I am taking a moment off from projects and curriculum and the like to mention something that has been incredibly prevalent in my life as a teacher: the nut-free school. I am in my fifth year of teaching, and every school has been nut-free. It is not hard to adapt, and I am not fighting for the right to have nuts in our cooking activities. But there has to be something unhealthy about a generation of children who are not exposed to peanuts and tree nuts. It is akin to parents not letting their children play outside in the cold or jump in a puddle or eat a handful of dirt.
There are children who have extreme reactions to nuts, and those children should be able to have a classroom environment where there are no nuts and the precautions are taken. But I sit here on a 40 acre nut-free campus. Are we being a little extreme?
This rant was inspired by this article in the New York Times.
this is the first year in a long time that we have no nut allergies.
ReplyDeleteit is so freeing!
someone roasted pounds and pounds of peanuts, so we offer them daily.
i hear you!
TO not be able to experience peanut butter and Jelly, just so sad. Really.
ReplyDeletei’ve lived under the nut ban, so i know what you’re talking about.
ReplyDeletemost of the children are probably eating pb&j at home, though, right?
and walnut brownies .. and peanut butter cookies .. and peanut M&Ms .. i’m glad *i’m* not allergic to nuts. ;^)
good point. next step, no milk due to the lactose intolerant? ;)
ReplyDeleteI have a child with nut allergies for the first time and it is a scary place to be as a teacher. I am not sure what the answer is but I do hope someone is trying to figure this out. Enjoy your holiday. I look forward to more project posts.
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