Teacher says Pop Tarts are not a healthy snack

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Replies

  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    kami3006 wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    What bothers me a bit is this whole "snack time" thing. For elementary kids school starts at 9am. Perhaps they ate at 8am? Lunch is at 12:00 and the kids are done at 3:00ish. In the morning that is a 4 hour window of no food, and in the afternoon, it is just over 3 hours. Most kids can go that long between meals by time they are a year old. Why the regression?

    As long as the kids' meals aren't too high GI, they should be able to go 4 hours without food. Kids used to not snack at school. We weren't even allowed gum. I don't remember it being a problem.
    Aaah gone are the days when kids swapped lunches and snacks, there were no food rules and allergies/sicknesses/intolerance's were rarely heard of. Wtf has happened to our kids since i was in school??

    It was still there, but the kids weren't as protected. My neighbour had a peanut allergy that was severe. He ended up the hospital a few times per year because kids ate peanut butter around him.

    I was thinking about this too. We did not have a scheduled snack time at school when I was in first grade.
    In grade school: Food was not allowed in the classroom unless it was approved by the teacher in advance- like for a birthday or Valentine's day. Pop was not allowed ever. We didn't have many more food restrictions than that I don't think in 1980-87ish grade school. If someone had allergies it was not mentioned that I remember. There were commonly nuts, peanut butter, dairy products in the school lunches.
    At 3-3:30 pm I walked home and my mom would let me eat dry cereal or fruit for an after school snack.
    After dinner we would sometimes have popcorn for a snack.

    When we went places my parents did not carry snacks with us. It just wasn't expected that we would snack very much between meals. My dd eats more often than I did as a child so I'm not against snacks but the idea of having to have a snack or two during the school day seems a bit odd still.

    My daughter's kindergarten, first and second grade teachers kept goldfish in the classroom or allow kids to bring a snack for sometime in the morning. They all said it was because the kids would start to lose focus part way through the morning and a quick snack made a noticeable difference in their attention.

    Whereas my kids' teacher forbade kids to eat gold fish crackers because they weren't 'healthy ' :p
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    kami3006 wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    What bothers me a bit is this whole "snack time" thing. For elementary kids school starts at 9am. Perhaps they ate at 8am? Lunch is at 12:00 and the kids are done at 3:00ish. In the morning that is a 4 hour window of no food, and in the afternoon, it is just over 3 hours. Most kids can go that long between meals by time they are a year old. Why the regression?

    As long as the kids' meals aren't too high GI, they should be able to go 4 hours without food. Kids used to not snack at school. We weren't even allowed gum. I don't remember it being a problem.
    Aaah gone are the days when kids swapped lunches and snacks, there were no food rules and allergies/sicknesses/intolerance's were rarely heard of. Wtf has happened to our kids since i was in school??

    It was still there, but the kids weren't as protected. My neighbour had a peanut allergy that was severe. He ended up the hospital a few times per year because kids ate peanut butter around him.

    I was thinking about this too. We did not have a scheduled snack time at school when I was in first grade.
    In grade school: Food was not allowed in the classroom unless it was approved by the teacher in advance- like for a birthday or Valentine's day. Pop was not allowed ever. We didn't have many more food restrictions than that I don't think in 1980-87ish grade school. If someone had allergies it was not mentioned that I remember. There were commonly nuts, peanut butter, dairy products in the school lunches.
    At 3-3:30 pm I walked home and my mom would let me eat dry cereal or fruit for an after school snack.
    After dinner we would sometimes have popcorn for a snack.

    When we went places my parents did not carry snacks with us. It just wasn't expected that we would snack very much between meals. My dd eats more often than I did as a child so I'm not against snacks but the idea of having to have a snack or two during the school day seems a bit odd still.

    My daughter's kindergarten, first and second grade teachers kept goldfish in the classroom or allow kids to bring a snack for sometime in the morning. They all said it was because the kids would start to lose focus part way through the morning and a quick snack made a noticeable difference in their attention.

    We had stretch breaks which I remember we loooved. The teacher would have us stand by our desk, touch our toes, reached towards the ceiling and that sort of thing... was great fun and I imagine it served the same purpose.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    kami3006 wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    What bothers me a bit is this whole "snack time" thing. For elementary kids school starts at 9am. Perhaps they ate at 8am? Lunch is at 12:00 and the kids are done at 3:00ish. In the morning that is a 4 hour window of no food, and in the afternoon, it is just over 3 hours. Most kids can go that long between meals by time they are a year old. Why the regression?

    As long as the kids' meals aren't too high GI, they should be able to go 4 hours without food. Kids used to not snack at school. We weren't even allowed gum. I don't remember it being a problem.
    Aaah gone are the days when kids swapped lunches and snacks, there were no food rules and allergies/sicknesses/intolerance's were rarely heard of. Wtf has happened to our kids since i was in school??

    It was still there, but the kids weren't as protected. My neighbour had a peanut allergy that was severe. He ended up the hospital a few times per year because kids ate peanut butter around him.

    I was thinking about this too. We did not have a scheduled snack time at school when I was in first grade.
    In grade school: Food was not allowed in the classroom unless it was approved by the teacher in advance- like for a birthday or Valentine's day. Pop was not allowed ever. We didn't have many more food restrictions than that I don't think in 1980-87ish grade school. If someone had allergies it was not mentioned that I remember. There were commonly nuts, peanut butter, dairy products in the school lunches.
    At 3-3:30 pm I walked home and my mom would let me eat dry cereal or fruit for an after school snack.
    After dinner we would sometimes have popcorn for a snack.

    When we went places my parents did not carry snacks with us. It just wasn't expected that we would snack very much between meals. My dd eats more often than I did as a child so I'm not against snacks but the idea of having to have a snack or two during the school day seems a bit odd still.

    My daughter's kindergarten, first and second grade teachers kept goldfish in the classroom or allow kids to bring a snack for sometime in the morning. They all said it was because the kids would start to lose focus part way through the morning and a quick snack made a noticeable difference in their attention.

    We had stretch breaks which I remember we loooved. The teacher would have us stand by our desk, touch our toes, reached towards the ceiling and that sort of thing... was great fun and I imagine it served the same purpose.


    They did that too.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    kami3006 wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    What bothers me a bit is this whole "snack time" thing. For elementary kids school starts at 9am. Perhaps they ate at 8am? Lunch is at 12:00 and the kids are done at 3:00ish. In the morning that is a 4 hour window of no food, and in the afternoon, it is just over 3 hours. Most kids can go that long between meals by time they are a year old. Why the regression?

    As long as the kids' meals aren't too high GI, they should be able to go 4 hours without food. Kids used to not snack at school. We weren't even allowed gum. I don't remember it being a problem.
    Aaah gone are the days when kids swapped lunches and snacks, there were no food rules and allergies/sicknesses/intolerance's were rarely heard of. Wtf has happened to our kids since i was in school??

    It was still there, but the kids weren't as protected. My neighbour had a peanut allergy that was severe. He ended up the hospital a few times per year because kids ate peanut butter around him.

    I was thinking about this too. We did not have a scheduled snack time at school when I was in first grade.
    In grade school: Food was not allowed in the classroom unless it was approved by the teacher in advance- like for a birthday or Valentine's day. Pop was not allowed ever. We didn't have many more food restrictions than that I don't think in 1980-87ish grade school. If someone had allergies it was not mentioned that I remember. There were commonly nuts, peanut butter, dairy products in the school lunches.
    At 3-3:30 pm I walked home and my mom would let me eat dry cereal or fruit for an after school snack.
    After dinner we would sometimes have popcorn for a snack.

    When we went places my parents did not carry snacks with us. It just wasn't expected that we would snack very much between meals. My dd eats more often than I did as a child so I'm not against snacks but the idea of having to have a snack or two during the school day seems a bit odd still.

    My daughter's kindergarten, first and second grade teachers kept goldfish in the classroom or allow kids to bring a snack for sometime in the morning. They all said it was because the kids would start to lose focus part way through the morning and a quick snack made a noticeable difference in their attention.

    Whereas my kids' teacher forbade kids to eat gold fish crackers because they weren't 'healthy ' :p

    Yeah, someone up thread said the same.
  • lizzymcg
    lizzymcg Posts: 47 Member
    When my son first went to preschool, I read through the agreements relating to food and followed everything to the letter. I didn't include any snacks or treats because it was so strictly worded. That is until I went to his class during lunch time and saw all the crap the kids were eating. Half of the kids just had lunchables. I learned a lot about schools and foods that day and relaxed on the types of foods I sent, while keeping it mostly healthy.

    I have had to talk with a school nutrionist regarding my sons allergies and was basically told that sugary cereals were healthy, but didn't have enough fiber so he would have to supplement his frosted flakes with two graham crackers.

    Point being - do what's in the best interest of you and your kids. It's different for everyone. And typically schools are the worst offenders.
  • brdnw
    brdnw Posts: 565 Member
    400 calories for a pack of poptarts is certainly trash. I don't know why you'd buy them.
  • Fitgirllife72
    Fitgirllife72 Posts: 500 Member
    edited January 2017
    I think it is reasonable for teachers to suggest appropriate snacks for school. They are teaching my child all day long. If they want to impart some nutrition education during snack time I don't consider that unreasonable. No one is suggesting you can never eat a pop tart and maintain a healthy lifestyle. But I think it is fair to say when choosing a healthy snack few people would reach for a pop tart to meet that criteria. School is a learning experience. That doesn't just mean math, science, history etc. It includes socialization at recess and healthy habits during PE and yes snack time.

    Suggest, sure. Send a letter to the parent or even to all the parents. Don't shame the child.

    I'm confused where the shaming happened. He was told his snack was not healthy. It was an observation on the teachers part. He wasn't put down for it. He was told his snack was not healthy. I guess I'm not that sensitive to every word people say. It was her observation she expressed. I can't imagine my kids being offended or traumatized by this. And yes. I have young children. They would come home and tell me they need to bring something healthy. And I would send it.

  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    I think it is reasonable for teachers to suggest appropriate snacks for school. They are teaching my child all day long. If they want to impart some nutrition education during snack time I don't consider that unreasonable. No one is suggesting you can never eat a pop tart and maintain a healthy lifestyle. But I think it is fair to say when choosing a healthy snack few people would reach for a pop tart to meet that criteria. School is a learning experience. That doesn't just mean math, science, history etc. It includes socialization at recess and healthy habits during PE and yes snack time.

    Suggest, sure. Send a letter to the parent or even to all the parents. Don't shame the child.

    I'm confused where the shaming happened. He was told his snack was not healthy. It was an observation on the teachers part.

    She said that the teacher threw the first one out and he had no snack for that day. That is just wrong and of course would embarrass a child. Now her kid tells her he doesn't even like them anymore, all because of the teachers actions:
  • Fitgirllife72
    Fitgirllife72 Posts: 500 Member
    edited January 2017
    elphie754 wrote: »
    I think it is reasonable for teachers to suggest appropriate snacks for school. They are teaching my child all day long. If they want to impart some nutrition education during snack time I don't consider that unreasonable. No one is suggesting you can never eat a pop tart and maintain a healthy lifestyle. But I think it is fair to say when choosing a healthy snack few people would reach for a pop tart to meet that criteria. School is a learning experience. That doesn't just mean math, science, history etc. It includes socialization at recess and healthy habits during PE and yes snack time.

    Suggest, sure. Send a letter to the parent or even to all the parents. Don't shame the child.

    I'm confused where the shaming happened. He was told his snack was not healthy. It was an observation on the teachers part.

    She said that the teacher threw the first one out and he had no snack for that day. That is just wrong and of course would embarrass a child. Now her kid tells her he doesn't even like them anymore, all because of the teachers actions:

    Sorry. Didn't read through the hundreds of responses. Read her original post. Yes that is not appropriate. Her original post asked if teachers have the right to state that a snack is unhealthy. I assumed that was her question. My answer to that is absolutely. Had her original post included the pop tart shaming incident that may have changed my response.

  • Tallawah_
    Tallawah_ Posts: 2,475 Member
    Tallawah_ wrote: »
    Careful now, I've had an internet warrior blow up my inbox for having an opinion on the subject that doesn't fall in line with the OP. It won't stop. You could be next.

    Good grief! :unamused:

    Mind you given there are quite a few of us who didn't agree and aren't being hasselled maybe this a new flirting technique? :wink:

    Lol. I guess being called an idiot B could qualify as a flirt. Thanks for the perspective! I'm done crying now!

    Now look what you've got me into! Some eeeejit has flagged all our posts! Sheeeeesh! :confounded:
  • MacaronStyle
    MacaronStyle Posts: 35 Member
    I get where both sides are coming from, I really do. The teacher is relying on guidance published by scientists/nutritionists through FNIC (USDA) and Nutrition.gov which are both federal agencies who serve to educate the public on such matters.

    Your child seems to have access to a wide variety of healthy foods with the occasional poptart whereas others in the classroom may not. Some children in the US live on boxed mac n cheese, candy, chips and soda. For these children, asking their parents to send them with a healthy snack is doing them a favor as it gives them access to a broader palette of food. Other children may reluctantly eat a healthy snack if there are no other options and may want to forego their carrot sticks if they see your child has a poptart in hand. The teacher has been given guidance published by the federal government with how they should educate their class with regard to nutrition. The teacher is charged with managing all of these competing interests and must act in the interests of the group.

    I also absolutely understand your point that a poptart as a sometimes food is perfectly fine and part of a healthy and balanced diet that shouldn't be demonized. I also understand why you don't want to set your child up with the habit of denying themselves such foods as a foundation for developing unhealthy relationships with food and eating disorders.

    If it were me, I'd use this as a good opportunity to teach my child about respecting others needs while also assuring them that an occasional treat is part of a healthy eating habit and give them an afterschool poptart if they'd like.

    I think that's what many parents don't get: the teachers are charged with teaching their class about a lot of different things, including nutrition. The thing is that many many many parents DO NOT teach their children good eating habits. They DO NOT teach their children good exercise habits, hygiene habits, homework habits. All sorts of things. Hell in my child's school district they have an afterschool program that they allow children whose parents stay at home all day attend because the stay at home parents won't make them do their homework! It's amazing how lax some parents can be. So that puts diligent parents in the crosshairs of policy. Some may be unfair, some may seem nonsensical but there's a reason for it.

    Personally I try to work with the school as much as possible. Explain to my children why they do things in certain ways or work with the teacher. For example, last year, we had an amazing opportunity to go to NYC for a week but it was during regular school days and over the 3 day limit for excused absences. I worked with the teacher and principal to come up with a solution which included taking pictures of our adventures in NYC, having my son put together a presentation for his class about Ellis Island, and doing all of his school work on our trip. It was amazing and worked for everyone. I think sometimes as parents we see it as an "us against them" kind of thing when it really doesn't have to be.

    ^^ Just because you make sure your child is eating the poptart as part of a healthy diet doesn't mean other kids are as lucky. For some kids the apple/carrots at snack time may be the only fruit/veg they eat all day.

    Most schools can't afford to customize every single lesson (including nutrition) to each student and the idea of being in a community and accepting that we may not always get what we want is also an important lesson.

    I understand your point and don't disagree that poptarts can fit into a healthy diet. I also think the way the teacher handled it was inappropriate as they should've given you clear instructions at the start of the year. I would tell your kid that the school gives you a short list of what you can give him for snacks just like they give you a short list of the kinds of school supplies he's allowed to bring. (I'm going to guess that spray paint and acrylics aren't part of the list.) Or use some similar analogy. Don't make it about good or bad foods. To you and your son it's arbitrary because he has good food habits already. It's for the kids who don't have that.
  • showerbeer182
    showerbeer182 Posts: 798 Member
    I'll say this....I prefer the poptart toasted vs the non toasted...I know I know a lot of people just unwrap and eat but I need a little warmth on that thing! Secondly...if I do not have a poptart to eat...then I'm usually going with some cinnamon toast crunch...or...ummm..coco pebbles...
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
    I'm old but I remember throwing up when a teacher made me eat the canned green peas off of my cafeteria lunch tray. He wouldn't let me leave until I finished them..............some things never change.

    Pop Tarts are nothing but carbs and sugar and I seldom bought them for my kids, the same way I seldom bought cookies, but sometimes we all need a treat that just isn't good for us. I have to wonder what that teacher may be eating or drinking behind closed doors..........none of us are perfect for gawdsake!

    Teachers aren't dieticians as far as I know and I think as long as the parents take the time to pack a lunch for their children we should just leave them alone. It's probably healthier than the food they serve in the cafeteria at any rate!
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    Was there an information session at the start of the school year? Did they let you know before enrolment that there are restrictions on foods?

    In Queensland, Australia, kids are all taught about "smart choices" A government funded program encouraging the children to make their own smart choices from their lunchbox. The schools provide education about food and nutrition etc.
    So if there was a pop tart and an apple, the child would in theory take their newly taught knowledge on food choices and pick the apple to eat first. Then have the pop tart.

  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
    Reaverie wrote: »
    I went to my kids school this morning, to speak with his first grade teacher.
    He came home yesterday saying he couldn"t bring his Pop tart for their morning snack, because they can only have "healthy snacks".

    I was upset. I still am even after speaking with the teacher this morning.
    I teach my child that there are no good or bad foods, unless you have a allergy or ethically cant eat it.

    He has been sitting there afraid to pull out his "unhealthy snack" because its not "fruit, or granola bar, or yogurt"(healthy snacks").
    I often send those as well.

    I told her not to teach my child about foods being good or bad, because I dont subscribe to that.

    Teacher: "So you're ok with him having a sugary Pop Tart in the morning"?
    Me: Yes, I if send it its good enough for him to have. Just so you know there are granola bars with just as much or more sugar in them as Pop Tarts.
    Teacher: blank stare.

    Do teachers have the right to teach children sugary snacks are unhealthy?

    Are Pop tarts the devil?

    Though I strongly disagree with kids having sugary or salty ANYTHING, The school "policy" is just that. A policy. It isnt a law. The school CANT kick your kid out for eating what you send him with. Most people will just let it slide and work around the schools rules even if they are ridiculous, or just pull their kids out. When they tried to tell me I couldnt send something they deemed unhealthy with my son in the 4th grade, I showed up with McDonalds and dared the school to stop me. Yes, McD's BAD.. but I tend to rebel when someone tells me I CANT parent MY KID. When they told me I couldnt dye my kids hair, both of my kids ended up with blue hair all year long. When they said I couldnt leave with my kids for lunch, I signed them out for the "day" and came back with them after lunch. The school was so afraid of me after a few months that the principal would see me coming, turn on his heals, and head straight back to his office. He tried to threaten me with a truancy officer because I was pulling my kids out of school too often to take them to the zoo or museum. He tried to use the excuse that their grades would suffer and a good parent worries for their childrens grades. I asked him, "OH NO! My son is making less than an A in all his classes?" "Uhh.. well no, not yet.." "And my daughter is struggling to turn in her assignments?" "Evidence shows that.. " "Then who the HECK are you to tell me how to raise my EFFIN kids when BOTH are in advanced classes making straight A's! Step the HECK off and stay OUT of our business!" After that, they never questioned me again. I eventually pulled both of my kids out to homeschool them. It seemed easier than domineering the school officials each year and reminding them who pays their wages.

    I read this to my teenage son and he said "sounds like you mom!!" I hate stupid, baseless rules. My school has done similar including removing my child's whole lunch from him because it was "contaminated". There was coconut in his homemade cookie and they are a nut free zone. Coconut is not a nut, there are no specifications restricting it to protect any individual child in the school, and the teacher and principal jumped because "nut" is in the word. No research or education behind their own rules even. That is what gets me. They fed him chocolate pudding and prepackaged crackers and processed cheese that day and wondered why he could not properly focus on his work on that few calories.

  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
    Ooooh, cherry and s'mores are my favorite!

    I miss pop tarts. I haven't had one in years. The chocolate and cherry were my favorite. I used to toast them until they were almost burned. Yummy.
  • Tallawah_
    Tallawah_ Posts: 2,475 Member
    Tallawah_ wrote: »
    Tallawah_ wrote: »
    Careful now, I've had an internet warrior blow up my inbox for having an opinion on the subject that doesn't fall in line with the OP. It won't stop. You could be next.

    Good grief! :unamused:

    Mind you given there are quite a few of us who didn't agree and aren't being hasselled maybe this a new flirting technique? :wink:

    Lol. I guess being called an idiot B could qualify as a flirt. Thanks for the perspective! I'm done crying now!

    Now look what you've got me into! Some eeeejit has flagged all our posts! Sheeeeesh! :confounded:

    Hmmm interesting...the flags have all been removed now...must've been hallucinating!!! :blush:
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    brdnw wrote: »
    400 calories for a pack of poptarts is certainly trash. I don't know why you'd buy them.
    Because kids sometime want something sweet and as part of a balanced diet there is nothing wrong with them?

    There are plenty of other sweet things out there that don't have as many calories. That's an entire meal's worth.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,687 Member
    edited January 2017
    elphie754 wrote: »
    brdnw wrote: »
    400 calories for a pack of poptarts is certainly trash. I don't know why you'd buy them.
    Because kids sometime want something sweet and as part of a balanced diet there is nothing wrong with them?

    There are plenty of other sweet things out there that don't have as many calories. That's an entire meal's worth.

    Right ... one whole entire poptart (as a snack for a 6 year old) is 200 calories.

    By comparison, a banana is about 100 calories, an apple is 80-100 depending on the size of the apple, one oreo cookie is 45 calories.

    Those were the things my parents gave me for a snack. There were no snacks in school, of course, but after school, my brother and I got a small glass of milk and a cookie (like an oreo). Before bed, we got a piece of fruit. We also got 3 decent meals during the day.

    So sure, something sweet now and then is good ... within reason. :)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    I still wonder what the OP's purpose was in starting this thread. Why?
  • This content has been removed.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    This just popped into my head. Such a wrong commercial but absolutely hysterical:

    https://youtu.be/L5tpP-QgIJE
  • brendak76
    brendak76 Posts: 241 Member
    Not arguing how healthy or unhealthy a pop tart is, but just pointing out that they are sold for breakfast in the public middle and high schools here (and in another state we lived in last year). I'd love to see a teacher go argue with the cafeteria workers about selling them to kids before first period, lol!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Something I haven't seen mentioned is how to help this kid get through the school year without getting in to a pop tart war.

    I suggest you agree with your child for this school term at least, the pop tart will be an at-home treat just so there is no more fussing.

    When my children were about the same age they came home from school and insisted that a certain word had to be misspelled the way their teacher had shown them. No amount of arguing could get me to convince them otherwise,"But teacher said..." I got my first glimmer of a future where I was not guaranteed that I would be the primary influence in their young lives.

    You'll survive. Your child will thrive.
This discussion has been closed.