I have a student, an 11th grader mixed in with all the freshmen. We'll call her "Louise". She stands out because she is older, keeps to herself a bit, is of a nationality that is less common at my school but most of all she stands out for what she eats in class.
Almost daily Louise brings a ziplock bag with raw vegetables: baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. This is so unusual compared to the other kids in my classes. The norm for the last 10 (or 30) years is students eating Flaming Hot Cheetos while entering class, or on a good day, Pop Tarts or Goldfish which I sometimes allow.
So the last few days Louise has had the mother of all colds. She was blowing her nose so often I took the roll of toilet paper off my desk (poor man's kleenex) and put in on her desk. Then I moved the trash can and put it next to her desk. She thanked me.
NOT FAIR! Why does she get the cold? Why not Amanda who comes in with red fingers and mouth and as she finishes off her Flamin' Hot Cheesy Ohs and cleans off her fingers by licking them clean. Why doesn't she get sick!
As we know life is not always fair but in general, though Loiuse is ailing now, I will bet on her in the long run - cholesterol wise, diabetes wise, weight wise and so on. Life isn't a sprint, but a marathon and practicing good health habits at an early age generally pay great dividends years from now.
