Not Always in our Best Interest
There are some things that we are pretty sure of, things that we know work and are are good for us. Yet we go out of our way to support efforts that are clearly not good and that serve to undermine what it is that we know will work. We continue to promote foods that are high in salts, fat and sugar, ingredients that are not good for us or our children. We pay teachers at a rate that discourage many good people from wanting to be teachers. We laugh at things aren’t really funny that are not aligned with our values.
Back to food. We know that if our children eat well they will be healthier as they grow older. We know that a child who is hungry or undernourished will not do well in school. We know that education is one of the gateways out of poverty. We know that if children are exposed to a diverse education, have access to good teachers, and are able to play and live is a safe environment they are less likely to have social issues, be more likely to secure decent employment and to participate in what has been called the American Dream. We know that when we are good role models – speaking what is the noblest expression of ourselves – even in adverse conditions we will make the memory of us one that propels them on the high road not the low.
When it comes to doing what we know will work or at the least help, we appear to be in denial, believing that are families are eating well, that obesity is a sign that people are not hungry, thinking that teachers don’t need to be paid above the poverty level and that striping creativity from a child’s education is inconsequential. It is our denial of the difficulties we face that makes the task of educating kids, lessening childrens’ hunger – body, mind and spirit – and creating a safe environment, nearly impossible to achieve.
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