Letters to the Editor: January 31 – February 6, 2019
Nutrition Experts Should Not Guide Math Lessons
Editor,
In his letter to the editor (Jan. 24, “F.C. City Schools Need Better Nutrition Policy”), Richard Klein complains about teachers using M&Ms to teach fourth-graders math and donuts to teach first-graders fractions. He argues that this runs counter to the Centers for Disease Control policy on “promoting healthy eating.”
Seriously? In terms of killjoy complaints, Mr. Klein’s beef takes the cake. Do our schools really need guidance from federal nutrition experts on how to teach math? Is there a shred of evidence that using brussels sprouts and tofu as teaching aids works better, from the standpoint of either math or nutrition? Perhaps there’s a bright side here that Mr. Klein ignores; after all, some kids’ dislike of fractions may turn into a life-long aversion to donuts.
I hope our school board and teachers have better places to look for guidance. And I hate to think what would happen if Mr. Klein ever got his hands on school productions of “The Nutcracker” and its sugar-plum fairies.
Sam Kazman
Falls Church
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