Last week I taught in a shared classroom. I was teaching ESL but the other teacher used the same room half time to teach Spanish. I admired the casual ease she had with the kids as I walked in and out of the room, and noticed the handmade posters she had them put on the wall and the conversation groups the kids went into once in a while, standing laughing small knots, speaking Spanish.

But what this teacher and I talked about at the end of the week really impressed me. I was wondering how she got the kids to bring so much baking into class and she said that she used to do that only with the senior level classes as reward but this year she was trying something new, with the grade 10s, just starting the language.  Her idea was a kind of airmiles program. You were not forced to bring in food but if you did you got bonus points and in the marking system if you were borderline, say at a 78, the bonus would help her decide to raise the mark.  She said for those who did not have access to cooking, you could also get the bonus for making a presentation about music or even an oral report about culture.

But it was the food aspect that was turning out particularly well.  She pointed out that a few years ago at university she had had a prof who loved to eat and who told the students that she personally could not think well if she was without food for over 3 hours. The prof brought into class muffins and coffee – every class. And that class was the most memorable and most fun for the students, sometimes of their whole year. Why? The lady I was teaching with said that not only does food get the body kick-started, and therefore the mind, but eating together is a bonding experience.  People talk more; they open up. 

With all the talk about food allergies I guess we teachers are reluctant to embark on the food idea. We don’t want to risk the wrath of parents if we allow dessert at 10 AM. We are worried about cleanliness, cooking quality and safety and frankly just the mess and inconvenience of having some student bring in tacos for 30.  And yet- and yet- these kids were standing at the class room doorway smiling, baking dishes in keen pot-holdered hands, anxious to take part in the class, in Spanish and in life.

It was a joy to see.