What does a teacher say about students eating breakfast in her classroom? “Hungry students can’t learn,” says Sherry Morgan President of the Knox County Education Association in Tennessee. That’s why educators in Knox County are now serving breakfast to students every school morning through the Breakfast in the Classroom program, supported by NEA HIN.
You may remember this article about the breakfast in the classroom training that happened in Knoxville, TN on July 25. The Knox County Education Association (KCEA) invited teachers from the district to learn about breakfast in the classroom (BIC) and to provide valuable feedback and comments to the school district. At the training many teachers expressed their enthusiasm for the program, “I just think it’s going to play nicely that we’re all doing the same thing and it just fits the routine of the day,” said an Elementary teacher. “I like the idea of knowing who’s eating and that we’ve all come together to eat and everybody is the same. It’s that equality.”
Since the training, the program has been implemented in 17 schools in the district. Recently, a Breakfast in the Classroom media event happened on October 15 at Mooreland Heights Elementary School to celebrate the implementation of BIC. We were so bummed to have missed the event but were able to catch up with KCEA President Sherry Morgan to fill us in on the details!
1. Can you paint a brief picture of the day of the event? What did you see when you visited Mooreland Heights Elementary? Did you talk to any students about BIC?
SM: In a brief picture, [when I visited the classroom] the students were working quietly on a writing assignment. They knew the routine for picking up their breakfast. It did not take away from instructional time. In my speech [to the school], I asked the students if they liked eating breakfast with their teachers, and I got a resounding YES!
2. What did you hear from the students and school staff about BIC?
SM: The students liked eating with their teachers and were not hungry before starting their school work. [The staff noticed that] the students were calmer too!
3. Why did KCEA want to be involved in bringing BIC to Knox County Schools?
SM: KCEA wanted to be involved in the BIC program because BIC helps students academically and physically. Many times, school provides the only meals students receive, and there is documented proof that hungry children are not able to learn.
4. Growing up what was your favorite breakfast food?
SM: Growing up on a farm in Tennessee, my favorite breakfast was scrambled eggs, country ham and homemade biscuits with homemade strawberry jam with milk. We raised or grew everything we ate.
Knox County Schools in Knoxville, TN is one of 10 school districts chosen to receive grant funding from the Walmart Foundation to increase the number of students participating in the school breakfast program. By bringing breakfast into the classroom, studies have shown that student participation in the school breakfast program increases exponentially.
KCEA and the Tennessee Education Association have been valued partners in the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom program. To learn more about KCEA visit http://kceaintouch.org/KCEA/ and to learn more about TEA visit http://www.teateachers.org/.
For information about the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom visit www.breakfastintheclassroom.org.
At the BIC Media Event on Oct. 15 students got to jam with local band Spencer’s Own!
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