Children these days have many options regarding food and physical activities. However, with little understanding of health issues, they do not always choose wisely, leading some to suggest that schools be held accountable for these kids’ health. While I agree that schools ought to do more to educate students regarding their health, I believe it is ultimately the parents’ duty to ensure their children’s well-being by guiding them toward a healthier lifestyle.
A child’s parents are the first line of defense against obesity and disease. They ultimately make the decisions that affect their offspring’s long-term condition: they do the shopping, enroll their children in sports activities, and serve as role models at home. As such, they have to ensure that their children see and understand what is good for them and what is not. For example, parents who order pizza regularly teach their children that this is normal and that pizza is considered a quality meal. If, moreover, these parents do not exercise, neither will their children. Over time, these kids are more susceptible to illnesses as they will not have been properly conditioned to think of their own well-being, and because they view adults as responsible they simply copy their behaviours.
Schools, on the other hand, are responsible for children’s education. They should therefore include health awareness classes in the curriculum and have mandatory daily physical education programs. That being said, schools have no control over what a child sees at home. Furthermore, as teachers have new students every year, they have no personal investment in each child’s fitness. These conditions make schools less influential in maintaining students’ wellness, and thus they cannot be held accountable when students sit on the couch all summer watching movies, or go to McDonald’s for dinner with their parents four times a week.
In conclusion, schools have the power to educate students on proper nutrition and the importance of exercise. However, it is up to parents to reinforce this education by modeling a wholesome lifestyle for their children.
Children
these days have
many
options regarding food and physical activities.
However
, with
little
understanding of
health
issues, they do not always choose
wisely
, leading
some
to suggest that
schools
be held
accountable for these kids’
health
. While I
agree
that
schools
ought to do more to educate
students
regarding their
health
, I believe it is
ultimately
the
parents’
duty to ensure their
children’s
well-being by guiding them toward a healthier lifestyle.
A child’s
parents
are the
first
line of defense against obesity and disease. They
ultimately
make
the decisions that affect their offspring’s long-term condition: they do the shopping, enroll their
children
in sports activities, and serve as role models at home. As such, they
have to
ensure that their
children
see
and understand what is
good
for them and what is not.
For example
,
parents
who order pizza
regularly
teach their
children
that this is normal and that pizza
is considered
a quality meal. If,
moreover
, these
parents
do not exercise, neither will their
children
. Over time, these kids are more susceptible to illnesses as they will not have been
properly
conditioned to
think
of their
own
well-being, and
because
they view adults as responsible they
simply
copy their
behaviours
.
Schools,
on the other hand
, are responsible for
children’s
education. They should
therefore
include
health
awareness classes in the curriculum and have mandatory daily physical education programs. That
being said
,
schools
have no control over what a child
sees
at home.
Furthermore
, as teachers have new
students
every year, they have no personal investment in each child’s fitness. These conditions
make
schools
less influential in maintaining
students’
wellness, and
thus
they cannot
be held
accountable when
students
sit on the couch all summer watching movies, or go to McDonald’s for dinner with their
parents
four times a week.
In conclusion
,
schools
have the power to educate
students
on proper nutrition and the importance of exercise.
However
, it is up to
parents
to reinforce this education by modeling a wholesome lifestyle for their
children
.