[governance] Starving the Future

[Charity Gamboa]

Hi,

Just my comments on the article.

We are not "really" starving our children. The food program is based on
district budget which a school district may or may not use.  Sadly, how
districts save money is for them to cut on food subsidy in schools.
Schools also compete for grants and you are looking at $6 Million dollars
for 3 years budget in one school alone, not a district (the grant writer
for district I used to work for got a cut of $90,000 just for writing the
grant). From experience, it is easier to use those federal grant money for
technology because they are directly used inside the classrooms. Teacher
training is also another feasible way to spend that money. Yes, our heart
breaks when we have students who are hungry coming to school. But half of
the time students do not even eat the food being served - breakfast is
cereal, milk, fruit, yogurt/pop tarts and cheese string. They do not like
that so they throw the food away. State laws require that each student is
handed out the complete meal whether they eat it or not. If they don't want
it even if it's untouched/unopened, it has to be thrown away. Because of
this, it's a waste of money so that's why most school districts do away
with giving out food. We cannot serve them the food they want like pizza,
cheetos or soda because the Department of Agriculture already has those
food calories counted. Schools are only allowed to give out candies during
Christmas, Halloween and Valentine's Day. Other than that they have to
watch out because people from the Dept. of Agriculture can make surprise
visits and look at the trash cans then literally check them for any candy
wrappers or soda cans. It gets ridiculous like that.

Another thing is there is MONEY for technology. Districts have already
allocated budgets for online study builders (districts pay companies like
studyisland.com based on how computers can access the online classroom) and
just about any technology needed to suit each student's multiple
intelligences. What is soaring nowadays in the US is the increasing number
of learning disabilities among this generation. I work on the university
student disability services so these students with learning disabilities
pay $1200/semester to be accommodated in the university level. That means
they get their own personal tutor. But not everyone can afford that. So
some just don't go to college because it's too difficult. They would rather
pick jobs that require a HS diploma or a GED, get married and have babies -
well, it's a cycle.

Drop outs are hurting taxpayers money. If they drop out, they have to pay
back their student loans. If they can't get a job, they go to public
assistance programs.  Now that's too easy to fall back into.

Bottom line - is to change the culture of entitlement. We work hard to have
this technology for this generation. Life is too easy for them. Maybe it's
our fault. Professors who are too stubborn to use technology are now forced
to re-arrange their teaching to suit these digital natives.

I just think that because the food or SNAP program might soon dissipate
with a different administration it's the end of the world and we are
starving these children so hence they're too hungry to compete with the
rest of the world. How many times have I informed my students that these
food programs are not meant for long term assistance. They are temporary.
You can't keep on extending unemployment and pass good jobs because you
like getting your cheque every month without having to work. What we want
to do now is change the culture where students can be self-sufficient and
productive. It's actually called Work and it's been there for a long time.

Regards,

Charity Gamboa-Embley
Texas Tech University - Student Disability Services
CE Instructor - Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas/South Plains College




On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 11:29 AM, Dominique Lacroix <dl at panamo.eu> wrote:

> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/**08/25/opinion/blow-starving-**
> the-future.html<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/opinion/blow-starving-the-future.html>
>
> @+, Dom
>
> --
> Dominique Lacroix
> Société européenne de l'Internet
> http://www.ies-france.eu
> +33 (0)6 63 24 39 14
>
>
>
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