound like a fool, lol. I tried to keep the conversation non-confrontational and more just about me sharing concerns. Today I stood outside her classroom because I needed to speak with our dd. i watched as the entire homeroom class stood in the hallway waiting to get in with their lunch bags, while my dds class was being held back. So they were also having their lunch cut short. Her method is punishing two classrooms for the behaviour of a few. |
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Post by RiverIsis on Oct 28, 2015 20:22:16 GMT
I would also raise that it might just be illegal to have such a short time. Kids are mandated to be in education (maybe could be equated to acceptable work for kids) and thus 1/2 between the 3rd - 5th hours is normally the minimum lunch break for an adult worker. www.dol.gov/whd/state/meal.htm I'm not saying it does apply. I'm saying it is ridiculous that we aren't giving our kids the same benefit of enough time to eat that is mandated by the government for a worker. |
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Gravity
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Jun 27, 2014 0:29:55 GMT
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Post by Gravity on Oct 28, 2015 20:25:35 GMT
That is not acceptable. I thought group punishment weren't allowed? I am having the opposite problem lately. My DD, 10 y.o. is throwing her sandwiches in our neighbour's bushes before she comes home from school, because she didn't eat it at school. She gets so preoccupied with other stuff going on at mealtime, that she forgets to eat. Which means she goes without food for 8 hours. I am trying to get her to eat her lunch, but she is easily distracted and I have no control of her actions while she is at school. I have sent an email to her teacher today. This is the second email this semester about the same thing. I am asking her teacher to make sure someone keeps an eye on DD during mealtime and give her a reminder to actually eat. I am so fed up of DD not eating her lunch, and I am fed up asking the teacher to remind my DD to eat (this happened last semester aswell). When there is an adult to supervise during mealtime, why don't they make sure everyone actually eats their lunch? They do, however, watch youtubevideos during mealtime, and I suspect this might be the reason my easily distracted DD is forgetting to eat her lunch. Good grief! When my DDs were in elementary school, there were easily 200 kids eating in the cafeteria at any given time. Lunchroom monitors had plenty to do and no time to remind a ten year old to eat. I think the blame needs to be on your 10 year old DD, not the school. OP, I do believe your frustration is justified. The school needs to come up with a punishment that does not result in kids not having adequate time to eat lunch. That said, I would not send food that required a microwave if my child only had ten minutes for lunch on a good day. |
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NoWomanNoCry
Drama Llama
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Post by NoWomanNoCry on Oct 28, 2015 20:37:57 GMT
I remember back in school it took me at least 10mins to get through the line. Another 5 to find a seat. So yeah I'd be mad also.
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perumbula
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Post by perumbula on Oct 28, 2015 20:38:50 GMT
Not acceptable. Even if you're acting up, you still need to eat. I'd be raising a big old stink about this one. This is exactly how I see it. I don't care how bratty a child is behaving, they need to eat. Heck, not eating is only increasing aggravated behaviour. My dd doesn't want me to do anything about it, she hates controversy even if its justified. But I've already left a message for the school to call me back. For her sake I will ask that my name be kept confidential so it doesn't effect her in any negative way. And I agree, 10 minutes is not nearly enough time to eat. Every parent I've ever asked has said the same. But if you bring it up, we're told that 10 minutes is enough time if the children are eating and not talking too much. oh for heaven's sake. They sit for four hours not being able to talk to their friends or intact and socialize and then they are expected to just shovel down food without socializing? Really? That's insane. Like seriously insane, stupid, and completely misunderstanding children and natural social behaviors insane. Get together with some other parents and get some changes made. It can be done, I promise. Our district had a group of parents start making waves about two years ago to try and make some improvements in our district (We score below state level every year) and we've been pushing enough and gotten the numbers enough that the district brought in an outside agency to evaluate the district and make proposals. It's taken awhile but things will change because enough of us got together and started making trouble. Go make trouble. It's worth it for everybody. |
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Country Ham
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Post by Country Ham on Oct 28, 2015 20:40:20 GMT
My kids get 30 mins. My son is in Jr High and they now go for free time in the gym after 15 mins. Why? They were all done eating as a general rule after 15 mins and were more of a disruption in the lunch room for the last 15 minutes then anything else. So now they run around the gym or sit on the bleachers and talk. Not one kid or parent minds this at all. It's worked wonders for the lunch room monitoring.
If you know they only have 10 mins to eat why send something needing heated up? I agree that it seems a really short amount of time , and our school policy is that you can't keep kids from lunch for discipline (you can make them eat in the classroom but not keep them from lunch). I would see what the school handbook says. But in the mean time send cold lunches that are easy/fast to eat.
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Post by 950nancy on Oct 28, 2015 21:05:35 GMT
Our kids got 15 minutes to eat, but often they would need longer if the line was long. I taught and hated group punishments. I would calmly just ask the teacher to make sure that your daughter had time to eat her lunch. The teacher can figure out the best way to do that. I was surprised that kids could get their lunch warmed up. We didn't have that at school.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 21:08:25 GMT
My kids get 30 mins. My son is in Jr High and they now go for free time in the gym after 15 mins. Why? They were all done eating as a general rule after 15 mins and were more of a disruption in the lunch room for the last 15 minutes then anything else. So now they run around the gym or sit on the bleachers and talk. Not one kid or parent minds this at all. It's worked wonders for the lunch room monitoring. If you know they only have 10 mins to eat why send something needing heated up? I agree that it seems a really short amount of time , and our school policy is that you can't keep kids from lunch for discipline (you can make them eat in the classroom but not keep them from lunch). I would see what the school handbook says. But in the mean time send cold lunches that are easy/fast to eat. This is only out second year at this school. It was bragged about, that starting in grade 6 they get microwaves. You assume proper time is allotted if they're offering this. Our boys quickly became adamant that they did not want food that needed to be warmed up because they miss out on too much recess time then. I try to send mostly cold food. But some days, you've got nothing. We're on a limited diet because of an auto-immune disorder so some days I will reach for a prepared meal. I send mostly cold food, but I shouldn't get the blame for using something that the school is promoting. On a normal day she still has enough time to hoover it down before they go outside. As for making waves and demanding change, After this year our dd is in the junior high side of the school where they are more or less left to eat at their own pace. I don't know if I have it in me to fight this for parents that should be perfectly capable of doing something about themselves. I'm always the person who says "what needs to be said" and the problem with that is, you're always seen as a bitch. And some days I don't have it in me to fight for what's right. I could already hear it in the principals voice that I was quickly becoming "that mom" even if I am right. |
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Post by epeanymous on Oct 28, 2015 21:14:04 GMT
I'd talk to both the teacher and the school. You could have leisurely hour-long lunches, but if the teacher is withholding lunch as a punishment, it still wouldn't matter; on the other hand, even ten minutes is short. I would address them as separate issues with separate people.
My kids only get 10-15 minutes for lunch. Their schools are overcrowded and they have to do so many lunch periods that the lunches have to be really short. It isn't right for the kids, but the alternative is spending money to rebuild schools and/or build new ones, and you probsbly have a sense of how excited people are to do that.
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