Josie Baxter
English 101
Dr. Sonia Begert
March 15, 2013
Figuring out ways
to help improve the K-12 curriculum seems to be a never ending, never going anywhere
project for many politicians, school officials and parents around the country. At
first there seems to be a “honeymoon” stage of throwing out ideas left and
right, then slowly the buzz dies down and the topic only seems to appear every
so often. I am sure many people proposed having a more exciting curriculum or giving
schools more money to help “better” educate the students. I believe that a huge
problem of student’s behavior in K-12 is what they are serving for meals and
what they have available for children in the vending machines. I am sure many
will disagree, but sugar filled soda pops, candy and muffins are not my idea of
getting a person prepared for hours of learning.
The Urban Dictionary defines a sugar
rush as “The intense physiological effect of consuming too much sugar or
glucose, usually in the form of cakes, cookies and soda; eating excessive
amounts of sugar makes the brain release dopamine and endorphins, often
inducing a mild sense of euphoria and happiness. This is often accompanied by a
strong surge of energy as the sugar hits the bloodstream. Sugar highs often
only last an hour or two, and as the level of glucose in the blood lowers it
can often leave the subject feeling drained or unnaturally tired. If ingested
with large amounts of caffeine, such as in the form of chocolate or cola, the
subject can also become jittery, experience mild heart palpitations or suffer
from temporary insomnia.” When I look at Olympic College’s vending machines
they offer pop tarts, skittles, soda pop, as well as many other forms of sugar.
This is a college vending machine, NOT a K-12 vending machine; however, 8 years
ago when I was in school these were the same options I remember seeing when I
looked for a quick snack.
I think offering
high sugar snacks make a huge impact on our students and I am not the only one.
According to FOX News, “the USDA is
now saying that the
food sold in vending machines cannot exceed 200 calories and must meet other
nutritional guidelines when it comes to fat and sugar.” When one has something
filled with lots of sugar before a class, how is that student supposed to be
able to focus on what they are being taught while having a “sugar high” and
only thinking about getting out of class and using up their energy in a
different way. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Good
nutrition lays the groundwork for good health and academic success.”
I believe that with healthy snacks in vending
machines our students would be able to perform much better with their curriculum.
I feel as though making it through a 3 hour class would be easier without
coming down from a “sugar high”. Not only does sugar make it hard to focus for
some students due to the level of glucose, but it can also make diabetic
students become tired and have elevated blood sugar, causing it to be harder
for the student to stay awake. I don’t feel that it is the schools job to
regulate what student’s eat and how much. I do think limiting their unhealthy
options in the vending machines and providing an equal amount of healthy
options would help them make better decisions on what to put into their body.
Beyond the troubles that sugary foods create
for our children in regards to their ability to perform at a school, there is
another reason that we should be reducing these seductive treats. Our nation is experiencing an epidemic of
Type 2 Diabetes and obesity. CBS News
notes that “Children in the study, published online Aug. 13 in the
journal Pediatrics,
gained less weight from fifth through eighth grades if they lived in states
with strong, consistent laws versus no laws governing snacks available in
schools. For example, kids who were 5 feet tall and 100 pounds gained on
average 2.2 fewer pounds if they lived in states with strong laws in the three
years studied. Also, children who were overweight or obese in fifth grade were
more likely to reach a healthy weight by eighth grade if they lived in states
with the strongest laws.” The example that
we are providing for our students by supplying them with these types of food is
hypocritical, and honestly shameful. Our
young people deserve to be taught consistently and truthfully that their health
is important.
I am sickened at schools that preach health and
nutrition to our young people while being perfectly willing to take their
dollar bills during lunch time in exchange for candy bars, sugar filled soda
and energy drinks. Somewhere there is a disconnect from what we say we value,
and what our budgets show we value. Our
students are smart. They see that
although their teachers talk about healthy lifestyles, the schools they learn
in provide these things and have no problem giving them unlimited access. There is too much at stake for us to be
sending these kinds of mixed messages.
The truth is, our habits are developed at a young age. The things that we do during our K-12 years
are the things that we will either continue to do, or have to fight to change
over the rest of our lives.
Vending machines are by all means not the
reason why our education system seems to continuously fail. However, I believe
that they defiantly contribute to student’s behavior and success. Changing what we offer to students in vending
machines isn’t going to solve every problem there is with the K-12 curriculum,
but it is a great start to help our students become more focused, motivated and
even more excited about their classes. Not only are we looking out for the
education of our children, but also their health. Offering healthier snacks
will help contribute to managed weight and healthier children. We as a nation
should stop thinking about what we should be doing to help the school system
improve, but what the school system could be doing to help our children.
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