Opinion: "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" Shows That Kids Don't Read

McWhy all the fuss? I bet every one of these kids can identify every item in a kid's meal. In a hundred years, the Chinese will be utilizing American labor to serve them and produce their goods. American, public education is worthless as the teachers couldn't give a damn about anything but their paycheck, benefits and retirement.

That is "So sad"

Killer, Teachers cannot and should not take the place of the home, of parents, of the learning they do there... There are SO many wonderful teachers out there who care about far more than their meager paychecks, but they can't take the place of mom, dad, nurse, psychologist, etc... They aren't glued to each individual child 24 hours a day! If a teachers gives a homework assignment to do a book report, is it the teacher's fault if the child never does it? No! It's the child's and the child's parents who need to actually follow through and do their own work! This is NOT a nanny-state, no matter how much the government tries to be. There just comes a point when families have to take responsibility, Killer, not the teachers... Those first 5 years at home before school starts are hugely important! That's where kids learn all kinds of things, including fruits, veggies, colors, shapes, numbers, letters, and animals... So stop blaming education for the slacker families out there!

Killer

YOU are what is wrong with education in America. People like you expect the teachers to do EVERYTHING. We (yes, I am a teacher) did not birth these children and cannot be responsible for every aspect of their education. The number one indicator of student success is their home life. If they have parents with attitudes like yours, then we are surely a doomed society.

Killer
If all I cared about was a paycheck, trust me, I wouldn't be teaching.

"Killer:" you've got at least one ally! People can say what they will, but, overall, the education process in America is terrible, and getting worse (or, as a lot of today's college students would say, "getting wurst!") Many, if not most, high school seniors today can't read, write, or do simple math adequately.

As long as teachers have huge pay and benefit packages; and as long as many (most, in a lot of schools) high-school graduates can't do simple math or construct simple sentences with proper grammar and spelling; and as long as teachers and their unions fight tooth and nail to prevent their employers from demanding knowledge of their subjects and proficiency in teaching them (i.e.: graduates who can read simple instructions, fill out employment applications, and subtract 23 from 100 without a calculator), our education system will continue to fall behind many others in the world.

The biggest problems with our education system today include undeserved tenure, unions who are more interested in collecting union dues than educating children, and teachers who have neither the drive nor the need to do their jobs adequately. They don't know their subjects, they don't know how to teach them, and they have no interest in improvement.

This is a test (and a true story): I work for a supermarket. A while back, we sold ears of corn for 25 cents each. I asked three high school seniors who worked in the produce department how much it would cost to buy a dozen ears. NONE of them even came close to knowing the answer! They had absolutely no idea how to even calculate the total. Is this the fault of the parents, the teachers, the school system, the students, or the supermarket?

Why would any American parent read to their kids for? They'd rather send them to watch television. Why would they (parents) bother to cook? Send them to McDonalds. Feed the kids candy snacks. Parents do not let the kids excersize when kids are busy playing video games (or the computer.) IT IS THE PARENTS THAT ARE THE LAZY ONES.

and, using your reasoning, some don't learn until high school or college. Try graduate school!!! Judging by online message board posts, most of America would be illiterate!!!

um no...kids read will before 2nd grade. my kids are doing algebra and geometry in 3rd and 5th grade and both read two to three grade levels above their current grade. neither are fat, are physically active, eat healthy and have sweets occasionally. it's dangerous to lump all kids in one category but we have alot of chubs out there. it's all about balance

I was reading chapter books before I got out of kindergarten. And I didn't go to preschool. I know my parents read to me a lot at a young age, but I can't see how some children can't read until the second grade.

I sure hope you're NOT a parent. The point was parents should be reading TO their kids practically from day one. You read to them, pointing out the objects in the pictures. Listening to you reading helps them learn how language works. Besides they were only asked to name what was held in front of them, if they'd regularly seen these things in books they would know them. Also, yes they do learn to read in kindergarten-assuming they don't already know how.

Heather, I believe all of the children in my son's kindergarten class are reading. Not just one or two. My son is reading at a 2nd grade level, and the teacher doesn't consider him extraordinary. It's all about whether or not your parents were reading to you at home from an early age, I believe. And Killer, Wow! All I have to say. It is really frightening that these children cannot identify basics like tomatoes or broccoli. It makes my stomach upset to think of what they have been eating for the past 6 years?

Kris, you like to say YOU and point fingers back at people criticizing teachers like YOU. When is the last time anyone heard a teacher take some responsibility for being bad and lazy at their jobs? Teaching requires good training and good habits and not dismissing any child's education by blaming the parents. They go to school TO LEARN. That is what school is FOR! How can these kids at this school not know simple vegetables? Why weren't those teachers aware of such a startling gap in the learning? Part of your job is to identify what needs to be learned and plan lessons around that while fitting applying the curriculum. If you are any kind of teacher, it is not rocket science and it should be rewarding to send a kid home smarter than when he came, NOT the other way around.

I am in no way speaking of children with special needs when I say this: I am really surprised how poorly spoken children and their parents are today. Articulation, reading comprehension, imagination, creativity, esteem and compassion are difficult to achieve when you can't read. You are doing your child a disservice by allowing them to watch movies in the car as you drive. You are taking time away from their imagination. Every time you put you kid in front of a video game that is non-educational you are wasting their brainpower and placing your child at a disadvantage. Let your child be smarter than you were. Don't bring them down just because your language skills and reading comprehension are mediocre. Sharp communication skills will help your child more than you know.

People who communicate poorly are treated poorly. Articulate, well-read communicators are always at an advantage. I'd rather see your child smile with pride and esteem than lash out with violence and frustration. If a child can't communicate well verbally, they lash out. If a child’s comprehension is low, they lash out. If you hold them back and teach them it’s okay to skip the reading and learning, society lashes out by denying your child the opportunities they deserve. Sports are important for hyper kids who need to burn off energy, but along with the athletics and ballet lessons, don’t forget the reading. Don’t be afraid to have well spoken, thoughtful children.

Most of my kindergarten class could read - with the majority of us on a 4th grade level or better. Of course this was in 1990, though, and we had assignments to watch PBS and talk about what we saw the next day in class. And the getting paddled if you didn't do your homework didn't just reinforced it.