Over the last year or so I’ve had the opportunity to cover lunch duty at the elementary and middle schools. It’s been a great way for me to connect with students, listen to their corny jokes, answer endless questions about snow days, and maybe even pick up a little gossip. If you want to know what's going on in a school, stop by a busy cafeteria at lunchtime! (Don’t forget to try the spicy chicken patty sandwich at one of the middle schools.)
COVID, illnesses, and the recent shortage of staff for substitute coverage, teaching assistants, and even for lunch duty has put pressure on besieged principals and cafeteria managers to look for help anywhere and from anyone - including the superintendent. Here is how a typical late morning call goes from a building principal to me:
Principal: “Hi, Dan. Hope you're having a good day. Listen, what are you doing at 11:30 this morning?”
Me: “Well, it’s a very busy day. I am running a 5,600 student district with 800 staff in eight schools and trying to get a $92 million budget proposal passed while I contend with numerous parent concerns and try to keep the School Committee informed of the latest controversy brewing on social media.”
Principal: “So you can do lunch duty today? Great. Thanks.”
Once I’ve shed my suit jacket and donned my latex gloves, I’m ready. Here are a few things I have learned about kids and lunch duty over the last several months:
- Social and Emotional Learning is alive and well in the cafeteria. Kids are social beings, and they love to eat and hang out with friends in the cafeteria. They are good about queuing up in the lunch line, being respectful and patient to staff and one another, and negotiating small issues that arise - like who is responsible for the spilled pasta? It’s also really great to see students include a variety of peers, especially those who have special needs, in conversation and banter at their tables.
- Some kids have a hard time with food. “Hey, Jake,” I said motioning with a napkin to the fifth grader who had pizza on his chin and applesauce on his brow, “Do you need one?” “Nope,” he replied, “I’m good.” Jake got the napkin anyhow. I’ve noticed that some exuberant boys chow down quickly as if it has been their first meal in days; others create masterpieces in their trays out of strawberry stems, hamburger buns, and chocolate milk. Generally, napkin use seems to be a novelty for many kids. I just started walking around with the dispenser saying “Take one, it’s free!” Everyone likes free stuff.
- Students help out and clean up. Despite my concerns about the lack of napkin etiquette, it is very impressive to watch student table cleaners at the end of each lunch period. Taking turns each week, they quickly and efficiently wipe down each table ensuring its cleanliness and readiness for the next group of diners. Students are also very good about sorting their trash for recycling and, where available, composting. I hope they are helping out at home in the same way!
- Volunteers, Custodians, and Cafeteria Staff are Awesome! To keep this lunchtime operation moving smoothly each school day requires a lot of organization, planning, and patience. The adults who manage lunches are special people! The cafeteria staff prepare a variety of meals weekly; parent volunteers are cheerful and always smiling; custodians quickly move throughout the cafeteria sweeping, wiping, and emptying trash and recycling; school and office staff wander among the tables chatting it up with students, giving the OK to leave for recess, and occasionally providing a glare that says “I see you getting ready to throw that tater tot to your friend… don’t even try!” Lunchtime is efficient, healthy, nutritious and fun due to the efforts of these terrific folks.
I’ve learned the school cafeteria is really just an extension of the classroom where students practice taking turns and being patient, learn about and try new foods from a wonderful menu, socialize with peers, and take responsibility for their surroundings.
Now if I can just get them to take a napkin with their next meal…
