How can I make my student see the importance of eating/not wasting his food???
@marapplestiffy (2182)
Philippines
January 25, 2011 7:40am CST
I wasn't able to address the problem of one of my student because it was already time to go home that I noticed his snacks thrown in the trash, I was busy teaching the beginners the sound of the letters and the more advanced the C-V's...my student just took out the filling inside his Oreo cookie, and Oreo's are not cheap, I talked to him about how other children don't even have food to eat, but then he just retorted "so? I'm not one of them."
Now, I talked to his aunt and she is I think really ashamed of how her nephew answered, I like the aunt and I know she will try and discipline him but still I got to thinking of how much unaware rich children are of the blessings they have in their life...
I am currently downloading pictures of children from Africa and I plan to tape street children, I hope my idea will open their eyes...
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2 people like this
15 responses
@Blacksun310 (559)
• Philippines
25 Jan 11
You can open a discussion about the poverty of other children. You can show them a video clip, a picture, or tell them a story. There are so much things we can do to make children know and realize what is happening beyond their world. Show them what will happen if they continue to waste their food.
"Food is a source of life. What will happen if we run out of food because of throwing them off?" You can tell this thing to them. Well, as they grow up they will realize what food really is. But as early as possible, we, grown ups must teach them the right ways. Good luck to you...
@marapplestiffy (2182)
• Philippines
25 Jan 11
yeah, I know...and I did use that line/a similar one but I guess they can't really be blamed for not caring, for we can't actually care about something we are not aware of....
@sanjay91422 (2725)
• India
25 Jan 11
Hi Black Sun,
I like your ideas, I am sure no body learnt anything before coming to this world. Everyone learns through the surrounding and the social environment around them.
a picture is worth the thousand words so showing them good videos and pictures will help a lot.
@Catana (735)
• United States
25 Jan 11
You know, I heard the same nonsense when I was growing up. You should eat all your food and be grateful because there are so many starving people in the world. Even as a kid, I knew darn well that whether I did or didn't eat my food wasn't going to make a bit of difference to anybody else. If the food is something you dislike, then you shouldn't be forced to eat it. If you want to eat the filling and not the rest, what difference does it make? The idea that a child would be disciplined for not eating something makes me sick.
1 person likes this
@marapplestiffy (2182)
• Philippines
26 Jan 11
actually I don't force the children to eat what they don't like but I do place a container for the food they don't want to eat anymore so that other children might eat it, but this student threw his cookie in the small trash can beside the container for left-over food, and I am thinking of doing what the other people above are suggesting...and being making a child aware of the importance of food is not nonsense...
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
25 Jan 11
I understand exactly what you mean. Before i was like that student. Actually i appreciated really a lot what i had, also felt sorry for people, who suffer from hunger, but still it was not the most important for me and i didn't think about that so often - that rare thinking about the problem saved myself of feeling guilty.
But when i started to live alone and to pay every bill by myself, i realized that life is bit cruel. Our dreams doesn't come in the reality so easy, because you can be the most nice and good person, but it's not only you in the world - there will has always bad people, who will make bad things to you, even if you do your best.
When i started my financial problems i realized how important is every penny, how i have to appreciate the little amounts and to be surprised from the big amounts.
I don't like to throw out food... It would be egoistic, at first place, and arrogant if i do it - like i'm laughing at the hunger problem some people has. It's cruel.
I think that your student need to understand the value of the money. And life is unfair enough, so he will understand it sooner or later.
Educating people for the most important and fundamental problems in the world must happen during they are in the children garden or while they are with their family. They need the best example what is right or wrong in the world. I dream to be a teacher in children garden, because i believe that it can change some life from the start of it. If that guy has seen the bad example - how everything is given as gift in life, without hard work of his side, he just can't appreciate the possibilities life gave to him. But he will understand that sooner or later, as i said. Everyone got these moments in his life when he suffer from something and he start to realize that there is no free gifts in life and everything is result of something.
I cross fingers for your idea, because it's great. And God Bless you as a teacher, because not a lot of people are trying to open the eyes of the rich and contented with the diversity students.
@xiaoanorincess (237)
• China
25 Jan 11
many children in rich family have such kind of problem!they just form this habit unconciously and no one told them it's a bad thing before!they just were unware of it!you know what,I have had a class which tought food is precious and should be cherished!after class,techers and students had lunch together,everyone have eaten all food except one little boy!what happened next surprised me,the teacher came to him and said nothing but eat what he had left!the boy was surprised too and he eat all his food.you know,sometimes action speak louder than words !so it's beeter for you to take your students out and give the food which they had left(you collected them secretly!)to the baggars!
good luck!
1 person likes this
@jimmythangjam (96)
• India
25 Jan 11
i dont like wasting my food or see other wasting theirs either. because when u take an account of the hard works,resources, labour,sweats,money of the people involved to manufacture those food,throwing the food...it sure is really ugly thing to do.
and i appreciate ur ideas to educate ur student kids. good luck
@thisisradu (11)
• India
26 Jan 11
See I get what you're trying to do is good. By showing him, and your other students the difficulty others face, you're making them aware. And awareness about the world around them is a good thing. But I think you are approaching this from the wrong angle.
Have you considered that in a way he is right? Sure there are children that are starving, but there's nothing he can do about that. Really. And there is a possibility, that he's not wasting it because he can, but because he's full. Yes on even half a pack or less, or possibly one cookie. Not everyone can east the same amount of food at one time.
The way you are approaching it; is by showing him children who are starved, however is wrong. That isn't going to help him in the long run. It'll make things worse. You're subconsciously guilting him into eating more than what he needs, because he will end up developing the mindset that somehow he is at fault for kids starving by wasting food. You're guilting him into overeating.
Also as someone else mentioned above, Oreos are not food. They are junk food. It's better if you talk to his aunt about more healthier snack options. Those would probably also be cheaper.
@marapplestiffy (2182)
• Philippines
26 Jan 11
hmmn, I regret not including the fact in my discussion above that I place a container for food/snacks they can't finish anymore, and beside that container is a small trash can for the wrappers of their snacks and a tray of scissors, the student is aware that if they don't want to eat their food anymore they shall place it inside the container but he placed it inside the trash can so I really have to address this problem of wasting his food...
@thisisradu (11)
• India
26 Jan 11
If he's aware of that, and still wasting his food, then yes, it should be addressed. Unless it was an honest mistake. But yes then, it is a good thing you're focusing on teaching them the value of food.
Maybe if it's possible, you could do a trip? Or bring in lesser fortunate street kids, so that they can actually share food with these kids? It would impact them more. However, I'm not sure if your school would allow that, and if it doesn't, then your ideas on how to approach the situation seem really good. Good luck with that lesson! =)
@shaggin (71909)
• United States
25 Jan 11
I dont like to waste things either and I teach my kids to try not to waste things but I dont force them to eat more then they want because that just makes kids fat. If it was me and my kid was only eating the center of the oreo and not the rest I would stop buying the cookie as thats a lot of money to spend on just the centers of an oreo lol. I pretty much had the same attitude as the kid in your class when I was his age.
@dawnald (85147)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
I wonder if that would make an impression on my children...
@CynergyDiva (805)
• Canada
26 Jan 11
Oreos are trash and don't belong in a child's dinner bag anyway. Maybe you could discuss with his aunt some better choices for him. I used to give my kids oreos as a snack too, but now that I know so much more about processed food and the havoc it wreaks on our bodies, I wish I could do it all over again. Not to mention, current research shows a direct link between the introduction of sugar into the diet and violence in children.
xoxo
Cyne
@Graceekwenx (3160)
• Philippines
27 Jan 11
That is a good suggestion marapple.
To add to your idea, what about... asking the kids to store their leftover food in a box, tape the packet and then give it out to the poor kids on the streets an hour before dismissal time so that they can appreciate what it really means to share.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
25 Jan 11
How old is the kid exactly? If your plan doesn't work, I suggest you just tell him to care for his food or you'll deduct points off his extra-curricular or homeroom or whatever you can deduct points from.
@marapplestiffy (2182)
• Philippines
25 Jan 11
his 5 yrs. old...and sadly our grading system is not like that since it's a Montessori School...I will just have to do my best to make my student aware...sigh
@khalida (1126)
• India
25 Jan 11
well for a kid, i don't think he has the understanding of what you were saying.
i can make your job easy/. instead of taking down the photos of african children, you can easily find a video on youtube where it shows how many small things in life are deprived to the kids in africa.
depending on the age, i think this idea might work. ask each one of them to write down their names in chits and choose some other chit. now they got to get something small for the person whose name is written in the chit. after this, you can show the video and tell them that what each one got today was a gift but there are people who don't get them and probably this might strike them harder? hope it helps :)
@asliah (11137)
• Philippines
7 Feb 11
hi,
for me i think, show to your student those people dying because of lack in food for there every day needs, and show to your student those people who eat trashed foods,maybe your student change for a bit.and thats right downloading pictures of children from Africa and plan to tape street children, that will really help them to open and broad there minds about this issue.
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