Unfortunately, not all schools offer lunches or breakfast in the morning.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That’s the food that will give you energy. If students do not have a proper meal in the morning that will keep them going for the day, it makes it a lot harder to concentrate on work, or anything else for that matter.
One of the reasons I find that students are not eating breakfast is that their schedule just will not allow it. They are too busy getting ready for school, rushing off to the bus stop or maybe even doing last-minute homework.
Students in primary grades cannot always control their emotions; if they are hungry, they are grumpy. Kids need good food for their brains to develop.
Sometimes, schools give snacks, but it is not always enough. For students who have busy parents and forget their lunches, a snack is not going to satisfy them for long.
Children who pack their own lunches do not always have time. Some kids will come to school with whatever is the easiest to pack in the morning: a box of crackers, packaged foods, or an apple or two.
Some kids are coming to school with empty stomachs. We do not know all the reasons or what could be going on at home, but there are some things we can do to help.
Perhaps a few sandwiches made in the morning and put in the school fridge could provide food for someone who could not pack a lunch that day, or a granola bar and some yogurt for a kid who does not have time to eat in the morning.
Food could be donated for those who do not come to school with a lunch. There are a lot of possibilities to help.
Kids cannot come to school hungry or they will not learn. Students should be able to have a good, nutritious meal before and during school.
Macy How is a grade nine student at École Côte-du-Soleil.
