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Post by corinne11 on Oct 28, 2015 21:29:01 GMT
Our kids have 10 minutes allocated to eat lunch, BUT we don't have school cafeterias. Our kids are in class, bell goes, get lunch from bags and eat in class. A few teachers do have personal microwaves but kids normally bring lunch or have lunch orders ( picked up at bell time and taken to class) However, if students don't finish, we have shaded eating areas with tables where they can sit. They do tend to use these areas as we have a rule about not eating on the oval- so they don't drop rubbish.
I'm a teacher and if students are disruptive and need to make up time with me, I ask them to meet me at lunch playtime. We have 1/2 an hour and the longest I will speak to/keep in a student is 15 minutes, although I do know of teachers that keep them in for all of playtime. I don't agree with this- kids NEED to run around and burn off excess energy, especially the rowdy ones!
Corinne
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 28, 2015 21:31:31 GMT
That would make me mad. My DD is a pokey eater anyway so there's no way ten minutes would be enough time for her even if she had a cold lunch she could just sit down and eat. I agree that kids need time not only to eat but to talk and laugh and socialize too. At my kid's grade school, they're not even allowed to talk in the halls or other common areas between classes, so it's really not very realistic to expect them not to talk and stuff at lunch. At our school the kids get 20 minutes to eat and 20 minutes outside for recess.
If they're only getting ten minutes to eat, it makes me wonder how much time they're getting outside? I would think that having a very short recess and/or not enough outside time and limited phy ed would be a big contributing factor to kids having behavior issues in class, especially for younger kids, and that would be another thing that I'd be asking about.
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gina
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Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
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Post by gina on Oct 28, 2015 21:42:35 GMT
Unacceptable. But then, I also agree that ten minutes on a good day is an awful amount of time. Our kids have lunch built-in as a period, so it's 40 minutes long. Then can choose to use the second half to go out for recess if they want so at a minimum, they have a solid 20 minutes to eat.
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Post by peasful1 on Oct 28, 2015 21:54:18 GMT
So she gives all of the power to a handful of kids who misbehave? I would ask her why. I've done just that before with a band director and he was floored as he had never thought of it that way before. He changed his disciplining tactics after that. He was a very young, new teacher. Had a lot to learn about kids.
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Post by RiverIsis on Oct 28, 2015 22:01:10 GMT
So she gives all of the power to a handful of kids who misbehave? I would ask her why. I've done just that before with a band director and he was floored as he had never thought of it that way before. He changed his disciplining tactics after that. He was a very young, new teacher. Had a lot to learn about kids.
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Post by hop2 on Oct 28, 2015 22:06:41 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. I become 'bratty' when i don't eat. I'd be having a problem with this. 10 minutes and some kids wouldn't even be thru the lunch line yet. totally doesn't work. The state of NJ considers eating and drinking too quickly to be one of the causes of choking. (page 4) www.nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/documents/Documents%20for%20Web/Choking_Alert_0111.pdf
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RedSquirrelUK
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Oct 28, 2015 22:32:03 GMT
I get a 15 minute lunch break in a 6-hour shift. By the time I've gone to the toilet, got my food out of my bag and sat down, and allowed time to put it all away again and get back to work, that's 10 minutes. I spend the afternoon with indigestion and low concentration. And I'm an adult. How the heck can children be expected to manage??? SO wrong and counter-productive. I'm sorry.
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Post by dazeepetals on Oct 28, 2015 22:37:08 GMT
10 minutes for lunch? That's ridiculous. And we wonder where bad eating habits start when we force kids to stuff down their food in a short time period. Eating quickly tends to lead to people eating more as they aren't cued by their body that they are full. It's a set-up for over-eating.
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PaperAngel
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Post by PaperAngel on Oct 28, 2015 22:53:08 GMT
My recommendation is to focus on the schedule for now. Confirm with the school that 6th grade lunch is only 10 minutes, request a breakdown of the time, & ask about options if students do not complete their lunches in the allotted time (e.g. stay in cafeteria, picnic table on the playground). I would work to ensure students have ample amount of time to select, eat, & digest food before addressing group punishments (which, unfortunately, seem commonplace). Best wishes...
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AnotherPea
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Post by AnotherPea on Oct 28, 2015 22:55:27 GMT
Yes , that ^. And always, always, start with the teacher. The principal wasn't afraid to handle the situation, he respects his teacher's authority and the chain of command.
Plus, you may have the story wrong.
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Nicole in TX
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Post by Nicole in TX on Oct 28, 2015 23:05:12 GMT
Yes , that ^. And always, always, start with the teacher. The principal wasn't afraid to handle the situation, he respects his teacher's authority and the chain of command. Plus, you may have the story wrong. Yes, the principal is just asking you to go up the chain of command, which any good principal should do. A good teacher will never punish a class for the the misbehavior of a few. It is probably against the law to prevent a student from eating lunch; that is not a viable form of punishment. I second there might be a state law guaranteeing kids a certain length lunch period; you might want to research that. I do agree that elementary students would take an hour to eat lunch if you gave it to them, longer lunch periods = more time for students to get restless, but 10 minutes is downright cruel.
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 9:19:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2015 1:05:00 GMT
The teacher did call me after school. We had a good conversation, I still don't agree with the way lunch is being handled but I was able to tell her my perspective and she was going to reevaluate how she handles the last few minutes before lunch.
The gist of it is, before the lunch bell rings, students are asked to clean up their space and sit on the carpet. This is where she says grace with the kids (private school). She did admit to making the kids wait until everyone is seated. And she also acknowledged that it wasn't fair to the kids that were following orders and she would reconsider how she manages that.
The kids eat lunch in their homerooms, and I all elementary students have 10 minutes to eat before they head outside for the remainder of their recess, but she said she stays with her students and she allows them up to 20 minutes to eat before she has them head out. She admitted that she wasn't aware that the other homeroom teacher was having the kids go outside after the 10 minute mark and so she could see why that wasn't enough time if she was keeping them for too long.
As for the length of lunch, I did mention that it was not long enough. . She said the students want the short lunch so that they can get outside to play sooner. It works fine if the teacher allows them extra time to eat but what about those students that have to go out after 10 minutes but need a little more time? There seems to be a lot inconsistencies, but I'm not willing to fight this battle further.
In total they have 40 minutes. 10 minutes to eat, and the rest is recess. Unless you happen to have a teacher that doesn't go to the staff room to eat, then you'll have up to 20 minutes to eat. Doesn't seem right, I'd love to share ideas of how they could make lunch break improve but we're considered outsiders so I'll just leave it.
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 29, 2015 1:10:40 GMT
I've only read the OP and I would be pissed off. First, 10 minutes to eat is not enough. They need more time. Do the teachers, admin, and other staff only get 5 minutes? I think it is crap.
Can you go observe? Go to a parent meeting? Call the principal.
That would not fly with me and I would be the squeaky wheel.
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 9:19:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2015 1:19:24 GMT
I've only read the OP and I would be pissed off. First, 10 minutes to eat is not enough. They need more time. Do the teachers, admin, and other staff only get 5 minutes? I think it is crap. Can you go observe? Go to a parent meeting? Call the principal. That would not fly with me and I would be the squeaky wheel. It's a total of 40 minutes. 10 minutes to eat and then the rest is spent outside. The teachers take turns supervising the kids outside so the rest of the teachers get about 30 minutes.
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 29, 2015 1:27:28 GMT
I've only read the OP and I would be pissed off. First, 10 minutes to eat is not enough. They need more time. Do the teachers, admin, and other staff only get 5 minutes? I think it is crap. Can you go observe? Go to a parent meeting? Call the principal. That would not fly with me and I would be the squeaky wheel. It's a total of 40 minutes. 10 minutes to eat and then the rest is spent outside. The teachers take turns supervising the kids outside so the rest of the teachers get about 30 minutes. nope, still wouldn't fltv with me. Kids need 10-15 min minimum to eat
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Rhondito
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Post by Rhondito on Oct 29, 2015 1:36:29 GMT
I've only read the OP and I would be pissed off. First, 10 minutes to eat is not enough. They need more time. Do the teachers, admin, and other staff only get 5 minutes? I think it is crap. Can you go observe? Go to a parent meeting? Call the principal. That would not fly with me and I would be the squeaky wheel. It's a total of 40 minutes. 10 minutes to eat and then the rest is spent outside. The teachers take turns supervising the kids outside so the rest of the teachers get about 30 minutes. So rush the students out so the teachers can have a leisurely lunch? Yeah... no.
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Post by miaow on Oct 29, 2015 2:18:13 GMT
I have never heard of only 10 minutes! We have 20 and we make students stay for that whole time. I would encourage her to take something that doesn't need to be heated and, if she likes a warm lunch, pack it in a thermos. I might send an e-mail to the teacher to be sure of this policy.
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Oct 29, 2015 2:27:43 GMT
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. Does your daughter have the auto-immune disorder, or is it just that the household is on a limited diet because someone in the family has it? If your daughter has it, and without knowing more, I'm wondering whether extra time for lunch-- to use the microwave AND eat-- is an accommodation the school would have to make if you asked for it. (You don't have to actually answer me; I was just wondering about it and thought I'd throw it up here in case it turns out to be something worth thinking about. Or maybe you already looked into it. Or maybe it's someone else in the house, not her, so it's not an option.)
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Deleted
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Oct 5, 2024 9:19:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2015 3:19:42 GMT
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. Does your daughter have the auto-immune disorder, or is it just that the household is on a limited diet because someone in the family has it? If your daughter has it, and without knowing more, I'm wondering whether extra time for lunch-- to use the microwave AND eat-- is an accommodation the school would have to make if you asked for it. (You don't have to actually answer me; I was just wondering about it and thought I'd throw it up here in case it turns out to be something worth thinking about. Or maybe you already looked into it. Or maybe it's someone else in the house, not her, so it's not an option.) That's fine, I don't have a problem talking about it. It's our son who has the auto immune disorder, he's in grade 7. And while our daughter does get foods that he doesn't, it's just easier to prepare one meal vs two different ones. Most teachers don't even realize he has an auto immune disorder because it's pretty mild compared to some, his diet helps but I don't think they would accommodate us.
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Post by iteach3rdgrade on Oct 29, 2015 3:23:34 GMT
Our students play for 20 and eat for 20, however, by the time they go through line it is more like 10-15 minutes to eat. I tell my students to sit and finish when I know the line was long. Our schedule changed and they have to move quickly to get one grade out and one more in. My son doesn't eat much because he talks too much. I can get after him now, but in the future I won't see him to do that. Students could spend an hour eating lunch if they were given that much time. That principal should have dealt with it, however, talking to the teacher first is usually what should be done. Since it wasn't the homeroom teacher, he should have handled it.
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Post by Lexica on Oct 29, 2015 3:28:47 GMT
You are absolutely not off base on this issue. I strongly disagree with the school limiting the students to 10 minutes to scarf down their food. They are setting these kids up for eating issues down the road. I would be getting indigestion myself if I tried to eat anything other than soup from a drinkable flask in that time frame. I wonder how they came up with this rule. Who thought this could be a good idea, and why are the parents going along with it?
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Nicole in TX
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Post by Nicole in TX on Oct 29, 2015 10:28:26 GMT
Uhfortunately if this is a private school they can do whatever they want, including a 10 minute lunch and no accommodations for anything.
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AnotherPea
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Post by AnotherPea on Oct 29, 2015 10:45:07 GMT
Yep. Besides, there would never be a formal accommodation for a child to have access to a microwave so she could hear up her lunch.
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MerryMom
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Post by MerryMom on Oct 29, 2015 12:32:29 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. I agree, I now that you have checked with the teacher directly, it does appear the students get 40 minutes for lunch and that includes recess.
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Post by rainangel on Oct 29, 2015 15:06:53 GMT
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. They have two, sometimes three, adults supervising a class of less than 30 students. So I am pretty confident they are able to keep an eye on each student. Of course my DD is the one at fault here, but with that many adults in the classroom during lunch they should have some control of what actually happens in the room and be able to give reminders to the students if needed. In a room of 200 students it would be a completely different situation, I should have specified the adult:child ratio in my post.
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paigepea
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Post by paigepea on Oct 29, 2015 15:42:21 GMT
I don't think you're off base. I'd probably start by talking to the teacher who releases them before lunch. Then I'd probably buy a thermos so your dd doesn't need to use a microwave.
My girls get 20 min to eat. That includes time to get their lunch and bring it to their classrooms. If dd wants to use the washroom or wash marker off her hands, she ends up with 10 min or less They are currently eating In their classrooms because there isn't a lunch room. They shift the kids through lunch times to limit kids on the playground. My younger dd eats lunch. Then has a 20 min recess, then goes back to class. My older dd has a 10 min recess, then eats for 20 min (ends up being more Like 10-15 min) then goes out for another 10 min recess. Totally not ideal. But they're building a new school and this will all change.
To help, I give smaller lunches in Tupperware and tend to give an extra snack in a bag that can be taken out for recess. So I'll give lentil soup in the thermos and then dd will take out half a sandwich in a bag to eat outside. Or ill give some pasta in a thermos and pita with hummus in it for them to take out in a bag.
I also only send fruit and veg snacks for their other two recess times (morning and afternoon). Apple cut in a bag and veg cut in a bag (my girls like their veg cut with pieces of lettuce - it makes them feel like they're having a salad). That way I know the kids are eating healthy snacks.
Sometimes I send salad for lunch (like with cut egg and chic peas so it fills them up) and that leaves space for a treat for a snack.
My point is - it can work. Reduce the actual size of the lunch and have high quality snacks. Think of snacks as mini parts of the lunch.
But yes, I'd talk to the teacher. Group punishment sucks. Group punishment before lunch is worse!
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Post by Darcy Collins on Oct 29, 2015 15:47:17 GMT
So it sounds like from your update that the real problem is the homeroom teacher who is shooing them outside even if they just arrived 5 minutes ago. The "problem" teacher will accommodate her students for up to 20 minutes to finish their lunch. I'd have a conversation with your daughter's homeroom teacher about flexibility for students who can't wolf down their food in 10 minutes.
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