Elementary Student Maintains Changes Years Later
“I’ve been teaching SNAP Education for over 15 years. Recently I was in a drive thru and I heard a voice from the window yelling my name. It was one of my former students, who attended my SNAP ED health classes in her Elementary school.
Enthusiastically she said, ‘You are going to be so proud of me. I’m still eating healthy, but now I eat ALL kinds of fruits and vegetables! I even go to farmers markets and buy them myself!’
This comment may seem trivial, but to me, it was an ACCOMPLISHMENT. You see, this was a student that would NOT touch fruit or vegetables…. what about an apple? — nope, a carrot? –nope, not even corn? –nope, NOTHING! Her diet consisted of chicken nuggets and cheese pizza. Her mother packed dinosaur shaped nuggets in her lunch box every day.
I had the privilege of working with her from 2nd grade -5th grade. We had a school garden, we made vegetable skeletons at Halloween, we had taste tests. Gradually we earned her trust. One by one she was growing, preparing and tasting these new healthy foods. When this student graduated 5th grade we received a note from her parents thanking this incredible program for introducing, encouraging and supporting their child to make better food choices. They were so grateful that we had been able to do something they couldn’t, and as a family, collectively they were all eating better and consuming more fruits and vegetables.
This program works! It works not only IN the classroom but BEYOND the classroom! These are struggling families, SNAP Education is a vital resource for them.“