Visit cafeteria at lunch to learn the true culture of a school

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on April 27, 2008 at 8:29 PM, updated April 27, 2008 at 8:33 PM

Do you want to know what your kid's school is really like?

Visit the cafeteria at lunchtime.

Flint Journal columninst Kelly Flynn
That's where you'll see the most accurate picture of a school's culture. Because a school's collective test scores, teacher qualifications and curriculum are important, but they don't come close to telling the real story. Please know this: It is truly a challenge to seat and feed large groups of kids in a short period of time. But some school districts do it better than others, and it's pretty indicative of how well they do other things, too. If kids are reasonably well-behaved, it probably means that administrators and teachers have high discipline standards and strong follow-through. True, a food fight, fistfight or shouting match can erupt anywhere, anytime in a school. But how effectively those eruptions are handled is what makes or breaks expectations and behavior.

If more kids than not are shouting, throwing food and generally misbehaving, there's a good chance there's not a lot of disciplinary follow-through. And lack of discipline means a disrupted learning environment.

It's also important to note how many adults are in the room. They should be strategically placed and engaged with kids, setting a cheerful, friendly tone.
Good educators know that cafeteria time is a priceless opportunity. They use it to meet kids, joke and laugh with them, and learn what makes them tick. It's a good chance to make kids feel cared for and welcome, to show them that the adults in the building are approachable.

If adults are talking among themselves or standing with arms crossed, preoccupied with their own thoughts, they're wasting valuable time.

Check out the logistics. The food lines should be laid out efficiently so that kids have time to get through the line, get seated and finish their meal.

Student cliques assemble in the lunchroom, so it's easy to see who your kid's friends are. It's also easy to see which kids have no friends.

I won't kid you -- there are times when the cafeteria experience can be fairly revolting. You'd be surprised at how many kids have never been taught even basic table manners.

Thus, all districts struggle with clean-up. Far too many kids believe the misconception that the custodians are there to provide personal maid service, rather than to maintain the building.

Should a district be judged entirely on the lunch half hour? Of course not. But it's a really good place to start looking when you want to get the vibe of a district.

It's true that a lack of time and money have made lunchtime in most schools a bit of a cattle-call event.

But that doesn't mean it should be a free-for-all.
