Cassandra's Reflection

I have learned alot about our current event topic on childhood nutrition and obesity. Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in our country. In 1980, seven percent of the children aged 6 to 11 were obese and in 2008,  twenty percent of children aged 6 to 11 were obese. In 2008, more than one third of the children and adolescents were obese. To be considered obese one must, have a Body Mass Index over 30. Being obese can result in a variety of issues for younger children. These children can suffer from cardiovascular problems, joint problems, high blood pressure, and social problems. The Healthy Kids Act was passed in 2010. Under this act, physical activity requirements and nutritional standards were created. The children would have access to healthier foods within the school. This act was a step in the right direction in attempts to trying to decrease childhood obesity.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

Nutrition and the presence of obesity is a topic that children should be aware of. Children should be taught about how eating certain foods will help their body function properly. They should also understand that not eating healthily can take a huge toll on their bodies. Children should be taught ways to stay active as a means of trying to prevent obesity. Children stay inside too often playing video games, they need to be taught creative exericse activities that they will enjoy doing! This issue can be presented to children by discussing the prevalence of obesity as well as malnutrition in the United States and other countries. I think it would be a great idea for children to be aware of the two extremes of being unhealthy.

 

A great service learning project to do with the children is having them go to a farm to see where  vegetables grow. By showing them the vegetables, and by explaining to them how eating these vegetables would improve their health, it would provide students with an excellent educational experience. Also you might be able to teach the children about nutrition and then have them go teach their families about what they have learned. Another service learning opportunitty could be having the childen hold a healthy snack "Veggie Sale" opposed to a "Bake Sale," and the proceeds could go to the local Boys and Girls club to support healthy lifestyles of children.

For my service learning project I will be going to the Boys and Girls Club to help teach the children about nutrition and exercise.

Jessica's Take Action

In order to take action I chose to sign a petition that will include local, organic food in school lunches.  This will not only give the kids a healthy, natural lunch but will also reduce the amount of unhealthy packaged food that they are fed.  It will also promote local agriculture and allow the schools to become a little more "green."  Signing this petition felt very empowering.  It is amazing how doing something so small can make you feel like you are a part of something much larger.

Doing something like signing a petition for something you believe strongly about has a lot to do with democratic values.  It is using your right to speak up for something you believe in and allowing your voice to be heard.  By signing a petition you are also trying to make a change in something.  You are using yuor right to have a say in the government and making you voice heard.

I believe that teaching about social justice is very important.  Children need to know about what is happening in the world around them.  It is also importat for kids to grow up understanding that they can make changes if they feel strongly about something.  If people are educated about social justice at a young age they will have a true understanding of what is happening.  They will also be able to make an educated opinion about the issue and not just have a biased view.  By teaching social justice in schools you will have a society that is educated and aware about what is happening in the world.

I think that the quote is sending a powerful message.  The purpose of social justice is to have the people voicing their opinions and concerns to make changes to the government and help other people in some way.  Thus, teaching social studies and social justice is imperative to education.  It will raise a generation that has compassion and understanding for others but is also aware of what is happening in the world around them.

Lindsey's "Take Action" on Childhood Obesity

For my "take action" work, I signed a petition to serve healthier lunches and snacks in all schools country-wide. Many schools offer fruit for snacks but these snacks are loaded with syrup and starches that are not healthy for students. It made me feel wonderful to sign a petition like this. I never knew such petitions existed so being able to be a part of it was great. Many of the other websites I visited only seemed concerned with raising money for their program. I understand that raising money is necessary in order to make changes but this website offered a petition that made me feel like they cared more about changing things with our voice and opinions rather than money and donations.

Taking this type of action connects with democratic values because of the petition aspect. Democratic values place high importance on the action of others and others "speaking out." Therefore, by signing this petition, I am speaking my mind on the issue and stating what I believe in. Being able to state where I stand is important and working together plays a large role in democratic values.

I think teaching social justice is very important in schools. The more students are educated on topics regarding our country and even our world, the more engaged and involved they will be. When teaching social justice I think it is important to not only focus on TODAY but also to focus on the later years when our students are old enough to take action themselves. Something we say in a Social Studies class in front of 20 first grade students can play a big role on how they act later in life upon entering college, high school, or even middle school. Their minds are like sponges at a young age, and it is important for them to know what is happening all around us because these things affect their lives as well.

When reading the quote "Struggle for social justice is central to our nations history... Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies," I think that it is imperative that we teach about social justice. Social Studies revolves around social justice, morality, ethics, and federal law. The struggle for social justice is something that so many people have endured. It's part of our history and deserves to be discussed and studied.

Cassandra's "Take Action" for Obesity and Nutrition

http://www.petitiononline.com/YMCAFood/petition.html

What I did for my "take action " was I signed a petition to eliminate junk food at the YMCA facilities. I felt great knowing that I was helping to potentially make a difference! I think it is a great idea to take junk food out of the YMCA. First off, many poor income families children attend after school programs at the "Y." These families usually consist of a higher degree of uneducated parents in regards to nutrition. By eliminating junk foods at the YMCA it is helping to further educate the children, as well as the parents to the importance of nutrition, and the severity of obesity.  This "take action" connects with democratic values by taking a stand and voicing our beliefs. It also connects to democratic values by the mere action of having someone form a petition, and having the public sign the petition, in hopes of bringing change.

As an educator I believe it is crucial to teach children about social justice issues. Children need to be educated abouit the issues surrounding their lives. All too often adults look the other way, using the excuse that children are too young to understand. But I believe many people under estimate the knowledge of young children and how much they are already exposed to these issues.

" Struggle for social justice is central to our nation's history... "Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, therefore in the world of teaching social studies."

In response to the above quote, I could not agree more. We touched upon this topic last class. In our discussion, I stated it is vital to teach about social justice because it surrounds history. If you look at why the constitution and the bill of rights were created, it was because of social injustice. These two important documents now provide an important foundation to the freedoms we have been guarenteed today. Also, many important historical figures became famous because of their willingness to fight for social justice. Examples of individuals who fought for social justice would be Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and Ghandi, to name a few. Not to teach about social injustice would be depriving children of some primary knowledge of the history of this country and our fore fathers. It also would be leaving out part of what it means to be an American.

Critical Attributes to Understand When Reading Our Blog

The critical attributes of our current event are understanding what it means to be obese, as well as understanding the impact of obesity on one's health. Obesity by definition, means an individual who has a Body Mass Index of 30 or higher. In simpler terms, it means someone who has an unhealthy degree of body fat. The difference between being overweight and being obese is that someone can be overweight because they have a higher percentage of body muscle, where as obesity, focuses primarily on the content of body fat. Understanding the difference between being overweight and being obese is another critical attribute. In addition, an individual must understand the impacts that obesity can have on their health.

Being obese means that their is a higher percentage of body fat within your body. Additional fat tissue needs oxygen within your body to live, which requires the blood vessels to circulate more blood. This increases the workload of the heart and applies increased pressure on the artery walls, leading to high blood pressure. This increased heart rate can seriously reduce the bodys ability to transport blood within the body. Obesity also increases the chances of having diabetes. Obesity can cause a resistance to insulin resulting in higher blood sugar, impacting the likelihood of developing diabetes. The chance of developing coronary heart disease is also higher due to the buildup of fat deposits in the arteries. This also leads to a higher probability of blood clots and stroke. Obesity also can lead to joint problems due to the amount of stress placed on the knees.
http://stanfordhospital.org/clinicsmedServices/COE/surgicalServices/generalSurgery/bariatricsurgery/obesity/effects.html
  
It is also important to observe the increasing prevalence as obesity. As mentioned in our first blog, around thirty percent or more of the population in each state is obese. This is important to recognize because we will encounter this issue as teachers. Knowing the detrimental health effects, and understanding the nature of this epidemic is vital. Many Americans prize America to be a country of opportunity, and these opportunities will be limited if the people within this country are living unhealthy life styles.

The informational knowledge would be knowing what obesity is, understanding the health effects listed above, being educated on the current events surrounding the issue, and being aware of the prevalence as well severity of obesity in schools. The procedural knowledge would be knowing what types of behaviors lead to obesity, and what behaviors can help prevent it.

How we would break this concept up to teach others as they read our blog, is by providing them with information educating them on the nature of obesity and its prevalence. Then we would progress to educate individiduals on the side effects obesity can have on individuals health. In order to emphasize the prevalence of the issue we would provide recent articles surrounding our topic. We also will include information on what is being done within our country in addressing the issue. Then in attempts to educate people on prevention practices we will provide resources that individuals can use to help prevent obesity, as well as intervention services for those suffering from the epidemic.

Places that we will probably try to contact in attempts to gaining resources would be the nurse's from our field placements, a children's pediatric office, and possible the children's hospital. We believe that these would be great places to start contacting in attempts to fill our service learning binder.

Jessica's Interview on Childhood Obesity and Nutrition

For my interview I spoke with my mom Loretta LaPlante.  Growing up my younger sister was always overweight so I thought it would be interesting to get her opinions on the topic as a parent of an overweight child.  Following is my interview with my mom.

Q: What are your opinions about childhood obesity and nutrition?
A: This is hard. I think childhood obesity is linked to what foods children are offered.  The more nutritious foods that offered the better choices they'll make, but I also think there's more to obesity than nutrition.  Genetics is part of it, as well as the activity levels of the kids.  Children need to just go outside and play.  Kids today spend too much time watching TV or playing video games and spend less time outside just playing.

Q: Is this an issue you see as important?
A: I do think that it is important, but I think that when some kids are obese you can't make it such a big deal.  Children need to be educated on healthy choices and the importance of exercise but they also need to know that just because they are overweight they aren't a bad person.  Making a big deal about their weight also makes other kids think that it's alright to pick at them for their weight.

Q: Do you think others recognize this as an issue?
A: Yes, especially educators.  I think a lot of people are blaming the children and their parents.  We can't dwell on it too much or kids will have eating disorders.  Someone's weight isn't what makes a person, there's more to them than that.

Q: Do you know any policies that the government has in place to deal with these problems?
A: Yes. Michelle Obama is passing the healthy kids act and encouraging healthy eating in schools.  Some schools are also putting healthy snacks and beverages in vending machines, making them more readily available to children.

Q: What are the advantages of this policy?
A: This policy shows kids that there are healthier choices and makes eating them easier.  I also like how it doesn't pinpoint just overweight kids, but all children.  This policy makes for healthier kids, obese or not, and healthier adults.

Q: What are the disadvantages of this policy?
A: This policy may make obese kids feel like outcasts.  Also, when someone mentions obesity I know that your sister used to feel like everyone was immediately looking at her.

Q: How might it be improved?
A: Teachers and educators need to understand and be aware that all students should eat healthy.  Take the obesity factor out and encourage healthy eating and more activities.

Q: Does it need to be replaced?
A: No.  It could be tweaked though.  I think that besides nutrition the policy should focus on all healthy lifestyle choices, such as smoking, drugs, alcohol, and caffeine.  I think that for most people their weight isn't an issue until they become older.  If they are taught about healthy eating at a young age it will be easier for them to retain a healthy lifestyle as they grow older.

Q: Did having a child that was overweight ever affect you?
A: I always felt like people thought I was a bad parent because of it.  Obviously my parenting skills weren't a factor since you were always really thin and ate unhealthier foods.  I always felt like it no good to nag a child about their weight.  The kid needs to make a choice about it or they will never lose the weight.  I also believe that heredity is a part of children's weight.  There are so many factors to it that can't all be fixed with just healthy eating.

My thoughts:
Growing up I was always described as the thin one and my sister was the fat one.  I knew that her weight bothered her and I was also aware of how other peoples comments, many seemingly innocent, affected her.  My parents always had healthy snacks available and offered healthy choices.  There was junk food available, but it wasn't the only options.  My mom would make dinner every night and we rarely ate fast food.  Before this interview I knew that my sister had always felt judged because of her weight and I knew it was a touchy subject.  After talking to my mom I know have more ideas about how you can approach the subject of healthy eating and lifestyles without making any children feel self-conscious or insecure about their weight.  I think that it will be interesting to interview my sister and get her opinions on the subject since she has first-hand experience with it.

Lindsey's Interview

I conducted my interview with Nicole Penney. Nicole is a fellow education major at Salem State University and focusing on early childhood. I thought it would be beneficial to gain another perspective from a future educator on the subject of child obesity and junk food in our schools systems.

Q: Do you think child obesity is a problem?
A: Of course. I think that our school systems are not putting a big enough emphasis on teaching students the importance of healthy eating habits. I have researched the work that Michelle Obama has been doing over the past few years and I think it's wonderful. However, I am not sure that it is enough.

Q: Do you think others in our community think this is a problem?
A: I do think that people are aware of the problem in our schools. But it doesn't seem like much is being done to fix it. I still see parents bringing their children to McDonald's and Burger King on a regular basis. Simply removing the vending machines containing junk food is not enough. Parents need to help us as well.

Q: What are the advantages to removing vending machines from our schools that are filled with junk food and soda?
A:  Kids will be much healthier if these vending machines are removed. In my high school we did not have snack machines. We were only allowed to purchase water, and Gatorade for drinks. We never really thought twice about this. It was always just seen as normal. I think if we start kids off without junk food vending machines, they won't ever crave it and it wont be an issue in the first place. If we start now, the students in preschool and kindergarten will not even know such vending machines ever existed.

Q: What are the disadvantages to removing vending machines from our schools?
A: People playing in sports may need high protein or high sugar snacks throughout the day would not have access to such foods. The economic factor also plays a role. I am not sure how much money schools make off of vending machines. However, if we do remove them, the schools may take a hit financially.

Q: Do you think parents or schools administration should make the decision on removing these vending machines and implementing a healthy eating program?
A: I think that the school administration should implement these changes because if parents do not agree, they can still give their child whatever food they want when they are at home. Therefore, the administration has every right to NOT give the students these unhealthy foods. If the parents want to give their child unhealthy food, they have every right to. However, the school administration should monitor what kinds of food their students are eating during the school day. Students spend most of their lives in a school setting so if the school can make a large impact during those days, students are more likely to make healthy food choices even at home.

My thoughts: After conducting my interview, it only further reassures my thoughts on removing vending machines from our schools and making sure students receive healthier lunches from the cafeteria. Nicole made many statements that almost sounded like my exact thoughts. I think that many (if not all) educators feel this way about childhood obesity. We see these students every day and I think that we need to do our best to make as big of an impact on them as possible. They look up to us and respect our opinions and authority. If we can teach them the importance of healthy eating habits, that is something that they can take with them even when they have left our schools.