Everyone these days can agree that eating healthy is essential for maintaining a fit and active lifestyle. However, doing so isn’t always as easy as it sounds. We all seem to have crazy schedules, and it’s hard for most of us even to find the time to eat a meal, so cooking a meal can seem like mission impossible.
But when it comes to our children, I think we all do our best to teach them some healthy eating habits early in life so that they stick with them. However, one Canadian mom recently complained that her little boy’s teacher took things too far when she declared that his homemade lunch was unhealthy and threw part of it in the trash right in front of his classmates.
Image via Mamamia
The Durham Catholic District School system recently started a new healthy eating initiative aimed at promoting healthier eating habits for their students. They also asked parents to support the program by making healthy lunches for their kids.
So, this mom decided to pack her son a little treat with his meal. She included a nice slice of banana bread, one of his favorites, along with his lunch. But, to her surprise, his teacher declared that it was unhealthy because it had chocolate chips in it, and decided to throw it in the trash in front of the entire class. As you can imagine, the distraught 4-year-old was crying and very upset. He wound up eating grapes instead, as it was all that was left of his lunch after the teacher threw away the banana bread.
His mom, Elaina Daoust, was shocked and angered by the teacher’s actions. She could not understand why any teacher would subject a 4-year-old child to such treatment.
Image via Finger Prickin’ Good
“He came home with a chart (listing healthy snack ideas) and told me he and the teacher talked about it and healthy choices. She also sent a note to me. I was really, really, really mad for several reasons,” Elaina told The Star.
As it turned out, Elaina’s son wasn’t the only child to suffer this experience, as around 30 other parents also came forward to share their stories of how teachers threw away their children’s lunches.
Image via Detoxinista
However, the school is said to stand by the teacher’s decision and believes that taking and disposing of unhealthy food is a part of their healthy eating initiative. They feel that this helps to teach children the difference between healthy and unhealthy food choices. However, not everyone agrees with the school’s rationale, as James Mackinnon, a teaching and learning consultant with the school board, notes:
“There is nowhere in our policy or procedures that says our staff is allowed to take food away from a student.”
What do you think about the teacher’s decision? Did the school go too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Also, please be sure to share this story with your friends and family.
