I am really hungry right now. I have six minutes left until my self-imposed fast ends. The last six minutes seem to be the longest. I can feel the back of my stomach...actually, it is not that bad. I'm just a spoiled over-stuffed American who is experiencing just a touch of self-denial. I have kept this fast for 45 hours and it has been incredibly freeing...both physically and mentally. The 45 hours were all I needed to get back on track.
I had lunch with one of my 5th graders today. Actually, she ate lunch and I sipped a cup of tomato juice and a cup of cinnamon tea. Because I was not concentrating on stuffing my face, I was able to listen to my student more. The art of conversation is difficult for my students. They are trapped by violent video games, broken or strained family relationships and temptations from the street. They act tough but when they are alone with me for a half hour lunch...they clam up. Honest conversation is apparently too threatening.
I noticed what she was eating...foods heavy in processed carbs, sugar and salt and fat...even the milk was chocolate. Not only are the mean streets deadly...the very food my students place in their mouths is harmful. A couple of years ago, I even had a first grader with high blood pressure due to obesity. I can't force them to be healthy because I can barely do it myself. But I can talk to them, pull them out of the crowded and excessively loud cafeteria, treat them like the human beings they are and limit my eating long enough to engage them and listen to them.
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