Soapbox 101
I received an email earlier this week with the following subject:
Vending Machines are Going Away
Really? Seriously? Oh my. Read on.....
"At its May 12, 2010 meeting, KSBE adopted a policy that requires all accredited K-12 schools in Kansas to implement the Advanced level of the Kansas School Wellness Policy Model Guidelines for foods and beverages sold in vending machines by August 2010.
Specifically:
The sale of Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value is not allowed on school property in elementary and middle schools until after the end of the school day."
It goes on to say that our vending machines will be removed by the end of the summer.
I laughed out loud. Are you kidding me?
I am convinced that I am alive today because my teachers were allowed to have caffeinated beverages. I had a couple of teachers that drank coffee all day. In fact, anyone who spent 5th grade with me is alive today because the teacher--I may have mentioned her--she's the one with the pointiest boobs I have ever seen--drank an ice cold Pepsi in a glass bottle EVERY day after recess. Her boobs might have been pointy but she knew what she was doing.
This is the stuff they leave out of teacher school. No foods of minimal nutritional value, a ream of paper a month that you must check out of the office and carry to the copy machine, and plan your trips to the bathroom accordingly.
This cannot be good. Our vending machines aren't available to our elementary kids. They are available to our elementary TEACHERS. People who occasionally need some sort of food of minimal nutritional value in order to continue the day. I am certain that there have been days when a candy bar and a diet Coke have saved the lives of those shorter than me. That's pretty much everybody because I am 5'11.
I am a grown up for heaven's sake. I can choose food of minimal nutritional value if I want to choose food of minimal nutritional value.
Surely there is more to the story than this email belies. Surely they do not mean to take the vending machines from the teacher's lounge that children do not have access to purchasing items from AT any time of the day. Surely this is a bad dream.
But I betcha it's not. I'm getting a Snickers while I can. And don't even get me started on the copy machine. Just sayin'.
Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel. -Proverbs 11: 17
10 comments:
Amen!! I think you should send this post to our state legislature. Great job of emphasizing how many lives have been saved by teacher access to vending machines! I couldn't have said this better myself!!
Our vending machines are tucked away in the "lounge/workroom". They did do away with microwaves and refrigerators in the classrooms...we are only allowed 2 microwaves and 2 refrigerators/school. Supposedly saves on energy.
Ours were tucked away in the lounge/workroom, also. We also rid ourselves of personal microwaves, refrigerators and coffee pots in the name of saving energy/money. We have 80 people in our building trying to use one frige made for a family of 5. Oh, the life of a teacher. :) I guess it will be a weight loss incentive--no vending machines=no extra calories!
Are You kidding ME???? What in the world are they thinking??? I know of one parent that would be glad to bring you a POP from a convience store at any time just send her a TEXT!!!
I feel your pain. They are taking every machine including the pop machine in the workroom.....
What is the high school going to do for money? As far as sugar goes, our kids can just go to the a la carte line. Plenty of sugar there!
I don't blame you. that's insane.
Will you still be able to bring your own restricted beverages from home or are they banned, too? I know our school had gotten rid of the beverages in machines students could access, but as far as I know, the teacher workrooms still had the "full octane" variety. The healthy school initiatives have also impacted what parents can bring for treats, etc. However, the concession stand at sporting events can sell all the good stuff.
I just think people in charge miss how easy (cheap) it is to maintain morale and how quickly it can be sunk. Things like this seem little, but really, little things are all teachers need to feel valued by bosses.
I just think people in charge miss how easy (cheap) it is to maintain morale and how quickly it can be sunk. Teachers (and many others)feel valued when they receive "perks" like vending machines.
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