School has been in session here in Jefferson county for a couple of days, and reports have been trickling in from co-workers and friends about their kids' first days at school. Other than a lost lunch box, there hasn't been any drama going with parents and kids I spoke with this week. I was talking with a co-worker and faithful reader this morning about her son's first week in all-day kindegarten, and she told me a couple of things that kinda bothered me.
She said that they no longer have "milk break" - they now call it "snack break." I'm not sure if the ACLU thought "milk break" was politically incorrect or what. She said that the teacher sent detailed instructions on what the parents can and cannot send for snack time. First of all, the snack has to be in a brown paper bag with the kid's name on it. Second, the kids can't buy milk or juice or extra items from the cafeteria for their snack; the parent has to pack the snack in addition to packing the kid's lunch if they don't want to eat high-priced cafeteria food. As for their snack drink, the kids can only drink milk or 100% fruit juice - no Kool-Aid, nor even a drink with "10% fruit juice," or heaven forbid, a soft drink. Keep in mind the kids have to bring their drink for snack break. It's sad to know that these kids will never know the thrill that we got in elementary school when we were the lucky ones chosen to walk down to the cafeteria at 1:30 every day and lug back the plactic milk crate full of the little pyramid-shaped cartons of milk. If it was your week to be the milk carrier, you were the envy of the classroom.
The snacks themselves have to be "healthy" - meaning no sweets. Yes, you heard it right - no cookies, no candy, no cakes. This means no Little Debbies and no Hostess Ho Ho's, either. I ask you - what is a snack break without Little Debbie? You might as well just give me a cup of luke-warm tap water and a piece of bread. Apparently, the teachers are pretty strict with the snack guidelines. On the first day of school, my friend sent a little bag of miniature Cheez-Its with her son. That night, her son informed her that he couldn't bring them any more. Little did my friend know she had unknowingly sent contriband with her son. Her son could have probably taken a knife to school and gotten in less trouble.
1 comment:
We used to collect the tear off thingys from the pyramid shaped milks. Some were red and some were green. My Mom always sent Hostess HoHos or Ding Dongs. A lot has changed for sure. Probably not all for the bad.
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