Something on my Mind: If I Were the Education Minister (2)

You couldn't pay me enough to be a politician, let alone an education minister. The following is a genuine proposal. I guess it will be stuck at the idea stage, at least until the UCP gets in...

To recap last week's column: We looked at the importance of teaching economics in school (or the home, the best place where teaching happens), beginning at young a grade as possible.

General financial principles and practical lessons should form the foundation, to be intensified as the kids get older. Work experience could be included as the kids got older, in order to put book work into the context of life skills (to be developed in another column).

Or, in the home education context, in addition to seat work, add garage sales, neighbourhood chores, and seasonal jobs.

In addition to "Economics 101," then, I suggest that "Nutrition 101" be taught with both an economical and preparation angle to it, no matter where teaching takes place. "Nutrition 101" would not be a mere Home Economic class, though the label is really good. It would have to include more than good food, but that is a "healthy" place to start.

Again, this should be taught primarily at home by parents (usually moms), and I know it is in many cases. It's more than "eat your veggies," and "finish your food"; and it goes well beyond "think of all the starving kids in China," and "too much dessert is bad for you."

In the olden days, both money management and food management were, in fact, taught in the home and then reinforced by the school. However, as family dynamics have shifted noticeably over the decades, that is rarely the case any longer.

In the world that I spend most of my time , namely, traditional marriage, large families, conservative worldview. However, I am not so naive to think that all kids from that community, by the time they reach their teen years, are competent enough to prepare a healthy, nutritious meal, to minimize a junk food diet, to shop for groceries wisely, and be prepared to eat balanced snacks.

If I had any control over the curriculum, then, I would teach how to shop wisely at a supermarket, what foods are really bad for you, just okay for you, and good for you, and creative ways to make simple ingredients taste delicious.

I would also teach that too much of one type of food leads to this particular ailment, and too much of another type leads to other life-changing and life-threatening problems. And I would teach the best way to prepare a well-balanced diet, which produces healthy results.

It's no secret that we have an obesity problem on our hands, Granted, there are more factors than eating the wrong food here, our sedentary lifestyle being one of them. High blood pressure and the real potential killer, diabetes, are diseases that are increasing big time, due to very poor eating habits.

Making wise choices at every level would be one of the primary goals of those courses.

Combined with our economics theme, there would be a unit or two on cost-savings when it comes to planning and cooking meals, along with shopping economically.

This one is touchy: How can we avoid eating out a lot? Eating out is clearly non-economical, but it is fun and convenient, isn't it? Sometimes we simply have to do it.

It's the junk food at a fast food place that's the real stickler. Occasionally? Sure, do it when absolutely necessary. Regularly? I don't think so. It messes up the gut, the palate, and the wallet. And it puts an unnecessary burden on our health care system.

I'll drink (my avocado slush) to that.