Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
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"You have to finish your lunch, before you can talk&quo
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Author:  Meredith Kemper [ Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:24 am ]
Post subject:  "You have to finish your lunch, before you can talk&quo
This is what I am having to tell the kids in my kindergarten class. The rule at the school I am currently enterning at is, "you must finish your lunch before talking to anyone." The first day I ate lunch with the class, I of course did not know this rule. I was getting them in trouble by talking! The kids quickly told me that they have to finish their lunch before speaking. It almost made me think of the class as a colt. The teacher told me that the kids wouldnt eat barely anything if they did not have this rule. I understand that they need to eat, but it is really almost a trick. I say it is a trick because a majority of the kids never get to even finish their lunch. This in turn means no talking or socializing with friends. The lunch period flies by with only a few having finished their lunches. Even the kids who have finished only got to talke for a brief few minutes. The teachers were allowed to talk. I at least liked how recess came right out after lunch. Kids get to socialize on the playground with one another.

I was curious as to what others might think of this. Do you think this is appropriate?
Author:  Leah_Brown [ Tue Mar 27, 2007 7:51 am ]
Post subject: 
I really think that if kids are hungry they will eat. I know my siblings come home from school with a lot of lunch still in their lunch boxes because they weren't hungry enough to finish it at school. It might be hard for kindergarteners to finish all the food their moms pack for them. Also, if a kid doesn't get enough to eat because he or she was too busy talking, it's not like they have to wait till lunch the next day to eat again. I am sure they get snacks at home when they finish the school day and after school programs have snacks too. The kids are not going to starve if they talk during lunch! If one happens to be hungry one day because of it, hopefully he or she will learn to eat more next time. :) NOW, the rule could be in response to a mom saying, "My little Johnny is not eating his lunch. Don't you give the children time to eat?" Still though, the kid will eat when he wants to, whether he is talking or not.
Author:  Krystal_Tarnaski [ Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
I agree that a children should be able to socialize at lunch. I understand where the rule is coming from though because when I go to visit my siblings at their elementary school kids can get distracted easily, but I do not think that is a good enough reason to enforce a rule that they can't talk while they eat. There are too many rules for these children to follow throughout the school day. Children can not sit still and silent for as long as some probably wish in school and if you take away the little leisure time they do have I feel like the kids will more likely act up in class.
Author:  Amanda_Ricketts [ Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:01 pm ]
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yes and no.... i work at a daycare and the four year old's talk freely during lunch. However, nap time is directly after lunch and there are three girls who take at least 20 mins more every lunch day to finish. Because these girls are taking so long everyone esle has trouble sleeping with the lights on. I know that most elem. kids dont take naps directly after lunch but talking and not finishing their lunches in the time allowed might cause them to be irritable the rest of the day.
Author:  Rachel Sigmon [ Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:57 pm ]
Post subject: 
I believe children should be able to socialize at lunch. It is the one of the few times kids can talk and not really get in trouble for it. Growing up, I was one of the kids who never talked in class because I was to scared I would get in trouble -- getting in trouble in school was like the ultimate no no to me. -- If I wouldn't have had lunch time to talk to my friends, I would have probably gone crazy. -- I also understand where the rule is coming from but, I don't believe it really solves anything. -- Yes, it is giving them time to eat but the rule is taking away valuable talking time -- Like Leah said -- kids will eat if they are hungry -- and if they are to busy talking and don't finish or eat as much as they want -- kids will eventually realize they need to eat more and talk less.
Author:  doug_blaney [ Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:22 pm ]
Post subject: 
i would be sad for the kids who didn't get to talk at lunch. i remember it always being one of my favorite parts of the day, even in elementary school.

actually, what jumps out to me is that these kids (meredith's) have recess right after lunch, whereas amanda's daycare kids have nap time right after lunch. i'm far from being a nutrition/digestion expert, but wouldn't these two activities have radically different effects on the children's bodies, each directly following a meal? i just ate some delicious macaroni and cheese, for instance, and while i do NOT feel like running around at the moment, don't they also say that eating right before going to bed slows metabolism and leads to weight gain? could NAPTIME be to blame for our overweight children?!?!

is one of these two sequences of events more "healthy" for 4-5 year old children than the other? someone who knows what they're talking about, please help! (regardless, they should still be allowed to talk. eating together/as a member of a group is a big part of homo sapiens' existence 8) )
Author:  Lauren_Cagle [ Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:11 pm ]
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Oh goodness, that is so sad! Let the kids speak for crying out loud. I agree that kids will eat if they are hungry. They need to be social, this is part of getting out energy, giggles, chit chatting, and part of learning. It just must happen! On Doug's topic of obesity, I don't have the answer. I would think it could be bad to go directly to recess because they have just eaten and might get sick running around so soon after. But children need to be social, and they need to eat so let them do both during the lunch time. Plus, wouldn't it be creepy to sit at the teacher's table and you all are the only ones talking for the first 15 minutes and all the kids are just listening to your conversation, hahaha
Author:  Matt Cobb [ Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:11 pm ]
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For goodness sake, let the kids talk! They need a little social time in their lives, even if it is at lunch. Most kids will eat because they are hungry, but they can still have a little time to talk at the lunch table. I remember in elementary school, the only time we were not allowed to talk was if it got to be too loud in the lunchroom, and the principal would turn the lights off. But I always had enough time to talk and to eat.
Author:  Adam B [ Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:44 am ]
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This rule seems like a poor attempt at making sure students are well fed. Do you know how this rule came about? Or were there previous attempts to acheive the same goal?
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