http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/23/more-than-half-of-teacher_n_368356.html I do. I work in a low SES district, so it's almost mandatory. I keep various snacks and shelf-stable goods in a cabinet. Students know that they can get something if they need it. I had a student last year whose parents bought Doritos and diet Dr. Pepper (and that was it) each week, so he used the cabinet a lot.
I usually have a few things (granola bars, packs of crackers, etc) tucked away to pull out if need be. Last year, when the parents of one of my students were going through an acrimonious divorce and neither parent was taking much care of the children, I bought about $100 worth of groceries that one of the Child and Youth Workers gave to my student (I didn't want her to be uncomfortable knowing that I had purchased it).
My mom used to hand out lunch money to kids who just missed the cut for free / reduced lunch. When I subbed, several classrooms had giant tubs of Cup-O-Noodles and the like for students. Now, it bothers me that my students are at a distance from me. I can't see if they're hungry or neglected unless they tell me, but then I have our school social worker intervene on my behalf.
I would if necessary, but I would first check with my school to see if there was any help from that end
My school has both free hot lunch and breakfast programs, so we're pretty good on that front. There are still some students whose parents neglect to sign them up for it as much as they neglect to feed them. Like MrsC I have a few granola bars and snacky things stashed around, usually for if I get hungry, but I will offer them to a student if they're complaining of hunger. Usually the student will decline because it turns out that they were really just hungry for hot cheetos. @_@
I don't. My schools have always had healthy snacks provided every day, free breakfast for all students, and free/reduced lunch for those who qualified. In my last school so many students had free lunch that they just had it be free for everyone rather than having only a few kids pay. They also provide free lunch at all of the school sites in the summer for all children under 18, and adults can get the same meal for $1.50.
My school has free breakfast and lunch for everyone. Last year, I did always have a big carton of goldfish crackers on hand. Sometimes I would have kids who came to school too late to eat the free breakfast but hungry because they hadn't eaten at home, so I would give them a handful of crackers to hold them over until recess when they could get breakfast.
All of our kids get free breakfast and lunch, and there is a program that sends food home with about 20 kids every weekend. The years I taught all-boy classes and had late lunch I kept granola bars and cereal all the time. I'd bring apples sometimes, too. Boys that age (12-13) were starving before lunch. Breakfast at 7:45. Lunch at 1:10. I had them about 11:00.
I usually have snacks on hand because I feed students who stay back for review sessions, so if a student is hungry, I'll usually give them something, but the only time I specifically hand out food is on standardized testing day. I always stand outside their testing sites with granola bars so they don't have an empty stomach.
Our school has free breakfast and lunch, but it's horrendous. Even our principal thinks so (and is in the process of changing it). First of all, they get a very small amount of food. Second, it's very low quality (nutritionally speaking). They will get a glazed donut, orange juice, and apple juice for breakfast. I do not know why they need two juices. For lunch, it's something like a "walking taco" (taco meat, cheese, and sour cream in a ripped open bag of Doritos). The kids eat it, but I feel like my $.50 granola bar is better for them than that!
Not really. I work in a low SES area but I've never really had a problem with kids and food. We don't do snack though. They all get free breakfast and lunch. I did have a kid a few years ago who had come to NY for vacation from the Caribbean and when they were here they were all of a sudden unable to return home because of the mother's health. They lived with friends and had absolutely nothing. I sent him home with food- mostly granola bars, a lot. I always bring dry cereal and granola bars to feed the kids before the state tests. We're allowed to serve food so we do treats every now and then, but that's a treat not meant to feed hungry kids.
Not any more. All students get a free breakfast(I encourage them to bring it for a snack, if they have already eaten). Plus, free or reduced lunch. When I provided snacks for those without, the others usually quit bringing them Most bring a snack if they want one, so I don't do one everyday.(I'll bring a whole class every couple of weeks.)
At the low SES school where I do field work/volunteer, teachers often collect the unopened/untouched extras left over after breakfast and lunch (I think they're supposed to be thrown away due to some kind of health codes) like milk, fruit, and crackers and save them for students that need them. Again so no one thinks this is gross, they're left over in the lunch line and no students have touched them. Everyone thinks it's crazy that they can't be reused/saved. Most students also receive free/reduced breakfast and lunch, but there's usually a need for the extras anyway. Kids who won't get much food at home, miss breakfast, etc.
Wow! I can't believe they get away with that with all of the healthy school initiatives. In my first school we kind of had the opposite problem...it was super healthy food, but kids didn't want to eat it. For example, they'd serve "mac n cheese" with whole wheat pasta and then the "cheese" was actually some concoction of vegetable sauce with no actual cheese in it.
I never have before, but I am this year. I have a little boy who wears his 13 year old brothers clothes to school (he's 5), and can barely concentrate because he's so hungry. He receives free and reduced lunch, which includes breakfast, but he is generally not early enough to school to make it to the cafeteria in time. I am not spending a lot, just about $5-10 a month, to ensure a successful year for this student.
Yes, I have. Our school social worker has small things like breakfast bars. This past year I had a student whose parents did not apply for free/reduced lunch, but his account was almost always negative. I purchased his lunch a few times.
We don't give our students breakfast but always have fruit available (I will bring in something like crackers once a week for snack but that's about it). I have my own groceries to buy so I'm not in a position to feed other people's kids. When are parents going to be held accountable for this? It seems like the next thing is schools are going to be open for dinnertime for kids who dont' get dinner at home (ok, this might be an exaggeration but it is getting a bit out of hand).
This past year 14 of my 20 students received free breakfast but most days only 5-7 chose to eat it. It arrives in a bin that we bring in to the classroom. I'd save the leftovers in my closet and the kids would usually grab from it at the end of the day.
I know! We are supposedly following Michelle Obama's new initiatives for healthy lunch, but the only change I heard of related to that was removing the croutons from the teachers' salads.
Most of our students are FRL and receive both breakfast and lunch at school. I don't keep snacks on hand specifically for students, but I have given some of my own snacks to students who were clearly in distress. Last year I had a pregnant student who was practically in tears because she was so hungry. I just handed her my lunch and told her to eat it during our class.
I don't believe this is an exaggeration at all. I wouldn't be surprised if it has already been suggested "somewhere". And I agree, parents need to be held accountable.
I have bought snacks for kids who forgot theirs. I'd be feeding my whole class where I work now, so I cannot afford to do that.
I have. Luckily my co-teacher last year was excellent with bringing in extra supplies. We were pretty big on serving them a nice sized breakfast and often supplemented breakfast with fruits. Parents provided snack so we were pretty stocked with foods. This year I plan to keep some snacks on hand as well. Goldfish, apples, graham crackers that type of thing. One thing is for sure when you are hungry you cannot focus at all.
