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Do you think it's fair for a teacher to eat in front of the kids?

My son has made several comments regarding his teacher eating multiple times a day while she's in the front of the room teaching. Out of curiosity I asked what she eats, and he's given me a list "Crackers, chips, granola bars, Coke, Pepsi, popcorn..." I asked him why and he said "She said she has to eat because she has health problems". Now, this woman is (I'm guessing) in her 30's, a little overweight, and doesn't seem to have any health problems from the naked eye. I'm really not sure what type of "health problems" require constant snacking. The only thing that comes to mind is diabetes because I know they have to keep their blood sugar at a certain level---but if that were the case I don't think she'd be downing Coke and granola bars. What do you think is going on here? I'd be pretty annoyed if I had to sit in class all day and watch someone feed their face. Should I ask her about this? He's even mentioned how she accidently spits pieces of food out while she's talking. Can she not at least wait until she's at her desk to eat?

Public Comments

No do not ask her about that. How is it any of your business what the woman't health problem is? Eating in front of the kids is not damaging them in any way, so let it go.
If there is no health problems, she should not be eating throughout the day... I would mention it to whoever is in charge and just ask for an explanation because in normal circumstances, its not ok....
You should talk to the principal about it. If she truly has to eat due to a health problem a notice should be sent to the parents of all her students explaining the situation so they can tell the kids why she's doing that and that she's not just being mean or rude to them.
Its probably a stress disorder from low pay, school cuts, and parents complaining about too many school supplies they have to buy.
Maybe she's pregnant? Maybe she's not comfortable with sharing it yet either? There are some medical conditions that require nutrition every few hours such as hypoglycemia or even diabetes. A little overweight or not you never know.
Depends does she let them eat in class?
i think that is totally unfair. i had a teacher in elementary when i was a child. and she would do the same exact thing. she would eat chips drink soda candy even ice cream. she would even ask her teachers aid to go and bring her food. i remember we would just stare at her. it was also distracting. shes a teacher. and that's her job. when you work. u have a lunch break. and that's where it should stay. if u think it may be distracting your child. then u should let the principle no about it. i would. mother to a 7 year old and 3 year old.
Boy you are a piece of work.You don't know anything about her health.MY OB, and just worry about your kid getting good grades.
I was thinking Diabetes also, but that is the only thing I can think of. I would ask either the teacher herself or talk to the principal if you would rather avoid directly contacting her. I can understand if there is an issue with her health and I would hold that against no one The problem I have is that I know how children are always hungry during school, and it does not seem right. I think this needs to be addressed and a possible solution sought out.
Who the heck cares? As long as she's doing her job and being a good teacher what difference does it even make??
I always remember my teacher drinking cokes and snacking. I used to hate it when it was the period before lunch, or after gym. I really wanted that coke, lol. To be honest, I don't think it sets a very good example. The only reason I ever tried a dr. pepper is because my teacher had one and I wanted to know how it tasted. If the school doesn't mind there isn't really much you can do about it though.
Well you have to remember some health problems are not seen on the outside. I'm a busy wife, mom & homeschooling parent. On the outside I may look some what over weight, tired yet happy. Inside I have a bladder disease so you can't see the inside walls of my bladder so irritated the it flares up something awful. You don't see the migraines, the IBS, TMJ, fibromialgia, painful joints, chronic sinus problems & allergies. All this stuff comes along with the bladder problem. People don't see the pain but trust me it is there. I'd suggest you talk to the school principle. Even if she has to eat round the close for a health problem she should be able to keep it from interrupting her class.
She may have low blood sugar, but that does not require constant snacking. Regardless (and I will get td's for this) she needs to learn not to eat with her mouth full, that is not setting a very good example for the kids.
I am diabetic and do not have to constantly snack. I work as an educational assistant and eating during my scheduled lunch and breaks works well enough. Maybe she is hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) but she still shouldn't have to eat that often. I have seen teachers that on occasion didn't get to eat their lunch (parent meeting, outdoor supervision, meeting with principal etc) and may eat it, or part of it during the first class after lunch, but that doesn't happen every day. I would ask why there are separate rules for her and the students.
If it were me, I'd talk to the teacher and find out if there is a legitimate reason. Even then I don't think she should be allowed to eat in front of children who have nothing to eat, it's bad manners and plain rude. If you don't get good results, talk to the VPrincipal or Principal.
Are you people serious? Most of you are saying what a nut this guy is. Let me tell you something, I'm a senior in high school. From opening bell to the lunch bell is a pretty long period (3+ hours.) Even in elementry school, usually starting at 9 a.m., doesn't give lunch until 12 p.m. or later. Now, throw in an early gym/physical education period, some history, and math between opening bell and lunch. As kids, we need to eat constantly (most of you parents may have noticed, it's just a part of growing up. Our bones, muscles, and tissues are growing, and we need energy to fuel this growing.) To have to wait that amount of time (usually in boredom, find me a kid that loves every class their in) is bad enough, now throw in a teacher who is eating/drinking in front of you? Wow, let's call that a distraction. Luckily, in my school, we have strict rules as far as eating in the classroom, and no teachers do that. I recommend going straight to the principal of the school, and have things set straight.
Considering that teachers are hardly paid executive-level wages to put up with 30 little darlings (cough) all day long - cut her a little break here - maybe that's how she copes with stress. Ask her how she feels about the kids eating a healthy snack mid-morning - maybe you could volunteer to ask the parents how they feel about it and if they'd be interested in a snack rotation.
probably it violates school policy, but i'd put that in the category of "not a big deal". seems to me my teachers were constantly snacking, probably because they had meetings during the kids' lunch period or otherwise didn't get a chance to eat. i wouldn't second-guess her health issues. my dad, my brother, and i all can go from totally fine to the having our hands shake and be on the edge of passing out if we don't eat regularly. i never bothered to get a diagnosis because it's curable with an apple. but it does make me sympathetic when someone else feels the need to eat something. (could also be her self-medication for morning sickness. it's always preferable to have a teacher eating than throwing up....)
Diabetes or even hypoglycemic is a cop out. Teachers get plenty of breaks to snack. They have before school, during all recesses, lunch, when kids go to other classes (gym, art, music) to do the couple hour snacks. There is no reason for her to be snacking in front of the kids. It would suck for kids who are hungry to be sitting there watching her feed her face. What if she happens to have one of the disease mentioned? She sure isn't setting a good example for the kids in her class. I would find out if she does have a legitimate reason, and if she doesn't I would say something. Cannot teach kids good eating habits if they have bad ones literally in their face. I do have family who are diabetics and they cannot eat like that. It would cause their sugars to fluctuate too much.
It's not that bad I wouldn't worry about that if I was you. My English teacher would eat in front of us all the time. Healthy skinny guy too.. he just had a big appetite. He'd always say I'm hungry even though we just came back from nutrition. Grab a bag of something but at least he'd share generously if you asked him to.
Holding a coke will hold the attention of a class of kids, but they will not be focusing on what the teacher is saying. Of course kids can exaggerate, especially when it comes to junk food. It's a difficult subject to bring up and I couldn't even think of a polite way you could even ask her. Maybe she's pregnant and thinks she needs to constantly eat now?
It depends. If she has health problems, yes it is completely fair. For example, I'm a teacher and I have hypoglycemia. (Low blood sugar) My doctor told me to constantly have little snacks and it would help monitor my blood sugar. I'm not overweight though, I actually might be a little underweight for my height. Anyways, I don't constantly eat, but I do have fruit or pretzels or little things in class sometimes. I also always have Diet Coke, coffee, or water depending on what time of the day it is. Teachers are definitely allowed to have drinks in class. I let my students have snacks in class as well though as long as they dont make a mess and pick up after themselves. I teach high school, if that makes a difference. Another reason could be diabetes, or maybe she is pregnant. To answer your question, yes, I think it is fair that she eats. Mostly all of the teachers that I work with (including myself) have little snacks and drinks during class. We're allowed too, and medical reasons just reinforce that we are allowed to. I'm just nice enough to let my kids eat/drink, but not all teachers have to. I think she should let them eat if she does though
She could have hypoglycemia or something else.Who knows. Even if she didn't have health issues, It's really not anybody elses business and I don't see what the big issue is.People always like to dramatize things.Get over it people! it's HER classroom.She can eat and drink as she pleases.If your kids are getting hungry before lunch time, try feeding them big health breakfast instead of sugary crap that's not going to keep them held up til lunch. Kids have their lunch and snack time.There is a reason why kids can't eat in class..they are messy individuals.I'm sure the policy wouldn't be different if they were more competent with cleanliness.
Keep in mind that teachers sometimes have to skip their breaks (if they even get any) and their lunch periods to accomodate parent conferences, tutoring, meetings, ARDs, and so forth. If this teacher does have health problems, you may not be aware of what they are just from looking at her. Many teachers snack throughout the day...typically we were better at hiding it from the kids than your son's teacher...but sometimes they're asking for an 8+ hour day with no breaks to eat (or go to the bathroom.) That's crazy.