Week #4, Rigorous Researcher, Mary Kay Ward
On page 89, Gurian begins the page with Nutrition and Learning. I am a Home and Careers Teacher at Canandaigua Middle School and this particular topic is near and dear to my heart. I teach a program titled "Get Up Fuel Up" in which I have partnered up with Thompson Hospital to teach the importance of eating the proper foods in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Gurain tells us that brain research tells us that the foods children eat greatly affects their abilitity to learn and behave. "If a five-year-old is under emtional stress, she has great difficulty controlling herself or learning. If she is under nutritional stress, the same is true." (Gurian, pg. 89). Gurian also speaks of the ideal classroom should be a place where children need to be eating the right foods at the right time as well as the classroom should also be a place were parents need to be educated about these foods and what the appropriate nutrition should be.
The following article suggest research that supports Gurian findings in eating high levels fatty acids helps brains grow. I found this article very interesting and relevant to what I teach in my classroom.Junk food diet 'makes children badly behaved'by JENNY
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-347122/Junk-food-diet-makes-children-badly-behaved.html#ixzz1DzYSkAhm.
Idea Illustrator
Beginning page 119 and continues through page 123, Gurian write about the use of Ritilan and Prozac and how such drugs are on the increase in children under seven. The overmedication of these drugs has not only caught the attention of early-education theorists but also now politicians are beginning to if this is a good thing to do to our young children. While it is becoming more well known that the rate of depression is increasing among this age group, as well as the presence of
ADD and ADHD disorders, "but using psychotrophics betrays our reliance on medication to solve what are mainly attachment, bonding, and gender-brain-based learning issues. This hits home with me because I can remember when my son, now age 26, was considered ADHD and a candidate for Ritalin in 5th grade, his doctor at that time felt that ADD/ADHD was being overdiagnosed and felt that schools and teachers needed to be retrained in dealing with children that were considered out of control.
Below is a picture that tells it all.
Mary Kay, I definitely agree about the importance of nutrition for children. I worked at a daycare for over a year and saw just how much it could affect them. If a child did not have the proper breakfast, then they were very tired and not ready to start the day. Nutrition is important for students of all ages. I remember when I was in high school, I would skip breakfast sometimes. I was definitely affected by skipping a meal because it was harder for me to focus in my morning classes.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about different medications that children are starting to take at such an early age. I know for some cases the child really does need the medicine, but I think many of these children are misdiagnosed. It is sad that just because a student may be difficult to work with, teachers and parents assume they need medicine. Hopefully this will change in the future because all of these kids on medicine at such a young age can not be good for them.
Natalie Gianvecchio
I agree with both of you. This whole nutrition topic is really important. We all think about having schools that provide breakfast in the morning, it really makes a difference! Natalie, I also work in a daycare part time. It was amazing what kids would eat for breakfast - M&M's? A snickers on Halloween? REALLY? You can only imagine what those kids were like on a daily basis in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, even as an adult, you realize how hard it is to get going in the morning if you haven't eaten anything. Yes, sometimes we skip it for that large cup of coffee or tea, but it's so important just to get something in your system to get you going.
I also discussed the medication topic in my passage. But yes, children are misdiagnosed. When teachers fear that a child is a "problem" or a "distraction", oh, let's just stick him in the other room... that way, I won't have to deal with it. It drives me nuts, and in no way, is that helping anyone involved... including the most important person - that child.
Meghan Koch