N.J. Students Forced To Eat On Floor

WCBSTV.com ^ | October 11, 2007 | WCBSTV

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Coming soon to a location near you from the Socialist Republic of New Jersey...

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

WHY?

[edpc]

Maybe the principal is modeling his school after the one in Sleepers.....? Be sure to observe the 5 second rule.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

in order for Mahwah High School to lengthen its teaching time, they opted to push all 1,000 students through a single, 43-minute lunch period.

Stupidity.

[jdm]

Renowned microbiologist Dr. Philip Tierno warns 80 percent of all infectious diseases are spread through contact. So when a child touches the floor to sit, then touches a sandwich, whatever is on the floor can then be ingested.

Not trying to be a prude, but we had to eat on the floor sometimes back when I was in elementary school too.

I don't know why the author assumes that someone has to touch the floor in order to sit down. It's quite easy to sit down on any flat surface without touching it. It just takes a bit of practice.

Personally, I don't think anyone should have to eat on the floor, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal. After all, it's a public school, not a five star restaurant.

[sure_fine]

are they going to change the bathrooms out for squatting holes?

[thebaron512]

They are paper pushers and not educators who run the schools.

[GingisK]

Gasp! Oh, the horror!

Kind of like a picnic, huh? ;-D

[ontap]

Why not get their lunches and take them back to the room?

[TommyDale]

This is just a stunt to raise more money from the taxpayers.

[the OlLine Rebel]

‘Yet in order for Mahwah High School to lengthen its teaching time, they opted to push all 1,000 students through a single, 43-minute lunch period.

‘”This allows teachers to go into greater depth in their discussions,” Superintendent Montesano said.’

I have a feeling they’re not going “in depth” into anything of substance. I have a feeling (oops, pun not intended) they’re interested in expanding time for all the feel-good pap and sexual learning.

[dfwgator]

Not trying to be a prude, but we had to eat on the floor sometimes back when I was in elementary school too.

Not only that, but sometimes we had to eat dirt, and we were thankful.

[Tax-chick]

Why not get their lunches and take them back to the room?

Or sit on the lawn.

[Clintons Are White Trash]

I raised 4 kids - considering what and where teenagers eat when they are NOT in school, I don’t see anything wrong with this.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I’d agree. I eat on the floor all the time (well, almost). On carpet, no less!

The main thing about chair-sitting for me is the convenience. It’s easier to scoot into a chair/sofa than to squat all the way down - never mind getting up again. I was never that concerned about “cleanliness” - unless you’re talking while working in a grungy old car shop.

[ClearCase_guy]

I had to eat dirt while going uphill. And I was glad to get it.

[the OlLine Rebel]

LOL - talk about (gasp) germ-ridden!

[stevio]

This makes no sense. They’re trying to say that sitting at a table takes more time to eat than sitting on the floor? And that they need more time for indoctrination, I mean education?

[M0sby]

Ok...that sounds SO BAD on the face of it...
But the KIDS CHOSE to sit on the floor and eat all of the time..
During break..after school...when they should be at assemblies and they’re not...
etc..

I can understand how you would certainly WANT to sit at a table to eat your LUNCH because it is irritating to try to cut food....or not tip over your milk with your foot...etc..etc..
BUT, it is funny to me that the kids would be indignant about the GERMS or CONTAMINANTS on the same floor where they CHOSE to sit all of the time!
AND....while there might not be enough room for all of them to sit at a table during lunch, there is CERTAINLY enough room during breaks and after school...and, even thought they COULD sit at the tables during these hours, they choose not to...

So...not saying that the school should be forcing this...just noting that kids (and parents) LOVE to have “a cause”.
Sometimes these causes are GOOD.
And sometimes, they are sorta silly...