Does a Teacher Really Need to Remind Kids, "Hydrate!"

by Lenore Skenazy (Subscribe to Lenore Skenazy's posts)
Jun 8th 2010 11:00AM

A teacher wrote to me worried that either she's going crazy -- or her students' parents are. They've started giving their kids bottled water to keep at their desks, and begging her to remind them, throughout the day, to drink.

"Have I lost it completely in thinking that learning to drink when you're thirsty is one of the key parts of growing up?" the teacher asks. "While water is obviously important, it doesn't seem to kill kids to be without it for a couple of hours. A shocking number of parents act like it's insulin for their diabetic children. Am I crazy?"

Well if she is, so am I, because in this issue I see three societal evils converging. (Okay, like I said: We might both be crazy. But hear me out:)

EVIL #1: Bottled water itself. Somehow, we have been suckered into the idea that it is better to drink water that has been siphoned into plastic, shipped to a store, purchased with our hard-earned cash and schlepped home (or to school!) and eventually to the landfill, rather than the stuff that comes out of our taps for pennies.

(On a related note: Why didn't I start a bottled water company?!)

EVIL #2: Somehow we are also convinced that our children need to be "reminded" to do something that they'd do automatically: drink. This is part of a whole culture that assumes that this particular generation is SO VULNERABLE (and DUMB) it cannot survive without all sorts of extra promptings and precautions that never existed before. Precautions that begin with baby knee pads (for crawling) and "movement" classes (as if otherwise our kids would just lay there?), and work their way up to a frenzy of frets: Germs! Sun exposure! Drinking whole milk instead of 2 percent!

Every aspect of childhood is a BIG DEAL we are told to worry about, including the (weird) idea that our kids are going to drop dead of dehydration unless someone constantly reminds them: IF YOUR TONGUE IS TURNING BLACK, IT'S TIME TO REHYDRATE.

EVIL #3: The decline of community, as evidenced by distrust of the good ol' (albeit sometimes gum-filled) drinking fountain. When we give up and say, "To heck with it. I'll just give my kid a Fiji," we are going down a road that gives up on the public and goes private. Think: gated communities. Think: parents driving their kids to school instead of trusting the school bus, or lobbying for a crossing guard. Think of a world where it's every family for itself.

William Blake said if we try, we can "see the world in a grain of sand." Maybe we can see it in a bottle of water, too.

Related: Baby Formula is Not Rat Poison

ReaderComments (Page 1 of 4)

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6-08-2010 @ 2:12PM

dmill said...

I have to disagree with #3. Three years ago, my daughter's school had a terrible outbreak of flu and strep throat that just kept going around. It was so bad that they closed down early for spring break to clean the school. The next year, the school encouraged parents to send water bottles to reduce the use of the water fountain. Since then, they have had no outbreaks and much less overall absenteeism. They didn't even have a H1N1 outbreak this past year when other schools in the area did. I actively discourage my kids not to drink out of any drinking fountain. And most kids in the school have reusable water bottles so they are drinking out of the tap.

6-08-2010 @ 9:33PM

moxingzj said...

"Have I lost it completely in thinking that learning to drink when you're thirsty is one of the key parts of growing up?" the teacher asks. "While water is obviously important, it doesn't seem to kill kids to be without it for a couple of hours. A shocking number of parents act like it's insulin for their diabetic children. Am I crazy?"I'm a doctor,31 ,rich but still single.It's hard to get a girlfriend in my town ,most of them like my money more than like me.I just want to find my true love.so i uploaded my hot photos on seekrich .c om under the name of jexte2.u dont have to be a millionaire,but u can meet one there. ..if you girls see this comment,i hope you will check my photos out there.maybe you are the one who i'm looking for!!!

6-08-2010 @ 11:18PM

Dusty said...

It wasn't the drinking from the water fountain. It was the not washing the hands after touching the handle of the drinking fountain.

6-08-2010 @ 4:20PM

Maureen said...

Most of the kids at my son's school have reusable bottles -- so no waste there. I send my son with a full reusable water bottle but there's no way I would think teacher's should remind kids to take a drink.

I still have memories of my own mother discouraging drinking out of water fountains because of lead issues. I think that has stuck in my subconscious.

6-08-2010 @ 8:09PM

Marilyn said...

YES, kids do need to be reminded to drink water! First of all, with all the junky drinks out there, water is not always their first choice. Secondly, you can be severely dehydrated, and your body will misinterpret the signals as hunger, or something else. That's documented fact. Even adults have no clue how dehydrated they are on a daily basis. And dehydration can lead to difficulty in mental and physical functioning--not an ideal situation in school. Read "The Body's Many Cries for Water" to learn more.

As to the plastic water bottles--who needs them? Give kids a reusable, ecologically responsible water bottle from home, filled with filtered water from your own kitchen faucet. Keep them in the refrigerator, and remind kids when they are thirsty, not to run for the Kool-Aid (which will not quench their thirst). Encourage water drinking at home--by EXAMPLE. A twist of lemon and some ice cubes can help kids learn to drink more water. Teachers or parents can even bring a gallon jug or two from home, to refill those bottles for the kids when needed.

6-08-2010 @ 8:34PM

Lisa said...

I was with you until you want teachers to "refill" the kids bottles! They are teachers, not the staff at a summer camp. If the kids need their bottles, then let them fill them at the fountain. Oh, that's right, we don't want to use the fountain... Teachers have enough to do, they are not expected to make sure your/our kids have water? No way! I can just see the disruptions with kids wanting a refill. No, it can't wait until lunch, that is the teacher's contracted time off.

6-08-2010 @ 10:32PM

kara said...

Lisa- you are wrong, teachers are paid to take care of our children. Mentally and physically. That is what our taxes pay for. We need teachers that are as good at teaching reading, and writing that they are at parenting. If the teacher can't get that through their heads, then they should not be there. We pay them to "babysit" our children while educating them at the same time. If you are a teacher then deal with it. The parents are your bosses! All of us.

6-08-2010 @ 11:41PM

MathTeacherPJT said...

What I would really hate to be asked to do----

is bring gallons of water for the kids to drink each day!

Another ridiculous idea!

6-08-2010 @ 11:53PM

Teresa said...

Kara - you idiot!! Teachers are not paid to take care of our children physically. They are paid to educate them. Yes, they are responsible for making sure they do not come to harm within the classroom, but they are not there to remind your little darling to take a sip. Kids can and do actually go from drop off to lunch without a drink, and then make it all the way to dismissal. Surprisingly, they are usually not dehydrated at 3:30.
Plus, most people who buy bottled water do not realize that the majority of that water comes from a city water tap without the benefit of passing through your own personal water filters. And the designer spring waters do not have the fluoride in them that regular tap water does.
We're trying so hard to make sure our kids don't get germs, we've created super bugs and wimpy kids!

6-09-2010 @ 12:32AM

Denise Hull said...

I'm a kindergarten teacher. At this time of year, when it is beginning to get hot and the children are excited because it is the end of the year, then....absolutely, they need to be reminded to drink....often.

6-09-2010 @ 12:39AM

Trish said...

Thank you Denise, first respectable answer from a teacher thus far.

6-10-2010 @ 5:06AM

KATHY said...

I see no problem with a child putting a refillable bottle of water in their backpack to take to school. I don't think it is the teachers resoponsibility to refill the water bottles at school. That can be done by the child at the water fountain or sink at recess, bathroom breaks etc

Why would/should the teachers be responsible for this?

What happened to the days where you just got water at the fountain at bathroom breaks and recess? We are all alive after many years of water fountain drinking. Water from water fountains doesn't spread germs....not washing your hands does. Gotta teach your kids to wash their hands.

6-08-2010 @ 8:12PM

B K Miller said...

This entire article is not taking into account any reasons why parents would ask this of a teacher. The kids at our elementary school are encouraged by the staff to bring their water bottles. We reside in Texas and the heat at the beginning and end of the school year is tough on the young ones. Many of our children also suffer from allergy problems. Frequent hydration is necessary with many of the allergy medications and is key in reducing the symptoms of allergies. Last, but not least, the teachers appreciate the lack of time spent outside the classroom. If anyone does not know how long it takes to get first graders back on track after bathroom and water fountain trips, they do not know much about kids!

6-08-2010 @ 8:16PM

Cea Giardino said...

If a child is thirsty, the child will drink the water. The teacher has more to do than to make sure the child is drinking his/her water. Do you want the teachers to raise your kids too?

6-08-2010 @ 8:29PM

The only exception here would be for PE classes. They need to MAKE the kids drink. I know my daughter's high school takes breaks and makes them go drink (from the fountain!). In college the teacher won't give the indoor dancers a break, they have to have a bottle with them (but not touching the dance floor!). You read about too many athletes collapsing during practice. It makes you wonder how we older ones ever survived a day in the classroom with only recess and lunch time to drink and eat! Bottles of water are everywhere, people look like a bunch of babies with their bottles! In hot weather drink extra, whether you are thirsty or not (doctors say so) but other than that, drink when you're thirsty.

Heather said...

Do I think teachers should sit there and remind students to drink their water? No. Should students be taught the importance of drinking water over other drinks? Yes.
Some people drink more than others. I can certainly go hours without a drink.

As for the water fountain, yes I'm against them. Do you know how many times I've witnessed a sick child slopping their mouths all over them?

& I don't care if tap water is cheaper, the bottled stuff tastes much better. For some people, it's hard enough to drink the necessary amount of water because it lacks taste.

For #2, It might be just me...but I think a lot of the population IS dumb. hah.

6-08-2010 @ 8:39PM

Josette said...

I would agree with the teacher until I found out my daughter has a heart arrhythmia. She plays competitive softball so she is always drinking water actually. When I took her for the EKG, the doc said that the type that she has, is usually the result of dehydration. I explained that she actually drinks a lot of water. However, it's from 8:00-3:00 that they should get their water in. My kids are allowed to take water bottles to school. Is it the teacher's job to remind the kids to drink? No. But I do feel kids should be able to take water bottles to school with a chance to refill.

6-08-2010 @ 8:37PM

sailorgirl said...

Kids will go and go and go without sometimes realizing they need to go to the bathroom. Anyone who knows children, know that they need multiple prompts to do many things. Reminding them they need to keep hydrated is only a good thing. Especially asthmatics, anyone with a cough, anyone on anitbiotics, kids just back from P.E. or recess who have lost a good amount of water need to drink throughout the day. School schedules are so full now that there isn't much time for kids to transition between classes or even eat lunch. Another factor is that many schools have non-opening windows with conditioned air that is very dry. Yes, teachers do need to remind students to take a sip of cool water because it only makes good sense and shows that they care about the well being of their students.

MrsVicki said...

The brain is 75% water and it is VERY IMPORTANT to remind children who are using their brain in school ALL DAY to drink water! Our kids have their own water cups and are allowed to drink water whenever they want AND they take their water bottles out to Adventure Fitness class in order to stay hydrated! It's very important that teachers get educated about how important hydrating the brain is in order to create effective learners!

6-08-2010 @ 9:05PM

Kathleen said...

Since when are children allowed to have drinks or food at their desks? Some schools have snack time and all schools have lunch time therefore when in the classroom there should be books on the desk. This way they will become smart enough to take a drink when thirsty. Geez, give the teachers a break and your kids some credit!

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