Feed your kids; make them sleep

An eighth-grader stays up until 2 a.m. every night playing video games. Mom works third shift; she’s not home to send him to bed at a decent hour. He gets up 20 minutes before the bus. Mom’s asleep — she worked third shift, remember? He puts on hair gel and leaves for school, forsaking breakfast. Hey, it’s better to look good than to feel good, right? He’s tired and hungry, and yet he has to meet expectations on tests.

How is this the teacher’s fault? Show me a student who is well-rested, well-nourished, and well-supervised, and I’ll show you a teacher who is fine with his test scores included in her evaluations. By the way, I teach my students the importance of a proper night’s sleep and a good breakfast. And they just laugh and laugh.

Elizabeth Oswald

Aurora