Posted on 05/10/2007 3:00:54 PM PDT by Baladas
Four times during the school year in Campbell County, Wyo., the school sends report cards home. Anxious parents and worried students are provided with the typical grading categories -- academic performance, attendance and a work ethic score.
But here in Gillette, there's an additional grade that has some families up in arms.
It's called the body mass index, or BMI, a calculation based on height and weight that indicates whether your kid is too fat. The school chooses the word "overweight." If your child scores too high, it's the fitness equivalent of a bad grade. When Taylor Barbour came home with a BMI score of 32, seven points over the "normal range," his mother, Rosie Barbour, was none too pleased. Her anger was directed not at her 12-year-old son but at the school.
"It just doesn't have any place in the school," said Barbour. "It's fine if you want to teach them how to eat healthy, and make better choices during health class, but I don't think giving them BMI on their report card" is the answer.
'The Strong Kids Club' On top of that, the school district sent a letter in the mail inviting Taylor -- and 172 other kids with high BMI scores -- to join an exercise program three times of week. It's called the Strong Kids Club and came free to his family, with a promise that "it will be fun."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
The point is to make others aware of my observation.
I, personally, have never met a fat homeschooler provided he was homeschooled from the beginning. ( And, over the years I have interacted with likely a few thousand in one way or another) Perhaps, if others take notice, they will conclude the same.
The point is what are homeschoolers doing that institutionalized children are not doing? I speculate that homeschoolers have a **lot** more time for play, since homeschooling is so efficient. Also, they have moms at home to supervise the kitchen, make nutritious meals, and control snacks.
I am not a researcher, but all scientific breakthroughs start with an “ah ha” epiphany. Hopefully, this post will be noticed by someone with the curiosity, and means, to prove whether my observation is correct.
Homeschoolers don’t need to wait until summer.
My own kids actively played outside roller blading, bike riding, digging holes and snow forts, swinging, throwing balls, etc, **all** year long.
Other homeschool moms that I have known report the same. Is this the reason I have never met a fat homeschooler who has been homeschooled from the beginning?
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All scientific research begins at the anecdotal level.
Perhaps others will notice the same. Perhaps someone with the curiosity and means will look into it.
I speculate that homeschoolers have far more opportunity for loosely supervised, daily, large muscle play. Homeschooling is very efficient and there are simply more hours available for play. Also, since they most often have stay-at-home moms, the TV, kitchen, and snacks are better controlled.
I also suspect that institutionalized child is more likely to have a mom with a job outside of the home. Perhaps babysitters are more likely to use food and TV as pacifiers.
I personally have **never** met a fat homeschooler who has been homeschooled from the beginning.
I had a friend who was a nutritionist tell me that kids grow "out" right before they grow "up" and to look at the long term trend of height and weight before getting all upset.
My 17 year old is an athlete - a softball catcher - her thighs and calves are rock hard, even at rest. (But then, anyone who does 500 kneebends 5-6 days a weeks is going to be about the same) She wears a size 6-8 pants and top, but weighs much more than one would think because all her weight is muscle. She is a little concerned as to what will happen when she stops playing softball and I just reminded her you gotta do one of two things - eat less or replace her practices with another exercise. It's not necessarily rocket science, but I think she will always tend towards 'hippiness."
BMI is simplistic, just like “the earth is flat”.
I HAVE..........thus my obseervations are as valid as yours are.
I also know many "skinny" children who attend public and private schools who are athletically inclined, spend hours outdoors on a daily basis in loosely supervisored and team activities. In fact only one child on my duaghter's little league team does not attend a public school, and there is not an overweight child on the entire team.
I also suspect that institutionalized child is more likely to have a mom with a job outside of the home. Perhaps babysitters are more likely to use food and TV as pacifiers.
It is the rare child in my community that is not supervised by a stay-at-home parent, a close relative or a family friend. Of the moms that do work outside the home, the majority have positions which coincide with school hours. So while your observations may in fact be true for your community, they are the total opposite of my community and thus can not be extended to said community.
Well, this is just a guideline and as much as I hate having these government types set them, little junior weighing 175 lbs at twelve years old at 60 inches in height needs to change his eating habits.
They have me overweight at 135 lbs @63 inches. My body fat is under 20%. (Well under for a female) Go figure.
Homeschoolers are every where. Why do you think it is growing?
Perhaps, others will begin to notice, as I have, that there are very, very few homeschoolers out there who are obese. ( If they have been homeschooled from the beginning.) I, personally, have **never** met one.
So..Parents are choosing homeschooling because they see the superior academic achievement and socialization of homeschoolers. Perhaps they too, if it is pointed out to them, will see, as I have, that homeschoolers are not likely to be fat.
But,,,I bet,,,That parents deciding on institutionalizing their children, or choosing the more natural environment of the home, will begin to notice that the kids rolling off the big yellow prison buses ( oops! “school” buses) are more than likely to be fat. It’s hard to miss.
One more example of the public schools attempting to take over the role of parent.
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There are times when it is necessary to take over the role of the parent when the parent refuses to accept the role.
Who knows what institutionalized children get in their schools either from the cafeteria, vending machines, teachers, and other students.
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If you took the time to visit the school you would.
What part of NOT IN MY COMMUNITY do you fail to comprehend? Your observations in YOUR commuunity may be true for your community, they are patently FALSE in regard to mine. I do not livein your community and thus can not judge the veracity of your comments, by the same token you do not live in my community and thus can not extrapolate your observations to here.
The homeschoolers I know in this community find your attitude to be a cause for concern about backlash against homeschoolers.....something NOT found in this community according to them.
Your tunnel vision and refusal to respond to direct issues raised by other posters gives them pause to even believe you ever were a homeschooler.
Just because YOU have never experienced something does not mean it does not exist. There ARE fat children who have been homeschooled from the beginning, I have met some.
BTW, my daughter and most of her friends do not ride school buses, they are taken to and picked up every day by a parent or relative.
Yes, I remember that Physical Fitness test! By the way, I’m a school teacher and students still have to pass a similar physiclal fitness test each spring.
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Judge them by their fruits.
Homeschoolers are fit and slim. ( I personally have never met an obese one)
The rolly-pollies waiting at the school bus stop ( like day laborers) are very likely not.
Parents choosing between institutionalizing their children or the more natural environment of the home will see the difference, if it is pointed out to them.
Homeschoolers are fit and slim. ( I personally have never met an obese one)
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What is your definition of obese? Obviously it must be different from mine or you have not been around many homeschoolers.
“All scientific research begins at the anecdotal level.”
OK, but it ends at the “evidence” level. Amazingly, there is this statistical phenomenon called a Bell curve. Whether or not you have actually met any fat homeschooled children is a moot point.
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The movie “Pleasantville” comes to mind. But,,,your community is not going to determine whether or not government schools collapse or not.
It will be the independent observations of parents throughout the nation who will decide. As parents choose private school, homeschool, or government institutionalization for their child, many factors will help them decide. Fatness is merely one among many.
You flatter me far too much, if you think my scribblings here on FR could turn back this tsunami.Government schools are shooting themselves in the foot well enough with their sex education, Days of Silence, homosexuals, teacher sex molestation, abysmal academics, illiterate graduates,,etc. What possible influence could little ole’ me have?
Maybe, others will notice, maybe more influential writers will pick this up, and maybe the general public will begin to see what I see. Homeschoolers are fit and slim. Those riding the government school buses are more likely to have weight problems.
By the way, I support you decision not to use the prison bus ( oops! “school” bus). If your child is taken to school by you, or a trust friend, ( in a seat belt) she won’t have her clothes caught in the school bus door and be dragged to death by her bus driver. If she should drop something in front of the bus, her bus driver will not crush her death with the bus. She won’t be sent to the hospital with facial injuries and missing teeth if her bus driver stops suddenly. And,,,she won’t be raped in the back of the bus without the bus driver even seeing it.
But, yes, in spite of all the government school horrors listed above, some parents just might choose the natural environment of the home, because their child is more likely to have a healthy weight.
cuz they gotta pay anyway, so they take advantage of the public school babysitters.
That is my observation. Perhaps a researcher with experience in this area, will investigate it.
In the meantime.....parents must make their own observations, and make decisions based on imperfect information. Perhaps, they will see, as I do, that homeschoolers are slim and fit, and the rolly pollies riding the government school buses are not.
I am going to be slammed by some of you on this but here goes...
When 67% of the ADULT population in United States are either overweight or obese -- it tells us that MOST parents are incapable of taking care of themselves.
And wouldn't you guess -- they pass their bad eating and exercise habits over to the kids.
Today's kids are getting fatter and fatter...
My god... for those of you who want everyone to ignore or keep silent on this dangerous subject... it is like ignoring a bull in the china shop.
And that is right... the main purpose of the school's BMI grade is to embarrass the adults to accept some responsibility for themselves and everyone else in the household
So don't get pissed off at me or the school -- YOU got yourself fat.
And usually the ONLY way to make changes in an unhealthy environment is to get angry.
Take charge here -- you're the adult. Insist on healthy foods at home. Throw out the junk food and sodas. Take daily family walks around the park.
Just do something...
As parents choose private school, homeschool, or government institutionalization for their child, many factors will help them decide. Fatness is merely one among many.
Why the change in wording? You have generally lumped private schools in with your ridiculous "institutionalized" claim of unnatural environments.
What possible influence could little ole’ me have?
Believe me, you have none, in anyway about homeschooling either. Your "scribblings" could actually be detrimental to the homeschooling movement. Someone with less knowlege of true homeschoolers would run in the opposite direction you allegedly are supporting, and thus my contention that is your goal.
Homeschoolers are fit and slim. Those riding the government school buses are more likely to have weight problems.
That claim of yours has already been debunked by myself and others. BTW, the majority of private schools in this region (not my community, as there are none, but a multi-county, multi-state region) all use the same "prison busses" as are used by public schools - the only difference is the name of the school painted on the side for identification. I personally know school bus drivers that refuse to drive for some of the private schools because of the discipline issues with those kids, mostly kids expelled from the evil public schools.
some parents just might choose the natural environment of the home, because their child is more likely to have a healthy weight.
Pure conjecture and opinion on your part.
Your horror stories of school buses have nothing to do with the decision many of us have made about not using the school transportation system. Time was the primary issue. By the time the bus they would have been riding passes my house, my daughter and her friends that come here most afternoons are already outside playing after having already finished homework (with me supervising.) They are here not because of parents' working, but because I have the largest property for them to play, which includes not only standard backyard play equipment, but a creek, room for batting or soccer play/practice, a putting green, and a 10,000+ square foot vegetable garden where they have their own section and are responsible for tending it.
Now what was you were saying about"institutionalized" kids and the parents that send them to those schools?
I'll check back in after I finish putting in 1,000 row feet of beans and corn, just to see if you are finally willing to directly address any of the factual comments that have been addressed to you, or if you will just, in typical fashion, remain on your high-horse of superiority.
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