Getting Students Ready to Learn

Practical Suggestions

By Eric Jensen

This issue is so important, we cannot afford to not to take action. We can work with students, staff, and community to help ensure that students' minds and brains are ready for school.

Because we already influence them in many other ways, let's start with students. We can talk to them about nutrition and what stimulates better thinking, learning, and recall. We can ask them to do projects on nutrition to research the impact of various foods. We can ask them to keep a private journal so that they can begin to link up what they eat with how they feel and do in school. Guest speakers can provide some novelty or credibility on the subject. Maybe, most importantly, teachers and parents can role model good "eating-to-learn" nutrition.

At the staff level, we can influence what's served for school breakfasts or lunches. We can change what's put in the vending machines. We can provide information to the district office about nutrition for learning. At the school open house, we can offer parents a talk and handout on "Eating to Learn." We also can influence the district office if the school's start time needs to be changed. Many schools around the country have already successfully done this.

Finally, we ought to engage both school and community resources to educate parents on how to get their children ready for school. Many parents simply don't have access to information, or they think they already know it. Create alliances with local hospitals, the chamber of commerce, or local businesses to get the word out. Prepare flyers and provide free sessions for parents on the benefits of getting their children ready to learn. Talk to them about motor development, crawling, and how it affects reading and writing skills. Encourage them to talk more, play music, and solve more problems. Share with them the impact of television and some easy-to-use alternatives.