<p>So much for freedom of choice. If one child wants to work harder or take more classes than another one, the state should prohibit it because the other students might feel bad? It’s not fair to allow some students to skip lunch to take a class. The state should require that students eat lunch and that the lunch be healthy. If we’re not careful, some students might go to the lunchroom and not actually eat a lunch. As for vermin (?), the teachers could prohibit students from eating in their classes (or they could just prohibit the ones who are slobs, but then it may effect those students self-esteem).</p>
<p>Or, maybe lunch could be required for all, since it is a healthier approach, and those exceptionally motivated children can read a book, or do math problems, while they eat if that would enhance their self-esteem.</p>
<p>At our kids’ private HS, lunch was at the SAME time for ALL students and was MANDATORY. You could take band if you could work it in, even tho it didn’t officially “fit” into your schedule. S did so with a full load of APs AND eating lunch with everyone else or at least having a break at the same time as everyone. Not sure how many of the kids DO or DON’T actually eat lunch, but did think it was civilized & nice that they all got an official break at the same time for the entire HS so that they could network, have meetings or do things without worrying so much about conflicting schedules.</p>
<p>At least one of the other private HSs (the direct competitor) has lunch scheduled randomly for all of the students, by computer. The kids don’t have too much control over when they may or may not have a lunch break. They definitely DON’T have the entire HS having their lunch break at the same time. Different strokes,</p>
<p>I don’t have a problem with zero hour classes. My oldest took a zero hour every day. It is unhealthy mentally and physically to go 8 hours without taking a break or some downtime. 20 minutes, 1/2 hour, 45 minutes doesn’t matter. I don’t even care much if kids don’t eat, although that’s not healthy, it’s the unstructured time to decompress or think about something else or socialize or go to the library to read or recharge or walk outside and get some air that is important. “Motivation” or whatever that is a euphemism for is not in question. It is the administration’s responsibility to organize their teachers and their course schedules to allow for that important break in the day for all students and if kids can’t take every single class they want to that’s unfortunate but not an unusual life lesson. So yes, I do believe that a break in the day is important for everyone and learning how to shirt gears an important lesson in and of itself.</p>