Health #3

THis chapter had a lot of variety everything from health, diet and exercise to specific learning disabilities at the conclusion of the chapter. I agree with the article that our children are not getting a proper diet of fresh produce and whole grains. Many times I see the students bringing items that are cheap and unfortunately very low in nutritional value. It is a result of their economic hardship, and even though ROcketship spends a lot of money buying organic food for breakfasts and lunches, I do see a lot of food being thrown away or only bitten into. I have heard complaining about the taste of the food which a lot of our students do not like. we make attempts to offer a healthier choice and unfortunately due to cultural tastes, I don't feel that the students are giving it a fair chance. Students are very much influenced by the diet they have at home, and I know a lot of the foods they eat which are not the healthiest. I think that a lot of food in Mexico is healthier and fresher than what we consume here in the United States. I worked with some teachers from Spain one year and within 4-5 months they had each gained about 20-25 pounds eating the American diet which is full of processed foods. In terms of exercise, this is grim also. Our students who arrive at school around 7:30 and those who stay in after school until 5:30 or 6 spend the majority of their day in a sedentary position. I know they get some physical outside time with Coach J, but I don't think it is enough for the full amount of time they spend at school sitting. We as a school have to assume the blame for that because in our push to raise achievement we have sacrificed other things like exercise. I think this can be said for teachers as well. When I worked in ALum ROck I used to go for walks during my lunches, and when I started working here in trying to prepare things and get other things done, I have abandoned that practice and choose to eat lunch in my room and do work. All of the other teachers on staff do the same, and they few times that I have chosen to walk around the block they kids see me and they come screaming, "Ms Serrano... why are you walking.? THey don't understand that I am doing it to exercise. I do talk to them about exercising at home, and fortunately I have changed my habits, but it is easy to fall into the trap of just work work work in order to produce and we lose sight of our health. We need to model these behaviors if we want children to pick up on them and do them themselves. THe last piece I want to comment on is ADHD toward the end of the chapter. I have had children in my classes over the years with the diagnosis for ADHD, and teaching those students is very difficult because their behavior inhibits a lot. I was surprised to find out that one half of students with ADHD have been retained and one third drop out. It seems that we are not doing enough to address this problem when you see statistics like this. I think there has to be more training on this issue and more interventions and modifications in order to prevent the statistics above. I sometimes don't get a feeling like very many people take ADHD seriously. It is very disruptive to the student, the class, and the teacher. I have been frustrated because I know that there are parents who choose not to give their children they prescribed medication, and I know that is their choice, but at some point you have to deal with the problem and figure out how you are going to treat it. It is frustrating for me and for the students who are diagnosed with the disorder I am sure.