Two of the more pressing issues for our children these days are health and education, and not necessarily in that order. Yet for all the body and mind issues we have among our young people, in terms of health and education, this is still one of the best times in history to be alive: There are more options than ever before in both fields.
I speak to both matters personally:
On the health front, I am grateful for great health these past six decades. Much has come from a stay-at-home mother who fed me wisely. And for the past thirty-plus years, my stay-at-home wife who likewise has fed me wisely. Consistent sleeping pattern, regular outside chores, and abstinence of strong drink and drugs and other vices are also factors.
And on the education front, the following comes into play: I have dabbled in public, independent, and home education over these past decades (in terms of my own education, employment, and family life), so I think I bring a measure of balanced perspective to this topic.
So, when I speak of health, this is on the heels of eating vegetables on a regular basis from my own garden, plus all the homegrown chicken, turkey, beef, and eggs that I want. It's not totally free, of course, because there is a lot of grunt work that goes into a vegetable garden and a hobby farm. But the effort my family and I put into raising a huge chunk of our own food is equal to what I would do in a fitness class—sans the muscle shirt. Of course, I think you might need muscles for that.
Spandex with suspenders...no, I don't think so, Maurice.
If more people ate their own food, or at least bought it at a farmer's market, and had a balanced diet. the better off they would be.
Re-stated: Better off “we” all would be, because it does affect all of us. Myriad health and economic issues that come out of sloppy eating habits. Did you get that? Poor dietary habits can lead to hospitalization, loss of work days, lower productivity when at work, disruptive family life—just for starters. (Maurice, I'm starting to feel sick just writing this.)
So I am minding my own business when I sound off on what we eat.
The same goes for education. When I think of the billions of dollars that have been poured into the education industry in Alberta in, say, these last twenty years, I wonder if the investment has been worth it. The equation has been pretty basic: money in, product out. As a parent, a taxpayer, and an educator, I am curious as to how well the investment is working.
To their credit, I must say, Alberta Education has allowed quite a variety of models within its jurisdiction. You name it, it's all here in Alberta: public, independent, home, charter, distance; and then a whole host of specialized schools that I know little or nothing of.
So, it's all about choices these days, no matter where you live and what you need, whether it's health or education. With said options, though it's a glorious point in time for living and and learning, it's actually a sobering time, too.
The parallel is not lost: You want to be very careful what you “dump” into your kids, whether it's food or facts, vitamins or virtues. No responsible parents would perpetually feed their child a diet of fats, sugars, or starches or other detrimental things, would they?
The same goes for education, though many of us perhaps haven't made that connection. Parents are ultimately responsible for the education of their children, and if they choose to hand that off to others, that is their choice and responsibility. If they opt for someone else to assume the primary influence over their child—five to six prime hours everyday, five days a week, and roughly 40 weeks of every year, for twelve years--so be it.
Whether it's the child's body or mind, every responsible parent should make sure that what their kids “feed” on is good for them, as well as right for them. I think one of the reasons many of our young people struggle today with these issues is because such precautions weren't heeded.
If, and I have said this already, they choose to let others teach them, then they should work with those “others”--regularly, positively, and personally. Join PTA's, volunteer at the school, drop in occasionally, support all school functions, and get to know your child's teacher as well as possible.
So, with next week being the start of yet another school year, make sure your children have a lunch kit that's packed with a diet of solid, healthy food. And while you're at it, make sure their minds are likewise packed with a diet of solid, healthy food.
No comments:
Post a Comment