Nov 16: A Bone of Contention

Caitlin Flanagan's article presents a position that criticizes school gardens and food-based education as (paradoxically) both an "extraneous frill" and as a form of "stoop labor" which disadvantages poorer children by robbing them of precious school time better spent on the reading, writing and math.

What are the stakes here? Is there one education for children from wealthy families and another one for poorer students? Aren't the nutritional deficiencies of the Standard American Diet (SAD) a problem for all children? What should be the role of school gardens (if any) in the K-12 curriculum? How important is it for all children to learn about nutrition?

Don't forget to include a quote from one of the readings for today.