Archive for the ‘Teacher Tips’ Category
Peanuts…to ban or not to ban?
To ban, or not to ban...that is the question. But what is the answer?
According to the “School Nutrition Operations Report: The State of School Nutrition 2009” released in September by the School Nutrition Association, only about 34.7% of schools have banned any foods due to food allergies. The most commonly banned food item is peanuts. The report also tells us that as a direct result of food allergies and sensitivities, more than 20% of districts now offer gluten-free food options. While many parents of allergy affected children have sought a complete ban on peanuts at schools, there are mixed emotions as to whether or not this would actually solve any problems.
Elizabeth Cowles who works with the non-profit School Nutrition Association, expalins “one common concern we’ve heard many school foodservice professionals cite is the false safety that a complete ban can create.” She continues,”they ultimately have to rely on compliance from all parents and students to make a food ban effective.”
Elizabeth’s concerns are echoed by Corinne Gregory, founder and President of SocialSmarts (a nationally-recognized schools-based program that teaches good social skills, positive character and values). Bans and isolating a student with allergies can further alienate a child who already feels “different”. Corinne has encountered increasing occurrences of bullying in the form of “tainting” foods or even trying to force-feed a child the very ingredient they are deathly allergic to. She adds “kids have beven been known to contaminate personal items or work surfaces with the allergen”. Such bullying tactics are absolutely horrific to imagine actually taking place but Corrine stresses “it’s vital that parents, teachers, and the public know about this nasty practice as they strive to keep kids safe.”
So if bans and isolation are not the answer, then what can we do to help these children? Enter Lori Aronsky, owner of Food Allergy Ally. She volunteered some wonderful strategies that are already being successfully practiced at many schools. First, education. Fellow classmates, teachers, parents and other faculty must be aware of the severity and risks involved. She recommended some wonderful books for kindergarten and first graders to help them understand and hopefully sympathize with the difficulties of living with a food allergy:
- Chad the Allergic Chipmunk: A Children’s Story of Nut Allergies
- Allie the Allergic Elephant: A Children’s Story of Peanut Allergies
On the subject of classroom etiquette, Lori ads that “when a child brings nut products to school it is by choice. When a child comes to school with nut allergies, it is not by choice.” She points out that if you create a “nut table” and a “safe table”, the “safe table” will invariably be the larger of the two, further isolating and alienating the allergic child. Kids like to sit with their friends. She ads “my experience has been that most kids will decide to bring safe food to school, so they can sit with their friends with nut allergies…even remind[ing] their parents not to send nut products” so they can sit with their allergic friends. She recommends having a contraband table where those who bring nut products must sit. This keeps the allergic child from being isolated and encourages kids to bring safe snacks so they can sit with their friends.
Several others spoke up with great methods for addressing the cafeteria concerns. Gina Lincicum describes the arrangement at her cafeteria as ideal for helping her son who deals with a severe peanut allergy feel more accepted. The lunchroom is arranged so that the kids with allergies can sit with their own class rather than a separate table off in a corner. At the end of each table, there’s a section marked off with tape and pcitures that clearly read “No Peanut Zone”. Adult monitors help younger children sit in the right section. Anyone with PB&J is moved to the father end of the table. Those with n-PB lunches can sit in the middle or even in the No Peanut Zone. Her son is even allowed to participate in cafeteria cleanup with the rest of his class, usually being assigned sweeping instead of table washing). “it is very integrated and comfortable”, Gina adds.
Tatia Prieto, a K-12 consultant, primarily in the operational areas (a.k.a. school lunch) explains her cafeteria’s similar arrangement. They generally eat lunch by classroom. A card is attached to the end of each table with a color coded dot for the various types of medical emergencies the staff needs to be aware of at that table. Confidentiality is maintained by faculty having a binder near the cash register that includes student names and even pictures that correlate to the dots on the table cards.
Join us again tomorrow for tips on how to help a child self manage their allergies at school, suggestions on classroom safety and more “safe” snack and lunch suggestions. Share your ideas, suggestions, and concerns in our forum.
Tags: education, Family and Home, food allergies, parenting, safety, teachers, tips and tricks
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Peanut Allergies and your kids in school
Food allergies are thankfully not something I have had to deal with directly with my children. But I have been frightened enough for several kids that play with my own children and have peanut allergies that I have felt compelled to learn more about them. What I have discovered is a world of wonderful parents and specialists that have an immense amount of experience and knowledge and were willing to share it with me. I would like to take the time this week to share some of this insightful wisdom with all of you in hopes that it will help enlighten us all as to ways we can keep all of our kids safe and positive at school.
I’d like to start off this series by clarifying some of the different peanut related allergies out there. Most nut-related allergies seem to fall into two major categories…Peanuts and Tree Nuts, with the peanut allergy usually being the most volatile and sever. As with all food allergies, label reading is a necessity. According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, all FDA-regulated manufactured food products that contain peanut as an ingredient are required by U.S. law to list the word “peanut” on the product label. If they contain a tree nut as an ingredient, they are also required by U.S. law to list the specific tree nut on the product label.
In addition to any foods with warning labels that reference “may contain nuts” or “may be manufactured in a plant that processes nuts”, here are some foods that should be avoided in a child with a “peanut” allergy:
- African, Asian (especially chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese), and Mexican dishes
- baked goods (e.g., pastries, cookies)
- candy (including chocolate candy)
- chili
- egg rolls
- enchilada sauce
- marzipan
- mole sauce
- nougat
If you are dealing with a tree nut allergy, here are a few of the ingredients you should avoid:
- artificial nuts
- beechnut
- Brazil nuts
- butternut
- cashews
- chestnuts
- coconut
- filberts/hazelnuts
- ginkgo nut
- hickory nuts
- macadamia nuts
- marzipan/almond paste
- natural nut extract (e.g., almond, walnut)
- nut butters (e.g., cashew butter)
- nutmeat
- pecans
- pesto
- pine nuts (also referred to as pinyon nuts)
- pistachios
- praline
- shea nut
- walnuts
As an extra warning, Wal Mart brand “great value” has now started processing everything with nuts even down to their ice cream and whale crackers. So avoid these foods altogether.
For those of you who are like me who don’t have a child with allergies but want to know some “safe” snacks you can send to school with your child that will not harm one of his friends that have a peanut allergy, here are some suggestions from a fellow mom who deals with this allergy in her own son. She offers these suggestions with the warning that manufacturer packaging and processing continually changes so please READ LABELS of any snacks you choose and watch for any of the following: peanuts/nuts, peanut/nut butter, peanut/nut oil, peanut/nut flour, peanut/nut meal, or any of the statements “May contain traces of peanut/nuts” or “Manufactrued in a facility that also processes peanuts (and/or other nuts)”…
- Crackers: Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Goldfish (plain, pretzel or cheddar), Cheez-Its, Cheese Nips, Keepbler Twon House Crackers, Ritz Crackers (plain), Triscuits (original), What Thins (original), Chicken in a Bisket Crackers (original), Kraft Handi-Snacks Crackers with Cheese Dip
- Potato Chips: Pringles, Lays (plain), Cheetors, Tostitos, Fritos
- Pretzels: Rold Gold
- Cookies: Original Oreos or Double Stuff, Teddy Grahams (not the trail mix), Barnum Animal Crackers, Rice Krispy Treats (plain), Nabisco Vanilla Wafers, Honey Maid Graham Crackers (plain or cinnamon), Fig Newtons, Chips-A-Hoy (NOT MINIS), Hostess Ho-Ho’s & Twinkies, Pepperidge Farm Milano/Chessmen/Shortbread/Sugar Cookes
- Candy: Smarties, Starburst, Swedish Fish, Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops, Skittles, Bubble Gum, lollipops, Sweet-Tarts, Air Heads, Lifesavers, Hershey Kisses (plain, not with almonds & not Hugs), Jet Puff Marshmallows
- Gummy Snaks: (NOT Brachs or Jelly Belly) Only Betty Crocker or Nabisco Fruit Snacks including Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Gushers.
- Doughnuts: Krispy Kreme “Original Glazed” (only from the store – with or without sprinkles. Not pre-packaged from a grocery store).
Join us in our forum all week as we discuss the topic of peanut allergies and how to deal with them in schools. Coming up this week…Suggestions for helping your child self-manage their allergy, Bullying and ways to avoid it, Lunch room techniques and Guidelines for safety in the classroom.
Tags: Family and Home, food allergies, health, parenting, safety, teachers, tips and tricks
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Has your child benefited from a special teacher? Give ‘em an Apple!
Silver Apple Award sponsored by Ace Air and 3TV
Do you have a child enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade in an Arizona school that has been positively impacted by the dedication and inspiration of a special teacher? If you have seen your child make unusually large strides in their education as a direct result of an individual teachers efforts, then you might want to take a moment and nominate that special educator for the Silver Apple Award, created by 3TV in 1991. This year, eight Silver Apple awards will be awarded to exceptional teachers during the 2009-2010 school year, one award per month. Each winner will receive not only the recognition of this prestigious award but will also be given $500 for use in their classroom. In these difficult economic times, when salaries are being cut and teachers are scrambling for classroom resources out of their own pockets, this is truly a wonderful way to support the daily efforts they make for the benefit of our children.
Teachers are some of the most important people in the lives of our children and yet they often receive the lowest pay, fewest accolades and least amount of respect. Of course, everyone loves to recall the nightmarish teacher that scarred them for life!…but the ones we truly remember are those that have quietly influenced every aspect of who we are simply by their subtle inspiration and extreme patience as they attempted to fill our minds with useful knowledge and temper that knowledge with the ability to use it wisely.
My daughter had one such teacher last year who cheerfully brought excitement and wonder to the entire learning process. I was amazed as I assisted in her classroom at how her students responded to her contagious zeal for learning and soft-spoken methods of teaching. It is these few and incredibly priceless teachers that these awards were meant for!
If you feel you’ve got a teacher that fits the bill, then download the Silver Apple Awards form, have it signed by their school principal and then either mail or fax it back to 3TV by March 5, 2010 by 5 pm. Completed forms can be faxed to 602-207-3545 or mailed to:
attn: Silver Apple Award
c/o 3TV
5555 N. 7th Avenue
Phoenix Az 85013
For more information, you can visit their Arizona’s Family Cares Passion to Action website.
Tags: education, teachers
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Heroes and Villains…how do our kids tell the difference?
Where are you superman?
As I was once again watching some of the Star Wars movies with my little kids for probably the 100th time, my son asked me “so are the storm troopers good or bad?” to which I replied “well, they’re good in the fifth movie but not the sixth”. With a worried look on his face, he then followed up with “but in ‘Star Wars, the Clone Wars’, they are friends with Anakin and they fight the bad guys, right”. Struggling a little, I then tried to explain”well, yes but Anakin becomes bad in the fifth movie too”. “But he can’t be bad because he’s a good guy!” replied my 7 year old.
Do you find yourself having these types of conversations with your kids about their “heroes”? We talk a lot about the “good guys” vs. the “bad guy” and my kids try hard to make sure they’re rooting for the “good guy”. The problem is, that’s not always a clear distinction these days. We cheer for the Michael Phelps of the world that win Olympic medals and achieve great things only to have them arrested for drug abuse or indicted on counts of rape. We cheer wildly for Steve McNair only to find that he was cheating on his wife…and his girlfriend…at the same time!
How do we explain to our kids the distinction between the “hero” vs. the “villain” when we don’t often know ourselves? Perhaps the solution is to not worship the person, but the act. Perhaps it is no longer the hero that should be important but the act of heroism itself that should draw our accolades. Acts of sacrifice, kindness and true heroic struggle happen around us daily. We need to help our kids stop searching for the hero and start bringing attention to the true heroism in their lives. The teacher who despite the daily struggle with cancer, chooses to cheerfully come to school every day to help her students learn and grow. The policeman who leaves his family every night not knowing whether he’ll be back to see them the next morning just to make sure the rest of us can sleep a little safer. The parent who works long hours at thankless jobs, struggling with difficult people, just to make sure his kids can be fed and clothed.
As our kids watch our daily recognition of these silent and too often unrecognized acts of heroism throughout our day, perhaps they, too, will be able to understand that it is not the hero that is important, but the daily striving to be the hero that counts. One of my kids favorite songs is “If Today was Your Last Day” by Nickelback. As the title suggests, it reminds us that we don’t always get that second chance to do what we know we should. We “should do whatever it takes” to “shoot for the stars” because “whats worth the price is always worth the fight”. If our kids can learn that it’s never too late to do the right thing and that we shouldn’t wait until the last minute to make that choice, we may yet be able to repopulate the world with true heroes owrthy of a lifetime of accolades.
Tags: Family and Home, parenting
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The Seven Learning Styles
Reprinted with permission from Stacy Mantle
Original article was written as a summary of the teaching styles originally presented by Dr. Gardner in his “7 Different Learning Styles” and “Multiple Intelligences Learning” Theories. Her original article was written for an educational audience already familiar with these methods and was published in the textbook “Culture and Context”.
How many ways are there to learn about a subject? According to the latest findings by several leading psychologists, there are seven specific types of learning styles. This means that in order to maximize learning advantages, you must define the type of learner that you have, and cater the lesson to that particular learning style. For example, if your child is primarily a linguistic learner, you could incorporate several novels into your curriculum. You could encourage short stories to explain scientific developments, or allow the student to rewrite a difficult math problem into a story problem. If he/she is primarily logical, you will want to emphasize charts, tables, and diagrams. Venn diagrams work well with a logical learner.
Read each description below to determine which style best describes your student. Remember that it is possible to have more than one style of learning, particularly in the intrapersonal and interpersonal categories (numbers six and seven), which have traditionally been interpreted as personality types.
1. Linguistic: This type of learner loves to read, write, and tell stories. They tend to memorize places, dates, names, and trivia very easily, and are always mesmerizing you with their incredible tales. They have a remarkable ability to repeat back everything you have ever told them, word for word. Encourage their creativity, and do your best to distinguish between the truth and exaggeration (it is all well intended). These students learn best by saying, hearing, and seeing words. Ask them to write down a word or a phrase, and it is forever locked into their memory. Encourage them to participate in spelling bees and creative writing courses. You could have another Shakespeare on your hands!
2. Logical: This child is very mathematically inclined. They enjoy solving problems, particularly if they are math related. They are similar to Dr. Spock, on Star Trek, in that they are very logical, straightforward types of learners. They will plague you with questions on how things work, how things relate to one another, and why things are here. Their favorite toys as young children were likely building blocks, and pattern puzzles. Answer their ongoing questions with as much patience as you can muster, and know that one day they may likely become an engineer. This type of student learns best by categorizing, classifying, and working with abstract patterns or relationships. Ask them to make a chart or to show relationships between different items. For example, “What kind of effect does the El Nino have on the stock market?”. They will not only come up with an answer, but they will be able to explain the process and developmental stages of the relationship.
3. Spatial: These are the visualizers. They spend most of the day dreaming, watching movies, and staying as far away from reality as possible. If they seem particularly “down”, asking them to draw a picture will get you much further into the nature of the problem, than asking them to tell you about it. Allow them to develop their senses and their natural artistic abilities. They are very good at working with colors and pictures, and using the “mind’s eye”. Allow them to play a couple of educational computer games, such as Civilization or the Oregon Trail, or to daydream under a tree. They could be hard at work thinking about a particular problem, but have yet to put it on paper. These types of learners are very artistic, although they often have problems expressing it. Encourage any type of creative endeavor. They may become the next developer of an international theme park.
4. Musical: If your child is always walking around the house humming a tune, or always needs music to study by, then he/she is likely a musical learner. This type of learner is best at noticing details, pitches, and rhythms that escape the normal listener. They are excellent at keeping tune, and are adept at turning the abstract into concrete objects. They learn best through rhythm, melody, and music. For memorization techniques, ask them to write a song about the lesson (rap works well as a narrative), or teach them a song. Encourage their natural love of music, and try to incorporate music into as many lessons as possible.
5. Bodily: This type of learner is always on the move. They constantly walk around, they have to touch everything, and they use body language to convey their feelings. They would rather play sports or do a craft than sit down and read a book. They need active education! Keep them moving. Play word games in the pool, have spelling lessons during tennis. Take them camping to learn about geography and nature. These are the learners who can do more than one thing at a time. Generally recognized as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), many are misdiagnosed. Allow them to use all of that extra energy to learn. Remember to incorporate sense development and interaction with space during their lessons. Attempt to keep the duration of each lesson down to a minimum (10-20 minutes depending on age), and change subjects frequently. Interdisciplinary lessons are very successful with these types of learners.
6. Interpersonal: These are the “social butterflies”. They adapt easily to any type of social situation, have many friends and are excellent leaders. They are patient, understanding, and very empathetic, which makes them a favorite among their playmates. They generally make good leaders because of their ability to mediate conflict, and are often referred to as “the Peacemaker” of the family. Encourage their love of people, and allow them to be with many different types of people. They will likely bring home a number of different types of friends. Although this can be difficult at times, it is important to support and accept all of them. This type of learner will do best in a group situation as they compare, share, relate, and interview other people. If no group is available, don’t be surprised to see them create one in their animals or toys!
7. Intrapersonal: These strong willed people work best alone. They pursue their one interest and have a deep understanding of themselves. They pride themselves on being independent and original, and they tend to stand out from the crowd without even trying. They are the “strong, silent type”. They do best in self paced instruction, individualized projects, and working alone. Allow them to be by themselves, but continue to encourage their socialization skills. Create a number of situations for them to socialize, yet allow them to maintain their own space. These children work best alone, and often need to be encouraged to socialize.
In conclusion, we all have elements of each learning style. But the truth is that one or two types stand out in each of us. Determine which style of learner your child is, and figure out ways to incorporate that learning style into your teaching. Continue to encourage the student to figure out alternative styles, and teach them how to bring each type into their life.
More on the author: Stacy Mantle is a freelance writer based in Arizona. She is respected for her contributions as a writer in both educational and animal-related publications. Her current titles available at Amazon.com include “A Guide for Using the Enormous Egg in the Classroom” and “Conquering the Food Chain: Living Amongst Animals (without becomeing one)”.
PLEASE NOTE: Original article was written as a summary of the teaching styles originally presented by Dr. Gardner in his “7 Different Learning Styles” and “Multiple Intelligences Learning” Theories. Her original article was written for an educational audience already familiar with these methods and was published in the textbook “Culture and Context”.
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