That's her on the left.
Posted on 01/30/2005 8:03:31 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
State Rep. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, can't be faulted for her concern over childhood obesity. More than a third of Texas schoolchildren are overweight or obese.
But Van de Putte's approach to obesity is highly questionable, and no doubt doomed to failure. Van de Putte has introduced a bill in the Legislature that would require school districts to measure the mass body index of schoolchildren and include that information on school report cards that kids take home to parents.
If a child is overweight, the news will hardly be a surprise to parents. They have the best evidence standing in front of them. A number that represents body fat based on height and weight simply quantifies the obvious. For children, the effect could be devastating. Would a bad report card on their schoolwork be compounded by a bad report on their physical person? In the cruel and unforgiving world of the schoolyard, it's not hard to imagine what the psyches of these children with high BMIs would have to bear.
Schools need to do their part by providing nutritious meals. That's why schools have cut down the fat in their meals and are keeping vending machines from being accomplices to sweet tooths. And more physical recreation for students would help burn up some calories, as well as prepare them for a lifetime of regular exercise.
But school report cards should be focused on the students' academic weight, not their body weight.
She's a State SENATOR, Caller-Times!
That's her on the left.
Seems to me that maybe the legislature should try the program out on themselves first...
If the school tries to serve nutritious foods, the kids won't touch them. They might as well throw the food right into the garbage and save the kids the efforts. The chubby kids will go home and have a meal and snacks made from lard, sugar, soft-drinks, rice krispie bars, cookies. Next thing the officials will have to show up at their homes and go through the cupboards and pantries.
Ping ...........
AUGHHHH!!!! The Body Mass Index (BMI) is the worst way to measure obesity in any individual. By that standard, Barry Sanders and Hershall Walker were obese, and Lance Armstrong would be overweight. Every player in the NFL would be overweight or obese, and most in the NHL and NBA overweight.
This is part and parcel of the Dem's nanny state approach to life. Van De Putte, as I recall, was also a prominent leader of the Texas State Senate Dems running away from their responsibilities and convening in neighboring states.
Public schools have alternatives to measuring BMI in obese kids and reporting it on the report card. Mandatory PE that forces kids to exercise is one way; especially in the elementary schools. I recall as a kid in the 50s that Eisenhower created a fitness program that the kids had to meet to get a certificate of some sort that they met the requirements. I barely got one because I couldn't run as fast as the requirement demanded - I always missed it by a second or less (not because I was too fat, I just wasn't a fast runner). Anyway, I prevailed upon my teacher to let me run against one of the fastest kids in the class. The kid agreed and we were off. I passed that time.
The problem with so many fat kids today is pandemic and has many factors. Too many parents think its ok to let their kids spend hours watching TV, playing video games, etc., instead of forcing them outside to ride their bikes or play with the other kids in the neighborhood. We did that when I was a kid and it didn't harm us a bit. Lax parenting and school programs that are a joke are part and parcel of the problem - AND the solution. When parents start parenting and stop trying to be their kids' best friend, we might see some improvement.
I don't think the government should get involved in forcing exercise either because the government isn't going to get it right. Like you mentioned running --- is it good for children to run the fastest --- or could they suffer permanent knee damage.
Schools should focus on the education basics, but there should be free play time at recess --- kids running, playing games. And one thing they should separte the boys and girls by a certain age because boys tend to play rougher which gets them in trouble.
Another gold-plated example of liberal "do as I say, not as I do".
She might consider a lobotomy as a good first step toward her own weight loss...or, I could be behind the curve...maybe she's already had one.
>>>"Seems to me that maybe the legislature should try the program out on themselves first.."
Yeah, the fat index should be put on the ballots along with campaign spending amounts.
Hoppy
Someone needs to tell de Fatte to read up on 1930s German history.
My kids run --- but I don't make them run or pressure them to run ---- they'll do it all on their own, and none has a weight problem. I don't want some teacher or coach pressuring them to run --- what I meant --- give kids free play time at recess. I enjoy running --- but there are times I've injured my knees and ankles running more than I should have, and growing bodies can suffer sports injuries that are crippling.
All I'm really saying --- it's up to the parents. A government school isn't going to make kids eat broccoli and peas if the parents will stuff them with rice krispi bars as soon as they get home from school.
Or the government needs to examine the food stamp program and why welfare recipients can fill their carts with cokes, candies, cookies, lard, and all sorts of unnutritious foods --- the so-called poor are the ones with the worst obesity rates.
I don't want the schools to make those decisions, either, but where do you draw the line? You don't want the school to make them run for a fitness program because your kids are fit - but what about their classmates?
Yeah, they could injure themselves running in a PE class, just as easily as they could running on a playground. But, you're obsessing on the whole running thing. That's not the whole program, only a small portion of it.
If the schools shouldn't teach the kids to run, or try to provide them with nutritious meals, perhaps they shouldn't teach them to read or do math? Parents who want to parent can do that, too.
The whole point is that kids aren't going to learn to do some things if someone doesn't make them do things they don't want. I recall a course I didn't want to take in college, but if I wantedto graduate, I had to take the course. I hated it . . . . . right up to the point that I realized I was learning some interesting material and actually looked forward to each class. It was tough, but I passed and graduated.
Sometimes, the things we think we don't want to do are the very things that are best for us.
It's just that I've seen what happens in the schools here --- give them pizza and they'll eat --- but give them vegetables or fruit and the food goes into the trash. Make the chubby kids do any exercise and the parents write a note. The kids whose parents won't write the notes already are fit.
OMG! Look who's talkin'
Pot meet kettle
OMG! Look who's talkin'
Pot meet kettleLOL! Yep.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
