Firstly let me say that I like school dinners – well, not all options offered in school dinners ….pink custard I especially hate! But the great thing about being a teacher having school dinners is “you can’t be told to eat it.”
However let me state some reservations just to offset my perceived enthusiasm –
- I have to say I am not a great fan of the food (which is a pretty major statement considering we are talking about dinners!).
- I am not too great with having to drink my water from a green plastic cup with teeth marks all around the edge.
- It takes 2 or 3 attempts to find some cutlery that is not either bent, broken or dirty, having been dropped into the clean pile by mistake by one of the children.
- The chairs are too low and there is never enough room due to all the lunch boxes strewn about.
Depending on your school you, as a teacher, may get a free dinner as reward for you “technically” being on duty in the dining hall or have to pay which is currently a stinging £3.20 in Cambridgeshire at the moment! Cost alone can make you reconsider especially if you subscribe to the reservations above.
So what is it about school dinners that I DO like?
Let me say that I am not a regular school dinners attendee – most of the time I take a lunchtime snack and sit in the staffroom, read the paper and chat with colleagues. However on the occasions that I do venture into the dining hall (which sounds a very posh way of describing it) it is for these reasons…
- It is a cold day in winter and I would like a hot meal
- I have a specific purpose to going in which may be to encourage a member of the class to eat…amazing as it sounds I am sure you will have had experience of this.
- It is a special occasion (more on this later)
- There is a special menu which I quite fancy trying.
- I have assistants…hmmm (children staying in!)
All great reasons for getting into the dining hall and sampling the food!
Poor eaters: These can be either children who are booked for a school meal or perhaps sandwich eaters. Either way, concerns have been raised by parents or lunchtime supervisors that a child in my class is not eating at all or very little or they are trying to throw food away – this can be school food or lunchbox. Whatever it is, the child is in my class and so I feel I need to take some action and show some concern.
There can be various reasons for this –
- The child says they don’t like the school food
- They are wanting to get out quickly to play outside (usually boys and football)
- There is too much in their lunchbox or its mums choice and not theirs
- They take forever to eat for no apparent reason
Intervention on my part usually means getting a table organised with others in my class and them “saving me a place” – I get to know when the particular child is having lunch and sort things out from there to sit together (usually with others from my class). We make it a fun place to be and talk and laugh and make lunch enjoyable whilst at the same time I am keeping an eye on the child in question and chivvying along if necessary. To be honest this works more often than not – the child enjoys the table atmosphere, he is sitting next to me (not as great as it sounds!) and everyone is enjoying it and eating at the same time.
For any of the above reasons he / she and I can chat about them quietly after others have left and I am able to listen and show concern for any problems. I won’t say that quick fixes are the order of the day for some children and lunchtimes in the dining hall have to become more regular if needed.
By doing this, you give the child time to talk and for you to listen in a non threatening environment. It also gives you direct insight into things if and when you have to speak with parents – who are usually most appreciative that you have taken time to do this.
Getting to know your class: If you were to announce to your class that you were having a school lunch you would be amazed to see the excitement it creates and just how many want you to sit with them. I always think colleagues miss out on something special that they can share if they simply collect a lunch and take it to the staff room. Sitting with some of your class takes in a different atmosphere, away from the mornings work and the discipline of the classroom and allows everyone to enjoy each others company in a different way.
- Did you see….?
- What do you think about…?
- What is in that lunchbox….Jam???
- Let me try one of those crisps..
- How have you got custard on your chips?
Just have fun and you can bounce any topic around…its a great way to get to know your children and for them to see you in a different light.
Special occasions: In a couple of schools I have taught in, they had special occasion lunches – Fathers day lunch, Mothers day lunch, football lunch, Easter special etc – you will all know of them I am sure.
On these occasions I always liked to organise the class to have a class table….not just for 6 or 8 but actually get most of the class in for lunch and have a long table with all of us on! You can imagine the hassle it caused but it was great fun.
I initially did this for a Fathers day special lunch. The intention of this lunch was that Dads could come in and have lunch with their child; which is a great idea. However in my class many of the children’s dads couldn’t come in or dad was not part of the family. So I decided that because I was a DAD that I would organise a class table. Everyone in the class who’s dad wasn’t visiting wanted to have a school lunch, even those who normally had sandwiches! We had to put tables together to seat 24 children…it was like a banquet and we had a great time and no doubt made too much noise and had too much fun!
We repeated this at various intervals much to the dismay of the dining staff (but their numbers rose so they didn’t complain!)
Getting to know the children: The relaxed atmosphere of having lunch and sitting together enables you to get to know the children in your class a little better. You have the opportunity that you don’t perhaps get in the hustle bustle of the teaching day. The pace is a little slower and you can both select who you want to sit with and also the subjects you want to talk about. If necessary you can focus perhaps on 1 or 2 children and arrange to sit with them rather than a big group.
School life is a very busy world for both teachers and children and at times we don’t seem to be able to slow down and ask the important questions that need to be asked or to listen when someone needs listening to. Sitting with children at lunchtimes offers a completely different environment away from the classroom and perhaps away from our pre-determined roles of teacher and pupil. It gives us a chance to get to know our children a little better and for them to get to know you outside of the classroom.
As simple and surprising as it may seem, it might be time to look beyond the dining hall as just a place for eating lunch – in our many roles as class teacher it may also provide a surprising and positive element in some children’s education!
“No pink custard for me thanks!”