The Education Wonks
As a young man, most of the Cathollic schools that I attended had silent lunches as a matter of course. Now I work in a DAEP and the lunches here are silent as well.
It really is a good idea.
At one of our NCLB town hall meetings, a teacher reported that they were asked to do a silent lunch because students were taking the state assessment that week.
Vir sapit qui pauca loquitur!
("That man is wise who talks little.")
I don't know. I guess it works for some schools, but it seems extreem. I wouldn't enjoy having to be silent at lunch. Teaching children how to have a quiet conversation, a focus on table manners, seems a more appropriate response.
I can't help wondering why they've had so many choking incidents.
I subbed at a school where they had silent lunch for exactly the same reasons. Two students had choked.
I think it's a bad idea to have silent lunch. I have my doubts that the choking had anything to do with talking and a lot to do with the structure that had been previously set up in the lunch room or lack there of. Having silent lunch is a short-term-quick-fix that, you're right, will not last long and does little to prevent what is trying to be prevented and much to rile up the students who need a time in their day to release some energy.
The challenge is to release that energy in an organized way. This was a catholic school in suburban Rhode Island. I work in an urban public charter school in urban Washington, DC (ironically, near RI..... Avenue.) During my lunch duty, I set and example and laid out expectations. As a result, incidence like this do not occur, without silent lunch. I'd hope, considering parents are paying for this education, that these teachers would at least have the ability to manage something like that.
No, I agree...you cannot get a lunchroom absolutely silent, but you can come close to it. My school has 15 minutes silent, 15 minutes talking that rotates through the entire lunch period. The purpose? Many of our students get one hot meal a day...lunch at school. Those that do have dinner at home have the meal on the run through a drive thru. If they talk and goof off with friends they forget to eat and when it's time to go they realize they haven't eaten. The 15 minute rotation makes sure that most students concentrate on eating for at least 1/2 of their lunch period. Most comply since they know the silent time will be over shortly. We use music to cue the quiet times. When the classical music is playing students understand they should not talk. Students find they still have plenty of time to talk and goof off with friends. Our recess time is figured into our schedule to fall right after lunch so kids get an additional 15 minutes of unstructured time.
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
After- therefor because of!!
My school has a rule that there is to be no talking during lunch. However, the cafeteria is an incredibly loud place to be in. I'm not sure if it is the kids' inability to follow rules, the poor execution of the rule by adults in the cafeteria, or a combination of both. But a silent lunch, it ain't.
I'm still in shock at the very thought this might be possible. I'm just so used to children being deafeningly loud and talking when they aren't meant to.
Commenting by HaloScan.com
