Humane Edge E-News October 2009
- MYSTERY MEAT NO MORE: BRINGING KIDS BETTER SCHOOL LUNCHES
- RESIDENCY 2009: INSPIRING & EMPOWERING TODAY'S HUMANE EDUCATORS
- FEATURED ACTIVITY: WHAT DO HALLOWEEN COSTUMES SAY?
- HUMANE EDUCATION IN ACTION: PLANTING SEEDS OF CHANGE INTERNATIONALLY
- TOO SEXIE FOR MY ONESIE: THE SEXUALIZATION OF CHILDREN IN MEDIA & CULTURE
- FEATURED GRADUATE: ANDREA COHEN
- TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE & THE WORLD WITH SOWING SEEDS
MYSTERY MEAT NO MORE: BRINGING KIDS BETTER SCHOOL LUNCHES
Ah, school lunches. Fond memories of glunk plopped on a plastic tray, featuring the 4 food groups: cholesterol, fat, salt and sugar. (Gotta love those tater tots, though!)
With child obesity rising, more sugary/fatty drinks and snacks available throughout the day, and the most challenging lunch decision for many students being which in-school fast food stop to make, schools as a whole haven’t really improved what they're feeding kids. Fortunately, more schools, parents, educators and activists are beginning to pay serious attention to food in schools: how it affects our children's health and community, how it impacts our environment, and even the need for animal-free options.
For example, schools in Berkeley, California's, district have begun to offer healthier, less processed food, and to incorporate gardening programs into the curriculum to help kids learn more about where their food comes from and how to eat in a way that's healthier and more sustainable. Chefs like Ann Cooper and Alice Waters are developing programs to help make it easier for schools to offer better fare. School cafeterias are starting to offer more veg options. And many schools around the U.S. are striving for "waste-free" lunches.
Even the government is taking action, with the USDA recently announcing its “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” campaign to “build stronger local and regional food systems across the country.”
School lunches are especially on the public radar with the debate about what to include in the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. It expired September 30, and many are calling for an emphasis on fresher, healthier foods.
If you're a parent concerned about what schools are feeding your kids, or a humane educator looking for a way to make a positive impact, consider these sample resources for helping schools -- and students -- develop a healthier relationship with food.
Ecoliteracy: Rethinking School Lunch
Information and resources for developing healthier food programs in schools.
Farm to School
Resources to “connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime, and supporting local small farmers.”
Healthy School Lunches
Information & resources from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine about bringing healthy school lunches to your school.
Two Angry Moms
A documentary about 2 moms’ journey to improve school lunches.
For those who prefer to bring your own lunches:
Vegan Lunch Box
An award-winning blog that features the yummy, nutritious food one mom makes for her son’s school lunch each day.
If you’re concerned about all the waste that school lunches generate, check out the e-book School Lunch Waste by IHE HECP graduate Roberto Giannicola, who analyzed lunch waste at his daughter’s elementary school and created the book to share the results, as well as to provide suggestions for reducing waste.
And, if you're looking for criteria for healthier, more compassionate and sustainable food choices, look to IHE President Zoe Weil's criteria for MOGO food:
As often as possible, choose foods that are:
- Locally and organically produced.
- Plant-based.
- In season.
- Produced through fair trade practices.
- Whole and unprocessed.
- Not overly-packaged, and if packaged, only in recycled and recyclable materials.
- Low in saturated fats and cholesterol.
- Produced without refined sugars and without hydrogenated vegetable oils.
- Produced without abuse towards and exploitation of animals.
- Not genetically engineered.
RESIDENCY 2009: INSPIRING & EMPOWERING TODAY'S HUMANE EDUCATORS
Fourteen M.Ed. and HECP students journeyed to IHE's headquarters in Surry, Maine, for our 2009 Residency, August 3-7. Residency is an energizing week that includes practical, hands-on learning, and offers students an opportunity to practice and explore humane education activities, techniques, and issues with fellow students and faculty. The week includes dynamic, interactive training, which helps students hone presentation skills, receive and give critical feedback, and connect with IHE staff and others in the program.
See a snapshot of our 2009 Residency.
FEATURED ACTIVITY: WHAT DO HALLOWEEN COSTUMES SAY?
Every fall, kids around the U.S. and in some other countries eagerly await the chance to dress up as someone or something else for Halloween. But what kinds of messages are sent in the kinds of costumes available to kids and the ways that costumes are marketed?
Teaching Tolerance has a great activity that explores the stereotypes & biases that exist in costumes & their marketing. See What Do Halloween Costumes Say?
Image courtesy of epSos.de via Creative Commons.
HUMANE EDUCATION IN ACTION: PLANTING SEEDS OF CHANGE INTERNATIONALLY
The synergy of realizing the kind of planet he was leaving his children and a dissatisfaction with his school curriculum's lack of connection to real world issues led science teacher and IHE M.Ed. graduate Jason Crook to hunger for a new way of teaching and living. Humane education has helped Jason to manifest his concern for people and the world, both through his teaching and in helping create a more humane future for his children. Jason is now a teacher in Guangzhou, China, working to bring kids an excellent education and spread the power of humane education.
Quick Facts:
Current hometown: Guangzhou, China
IHE fan since: 2004
Current job: Science Teacher and IBDP Coordinator at the American International School of Guangzhou
Book/movie that changed your life: Silent Spring was an influential book for me and I must admit to not watching many movies.
Guilty pleasure: Jelly Beans
Inspired by: The millions who live the lives they value.
One of your strengths: I tend to be a rather persistent person with an ability to build consensus on difficult issues.
Other tidbits: Currently learning the game of Gaelic football.
IHE: What led you to the path of humane education?
JC: I suppose the primary factor was becoming a father and realizing that these young people, my son and daughter, will inherit the planet from my generation. Do I sound like Al Gore, yet? I also became more aware of how my actions could influence these wonderful young people. Other things dovetailed at the same time, though, including dissatisfaction with what I was teaching in my courses, and the shine coming off the rose of science. I had become a little frustrated with curriculum as usual in the schools where I worked and in the courses I taught. It all seemed so disconnected and irrelevant to more pressing issues. In Saudi Arabia, before beginning my Humane Education studies, I woke at 2 a.m., agitated about this state of affairs, got up and re-wrote our entire introductory science course so that it reflected a connection to more real world issues. Some of the changes were actually adopted but it also felt good to get something down on paper and consider what a more connected and meaningful science course would look like. About the same time, science seemed to be coming under attack as the source of so many of our global problems, and I wanted to “re-claim” science and its process of inquiry while challenging my students to consider how scientific knowledge can be used for good or ill depending on how conscious people are of their decisions and actions.
IHE: You’re currently working in China, and before that you were teaching in Saudi Arabia. How did you come to be teaching in those countries? Are there particular challenges or rewards you’ve discovered? How has living in different countries affected your MOGO choices? Your teaching practices?
JC: My international teaching experience began with the U.S. Peace Corps in Kenya, East Africa. I really enjoyed the opportunity to work in education and to do so in an international setting, so since Kenya, I have worked in Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and now China. Saudi Arabia was an intriguing prospect for many reasons, but most significantly was it had a school with a good reputation, and it was a secretive culture we looked forward to exploring. Unfortunately, we were also there during some violent periods. Likewise, China, with its history and culture, was an appealing opportunity for us, and living in southern China, old Canton, has presented some interesting chances to learn about Chinese culture.
Language is always a challenge, of course, and so is learning the idiosyncrasies of the different societies and cultures we live in. It all takes time and one needs to keep their sense of humor as they stumble through learning a new language or perpetrating heinous social faux pas. Everywhere we have been, local people have been forgiving and very supportive. We have truly witnessed that humanity has more in common than we have differences. All in all, it is very rewarding to develop relationships with people from different cultures and begin to understand their unique approaches to important local and global issues and to gain insight into my own opinions, actions and beliefs. Every day presents new opportunities to learn.
With each new location, we need to evaluate our MOGO choices and determine what kinds of choices are even available to us. Some places provide a degree of choice, others less so. For those areas with less choice, there is a great educational opportunity, but in all cases and locations I attempt to understand how things are currently done and/or how they have been done and what the impacts are. Sometimes that which seems most good in one location is not most good in another. This type of local knowledge and awareness is a result of our living overseas.
It is clear from the schools I have worked in that all people value education and especially a meaningful educational experience. Students who attend these international schools are often from high-powered and well-to-do families, and these young people will go on to powerful and influential positions in their home countries. It is an excellent opportunity to instill a more global consciousness in students from all over the globe. Having taught students from diverse backgrounds and in different cultures, I am able to draw upon a wider variety of examples and find I can make easier connections to knowledge gained as students learn. It is also an excellent opportunity to create more awareness of other cultures and to confront stereotypes head on.
IHE: Tell us about how you’re currently manifesting humane education. What are your challenges? Successes?
JC: In my current role at AISG I am very involved in curriculum development and in our community service program. These provide numerous opportunities for discussion about Humane Education and the inclusion of important global issues in our daily classes. In an effort to raise awareness of various issues, I have started to plan monthly themes during the school year. For example, September’s theme was Peace, and I showed the documentary film Peace One Day during lunch periods one week that month. In addition, I liaise with the community service coordinators to assist our student groups in addressing some of these issues and motivating community action. I have also proposed that the school establish a Sustainability Task Force, which would require us, as a school, to carefully consider our current practices and the impact they have.
On the heels of this proposal, I have gone further afield and proposed a Sustainability Cup competition with schools on mainland China and with those in the greater Asia Pacific region. I am waiting to hear whether any organization would be willing to take this on and see it come to fruition. These ideas were inspired by work at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, Massachusetts. I taught there, and they seem to be making real strides in this area. They have established a Green Cup competition with regional schools and have done a self-study of their own green issues.
I have also given workshops on Humane Education at regional education conferences in Bangkok and in Beijing. These workshops were designed to introduce teachers to the idea of Humane Education and to show some examples from my own students. The workshops have been very well attended and well-received, and I am seeking opportunities to expand the work. At this point, I have proposed to the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) that there be Humane Education workshops scheduled at their annual Administrative and Teacher’s conferences. The EARCOS Board will be meeting this month and I will know more after they meet.
Finally, in an effort to communicate and coordinate what is happening in terms of Humane Education at international schools, I have begun to create a website, entitled Sustainable International Schools Network, that will encourage schools to share their experiences and resources in addressing humane issues. As far as I know there is no coordination of activities happening in international school settings, and this might be a chance for schools to share their insights and to publicize their actions. This has been a slow and drawn out project, as time seems to run out at the end of each day. Anyone interested in assisting me with this project, drop me a line! (You can email Jason at: jcrook@aisgz.org.)
The biggest challenge I find is that things move slowly in education. I am slowly learning to be more patient with my projects and continue to look for opportunities for slow changes to happen.
IHE: At one time, for one of your M.Ed. assignments, you said that you saw conveying your message as a “risky endeavor”. What made you feel that way, and is that still the case?
JC: This statement reflected insecurity about fully changing what seemed to be so many things in my life to present more “message” in my life. I initially felt like this was an all or nothing proposition and was concerned about how it might impact my young family and my teaching career. The MOGO idea was not apparent to me at that time. I felt a bit like a double agent in trying to keep one foot in the world of the status quo, where people and animals were exploited, where resources were used unsustainably, but also place my other foot firmly in a different world and try to make more enlightened changes when I could or when it was convenient. I knew I could live more consciously but would my family, friends and colleagues be on board? Did it matter?
I make no apologies now. I make it clear where I stand and make the decisions that I think meet the MOGO standard. Most people understand, some shake their heads, but everyone knows where I stand and why I act as I do. There is too much at stake in my eyes and I am, obviously, in the perfect profession to model and educate about a more conscious lifestyle. At the school in Riyadh, I became known as the “guy who made people feel guilty about everything”! I took that as a compliment, actually, because, if that was true, people were taking time to think about their actions and the impact of their choices.
IHE: What are your thoughts about the power of humane education to positively transform the world?
JC: I have seen the power of Humane Education in my students and in those teachers and administrators who have attended my workshops. People are inspired, ready to act, and recognize that their actions have consequences. There is no question that Humane Education is one of the most powerful tools available for transforming the world we live in. I recently read a comment from a Dean of Education at the University of Ottawa to the effect that education has moved from being transmissional to becoming more transactional and that education might even be transformational. I would argue that with Humane education there is no “might be”, it is transformational and that is what we require. Humane education is education in the purest sense of the word.
IHE: Any future plans, dreams or projects?
JC: I would like to create an IHE extension in an international location to make Humane Education and MOGO workshops more accessible to the large number of international teaching faculty.
TOO SEXY FOR MY ONESIE: RESOURCES ABOUT THE SEXUALIZATION OF CHILDREN IN MEDIA & CULTURE
Risque’ Halloween costumes. Pole dancing games for children. Child models in sexually suggestive poses. Seven-year-old girls begging to be put on diets because they’re “too fat.” Thong underwear for pre-teens. Padded bras for 6-year-olds. High heels for infants. Tees for tots with slogans like “I’m gonna be hot!” or "Hooters Girl (in training)" on them. The landscape today’s young children are traversing is significantly more sexualized than in years past.
Parents, educators and child advocates are becoming more aware of the pressures and messages media and culture are surrounding young children with -– children too young to understand and make good choices for themselves –- and are speaking out about such practices.
Authors like Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne, who co-wrote So Sexy So Soon, talk about the sexualization of children in the media and our culture. The authors raise important issues, such as the fact that sexual images are being used to target younger and younger children, and that the sexualization of children -- especially of young women -- also affects young men. They say:
"Boys learn to see girls as objects and judge and value them by how they look and how 'sexy' they are. And boys are taught to conform to a very narrow definition of masculinity — being tough and invulnerable and aggressive. This can make it very difficult for boys to become men capable of having positive, caring, and connected relationships."
Media has a strong influence on the choices that we all make, and since younger children have less facility with critical thinking and making healthy, positive choices, the effects can be even more significant and long-lasting.
Resources like these below can provide useful insights for discussing such issues in the humane education classroom, or in making choices for our own children.
So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids by Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne (2008)
The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It by M. Gigi Durham. (2008)
The Sexualization of Childhood by Sharna Olfman (2008)
Report of the APA Taskforce on the Sexualization of Girls (2007).
For useful resources offering occasional news and commentary about media's influence on the sexualization of children, check out blogs such as:
Sociological Images (choose the children/youth tag to see post related to that topic).
Corporate Babysitter (the blog of Parents for Ethical Marketing).
FEATURED GRADUATE: ANDREA COHEN
Andrea's first encounter with thinking about humane issues was when she picked up a copy of Diet for a Small Planet at a yard sale, "because I thought it was a weight loss guide." Learning more about her food choices led Andrea to an understanding of the interconnectedness of issues and the power of education -- which led her to IHE. Andrea graduated with an M.Ed. from IHE this summer.
TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE & THE WORLD WITH SOWING SEEDS
Dreaming of a classroom in which your students are engaged, critical thinkers who have the knowledge and skills to address important global issues? Wanting to more closely align your values with your life choices? Looking for a way to make a positive difference in the world? Sign up for Sowing Seeds. We have a couple of great opportunities coming up:
Our 30-day Sowing Seeds Online course offers you new strategies, tools and ideas for teaching about human rights, environmental preservation, animal protection and media and cultural issues as an interconnected whole. Help your students make choices that do the most good and least harm for all and give them the skills to help create positive systemic change. Learn from and connect with other educators.
Sign up for our month-long Sowing Seeds Online course (11/1-11/30) by October 25 to receive our special rate of only 50! (That's $39 off the regular rate.)
If an in-person experience is more to your liking, register for our Sowing Seeds Workshop in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, November 7. Our 1-day interactive workshop offers dynamic activities, practical tips and a chance to connect with other educators. This Sowing Seeds Workshop is sponsored and hosted by the Detroit Zoological Society and made possible with support from the Madeleine Berman Academy for Humane Education. The registration fee for this workshop is only $30! To register, contact: education@detroitzoo.org or 248.541.5717 Ext. 3800
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