The New York Times had an article today about a McDonald’s in Florida that’s offering free Happy Meals to kids for getting good grades in school. Here’s a link to the full article, but I believe you’ll need to sign up and create a password to view it. (Doing that is free, by the way, so go for it.)
Basically, if grade schoolers in Seminole County, Florida get all A’s and B’s on their report cards, they can bring their report cards into the local McDonald’s for a free Happy Meal. They can also get free food if their report cards show a good attendance record. The report cards themselves are contained in these little cardboard jackets that have photographs of Ronald McDonald, Chicken McNuggets, and the Golden Arches logo printed on them. This marketing initiative is replacing a previous similar program hosted by Pizza Hut for the past 10 years. Except Pizza Hut wasn’t so blatant in their advertising.
It’s not just the fact that it’s junk food they’re offering. It’s more the fact that the commercialism of public schools has become so rampant. Here’s a quote:
The commercialization of educational culture, particularly in elementary schools, has long been a contentious issue. It has become more clamorous in the last decade as hard-pressed school districts seek to raise money for academic programs, sports and extracurricular activities without raising taxes.
Billboards advertising products and local merchants can be found on athletic fields outside schools and inside schools on gymnasium walls and scoreboards.
In some districts, ads appear on the sides of school buses. And some districts play radio programs, with commercials, over the buses’ public-address system.
The New York City Department of Education is considering a proposal to give all students free cellphones, which would use text messages — produced by an advertising agency, Droga5 — to promote achievement. The plan includes sponsorship opportunities for cellphone makers, service providers and other marketers.
At the end of the article, you get the proper responses from nutritionists, regarding the hideousness of this particular little situation: that it’s quite inappropriate to offer McDonald’s to children as an incentive, since we’re all trying so hard to teach the kids about good nutrition in the first place. Not to mention the fact that it’s probably not such a great idea to use FOOD as a reward for things. I mean, after all, isn’t that how we train dogs? Offer them treats? Do we really need to do that to children? Here, Junior! Read this sentence. Good boy! Here’s a french fry! Now go lie down.
I think my favorite part of the article was the little sidebar where you see “READER’S OPINIONS” and Elizabeth from Charlottesville says: “Anything that encourages kids to do well in school is OK in my book!” She was probably on her second Krispy Kreme of the morning as she said it, too.
Sigh.
Was there ever a better advertisement for homeschooling than this?
We’ve been talking about this in my education class AND my nutrition class, so it’s a kinda interesting situation. Education classes says that Pavlov had some ideas that could be useful for some less motivated students, but Nutrition said that putting food into a reward/punish equation is a recipe for problems down the line. My view is that while having McDonald’s all the time is not a good idea, many of those those who will take advantage of this are those who are already customers. Often, this is concentrated in the lower socio-economic level, where academic achievement statistically is problematic. The offer reinforces bad behavior, sure, but I’m much more excited about having an advertising campaign declaring the benefits of working hard in school than worried about an extra 500 calories every 9 weeks.
My BIL, who is now a very successful chef, dropped out of school in Florida because it was lousy! (Dade county area) I don’t think Happy Meals would have changed his mind.
love the post, but really totally LOVE the new banner. where oh where will you be with out the gfh when you move? and you have snow?! so jealous…..
McDonalds is garbage and it’s a shame that kids are being rewarded for good grades with it. Let’s face facts: the only reason McDonalds is doing this is to increase its market share - it doesn’t give a whit about good grades. On the other hand, the higher someone’s education, the less likely it is that they’ll eat McDonalds, so hey, maybe this IS good!
My school, oh so many years ago, used to give us tokens to the arcade for doing well. Now they wold be afraid we would shoot up the school if they did that. Same story, different year(o.k. decade). Nobody actually could enjoy learning. Nah, that’s no fun.
You said, “I mean, after all, isn’t that how we train dogs? Offer them treats? Do we really need to do that to children? Here, Junior! Read this sentence. Good boy! Here’s a french fry! Now go lie down.”
The proverbial last straw in our public school experience was the Tootsie Roll Theory of Discipline, which you can read about if you look under ‘why we homeschooled’ on my blog.
The excuse the public schools use here for the vending machines etc is the stinginess of taxpayers. We just don’t give enough. Between our taxes and fundraisers, there just is never enough money “for the children.”
And corporate America, never short on gestures that cost nothing and look good, has stepped up to fill the funding gap. Because, of course, it’s for the children.
Gawd bless us, every one!!
Hey, dashofpanache, sorry for the delay in comment posting. You should be good to go from now on.
Ami, I love that story. Everyone that hasn’t read the story of Miss Brittleface and the Bag of Tootsie Rolls needs to go over to Ami’s blog and check it out.
And hey everone else: thanks for the kind words on my new GFH banner.
We’re already in Serious Discussions around here about what to do about the GIANT FROG HEAD when we move. Clearly…we can’t just walk away from him. He’s sort of a member of the family now.
We’ll think of something.
Well…it’s off to McDonald’s for lunch now….
Just kidding.