The Moral Life of the Cafetorium
On paper, lunchtime lasts exactly 29 minutes, with five minute of locker time before and after. Thirty minutes seems like reasonable amount of time to eat lunch, chat with a few friends, and enjoy some downtime. Anything looks good on paper.
Minutes before the lunch bell rings, students slide to the edge of their seat, packed and ready to go. The posture of the class suggests they are ready to steal home base. Bang- the bell tolls and students take off. They race out the door, head first into hallway congestion. With no discernable traffic pattern, the collision of students better resembles the final battle scene in Henry V. Lockers are approximately three feet wide, with one row of lockers stacked upon another row. Students push and shove, vying for position. Those that either arrive late or don’t assert their position wait on the sidelines until a space opens. The hallways finally begin to clear out, five minutes into the lunch period.
The aggressive students dart down through crowded halls and inevitably arrive first to the lunchroom. Teachers monitor the hallways the best they are able. A few students are given verbal warnings as the majority stampedes their way to the cafetorium. At best, this game is survival of the fittest. The faster students arrive to the cafetorium first.
First to the lunchroom means first in lunch line. The benefits are plenty: shorter wait time, fresher food, and more availability. After all, who wants to find strands of shredded lettuce in the chocolate pudding, or find all the forks are gone? First in line means first to be seated, and, therefore, have more time to eat and chat. Stragglers mosey into the lunchroom; the later they arrive, the slower they walk. Tardiness means standing in long lunch lines for as long as 10 minutes. Considering these students were already late to lunch, there may only ten minute left in the period before they have the opportunity to eat.
The school lunch provider is privately owned and run for profit. They cater lunch offerings based on what turns a fast dollar. Pizza is the first item in line, immediately followed by French fries. The “salad bar” is Spartan: shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Cookies, chips, and novelty ice cream are the last station in line. A carton of milk comes with the lunch fare, but many students opt for Snapple. Amazing, the cafeteria company sends a menu home every month via backpack express. This document shows a balanced and planned meal every day, and professes the benefits of healthy choices. In contrast, cafeteria workers allow the students to purchase a triple serving of French fries and a sugar drink for lunch. This is more the norm than naught.
The cafetorium visually appears as awkward as the word sounds. It is a multi-purpose room: gym, stage, and cafeteria. Every day, three lunch periods a day, 900 students cram into that room. In the larger lunches, there are hundreds of students monitored by a dozen teachers and lunch aides. Even if every student were only to whisper, their voices still chorus into a roaring noise. The size of the table doesn’t help. At six feet in diameter, it is nearly impossible to converse with the person seated directly across from you. Rather, they must shout to be heard by their neighbors. It is no wonder the students try to get up out of their seat and sneak over to talk with their friends. It is in vogue to sing happy birthday at the top of their lungs, and it seems like someone has a birthday each and every day.
The lunchroom monitors police the cafetorium, ushering students back to their seat. Occasionally the situation will get out of hand, and a teacher will take a microphone to take control of the students. They must thoroughly clean their immediate area before dismissal. The monitors dismiss one table at a time to stagger the amount of students that pour back into the hallway. Some students are left behind to finish their meal or clean the messes they made.
There is the implicit curriculum of the lunchroom- what isn’t directly taught, but can be implied. The physical environment and explicit rules communicate morality to the students. What does it mean that students learn about the food pyramid in health, only to be provided junk food for lunch? Or to learn about propaganda techniques of the advertising companies when brand names like Doritos and Snapple are sold in the lunchroom. What message do we send about downtime, social conversation, and civility when the lunchroom demonstrates otherwise?
Minutes before the lunch bell rings, students slide to the edge of their seat, packed and ready to go. The posture of the class suggests they are ready to steal home base. Bang- the bell tolls and students take off. They race out the door, head first into hallway congestion. With no discernable traffic pattern, the collision of students better resembles the final battle scene in Henry V. Lockers are approximately three feet wide, with one row of lockers stacked upon another row. Students push and shove, vying for position. Those that either arrive late or don’t assert their position wait on the sidelines until a space opens. The hallways finally begin to clear out, five minutes into the lunch period.
The aggressive students dart down through crowded halls and inevitably arrive first to the lunchroom. Teachers monitor the hallways the best they are able. A few students are given verbal warnings as the majority stampedes their way to the cafetorium. At best, this game is survival of the fittest. The faster students arrive to the cafetorium first.
First to the lunchroom means first in lunch line. The benefits are plenty: shorter wait time, fresher food, and more availability. After all, who wants to find strands of shredded lettuce in the chocolate pudding, or find all the forks are gone? First in line means first to be seated, and, therefore, have more time to eat and chat. Stragglers mosey into the lunchroom; the later they arrive, the slower they walk. Tardiness means standing in long lunch lines for as long as 10 minutes. Considering these students were already late to lunch, there may only ten minute left in the period before they have the opportunity to eat.
The school lunch provider is privately owned and run for profit. They cater lunch offerings based on what turns a fast dollar. Pizza is the first item in line, immediately followed by French fries. The “salad bar” is Spartan: shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Cookies, chips, and novelty ice cream are the last station in line. A carton of milk comes with the lunch fare, but many students opt for Snapple. Amazing, the cafeteria company sends a menu home every month via backpack express. This document shows a balanced and planned meal every day, and professes the benefits of healthy choices. In contrast, cafeteria workers allow the students to purchase a triple serving of French fries and a sugar drink for lunch. This is more the norm than naught.
The cafetorium visually appears as awkward as the word sounds. It is a multi-purpose room: gym, stage, and cafeteria. Every day, three lunch periods a day, 900 students cram into that room. In the larger lunches, there are hundreds of students monitored by a dozen teachers and lunch aides. Even if every student were only to whisper, their voices still chorus into a roaring noise. The size of the table doesn’t help. At six feet in diameter, it is nearly impossible to converse with the person seated directly across from you. Rather, they must shout to be heard by their neighbors. It is no wonder the students try to get up out of their seat and sneak over to talk with their friends. It is in vogue to sing happy birthday at the top of their lungs, and it seems like someone has a birthday each and every day.
The lunchroom monitors police the cafetorium, ushering students back to their seat. Occasionally the situation will get out of hand, and a teacher will take a microphone to take control of the students. They must thoroughly clean their immediate area before dismissal. The monitors dismiss one table at a time to stagger the amount of students that pour back into the hallway. Some students are left behind to finish their meal or clean the messes they made.
There is the implicit curriculum of the lunchroom- what isn’t directly taught, but can be implied. The physical environment and explicit rules communicate morality to the students. What does it mean that students learn about the food pyramid in health, only to be provided junk food for lunch? Or to learn about propaganda techniques of the advertising companies when brand names like Doritos and Snapple are sold in the lunchroom. What message do we send about downtime, social conversation, and civility when the lunchroom demonstrates otherwise?
Tags:
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home