Want to teach kids well? Feed them well
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0:01 - 0:03I am a chef
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0:03 - 0:04and a food policy guy,
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0:05 - 0:08but I come from a whole
family of teachers. -
0:08 - 0:12My sister is a special ed
teacher in Chicago. -
0:12 - 0:16My father just retired
after 25 years teaching fifth grade. -
0:16 - 0:19My aunt and uncle were professors.
-
0:19 - 0:20My cousins all teach.
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0:20 - 0:24Everybody in my family, basically,
teaches except for me. -
0:25 - 0:30They taught me that the only way
to get the right answers -
0:30 - 0:32is to ask the right questions.
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0:33 - 0:35So what are the right questions
-
0:35 - 0:39when it comes to improving
the educational outcomes for our children? -
0:41 - 0:43There's obviously
many important questions, -
0:43 - 0:45but I think the following
is a good place to start: -
0:46 - 0:48What do we think the connection is
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0:48 - 0:52between a child's growing mind
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0:52 - 0:53and their growing body?
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0:54 - 0:57What can we expect our kids to learn
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0:57 - 1:01if their diets are full of sugar
and empty of nutrients? -
1:01 - 1:03What can they possibly learn
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1:03 - 1:08if their bodies
are literally going hungry? -
1:09 - 1:12And with all the resources
that we are pouring into schools, -
1:13 - 1:15we should stop and ask ourselves:
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1:15 - 1:18Are we really setting our kids
up for success? -
1:19 - 1:21Now, a few years ago,
-
1:21 - 1:24I was a judge on a cooking
competition called "Chopped." -
1:24 - 1:27Its four chefs compete
with mystery ingredients -
1:27 - 1:30to see who can cook the best dishes.
-
1:31 - 1:34Except for this episode --
it was a very special one. -
1:35 - 1:39Instead of four overzealous chefs
trying to break into the limelight -- -
1:39 - 1:41something that I would know
nothing about -- -
1:41 - 1:42(Laughter)
-
1:42 - 1:44These chefs were school chefs --
-
1:44 - 1:48you know, the women that you used
to call "lunch ladies," -
1:48 - 1:50but the ones I insist
we call "school chefs." -
1:51 - 1:54Now, these women -- God bless
these women -- -
1:54 - 1:58spend their day cooking
for thousands of kids, -
1:58 - 2:02breakfast and lunch,
with only $2.68 per lunch, -
2:02 - 2:05with only about a dollar of that
actually going to the food. -
2:05 - 2:07Now, in this episode,
-
2:07 - 2:10the main course mystery
ingredient was quinoa. -
2:11 - 2:12Now, I know it's been a long time
-
2:12 - 2:14since most of you have had a school lunch,
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2:15 - 2:17and we've made a lot
of progress on nutrition, -
2:17 - 2:20but quinoa still is not a staple
in most school cafeterias. -
2:20 - 2:22(Laughter)
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2:22 - 2:24So this was a challenge.
-
2:24 - 2:27But the dish that I will never forget
was cooked by a woman -
2:27 - 2:29named Cheryl Barbara.
-
2:30 - 2:31Cheryl was the nutrition director
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2:31 - 2:34at High School in the Community
in Connecticut. -
2:34 - 2:37She cooked this delicious pasta.
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2:37 - 2:38It was amazing.
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2:38 - 2:40It was a pappardelle with Italian sausage,
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2:40 - 2:42kale, Parmesan cheese.
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2:42 - 2:45It was delicious, like,
restaurant-quality good, except -- -
2:46 - 2:49she basically just threw the quinoa,
pretty much uncooked, -
2:49 - 2:50into the dish.
-
2:51 - 2:53It was a strange choice,
-
2:53 - 2:55and it was super crunchy.
-
2:55 - 2:58(Laughter)
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2:58 - 3:03So I took on the TV accusatory judge thing
that you're supposed to do, -
3:03 - 3:05and I asked her why she did that.
-
3:05 - 3:09Cheryl responded, "Well, first,
I don't know what quinoa is." -
3:09 - 3:10(Laughter)
-
3:10 - 3:14"But I do know that it's a Monday,
-
3:14 - 3:17and that in my school,
at High School in the Community, -
3:17 - 3:19I always cook pasta."
-
3:20 - 3:22See, Cheryl explained
that for many of her kids, -
3:23 - 3:25there were no meals on the weekends.
-
3:27 - 3:29No meals on Saturday.
-
3:31 - 3:32No meals on Sunday, either.
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3:33 - 3:36So she cooked pasta
because she wanted to make sure -
3:36 - 3:40she cooked something she knew
her children would eat. -
3:41 - 3:44Something that would
stick to their ribs, she said. -
3:45 - 3:48Something that would fill them up.
-
3:49 - 3:51By the time Monday came,
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3:52 - 3:55her kids' hunger pangs were so intense
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3:55 - 3:58that they couldn't even begin
to think about learning. -
3:59 - 4:02Food was the only thing on their mind.
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4:05 - 4:06The only thing.
-
4:07 - 4:10And unfortunately, the stats --
they tell the same story. -
4:11 - 4:13So, let's put this
into the context of a child. -
4:15 - 4:16And we're going to focus on
-
4:16 - 4:18the most important meal
of the day, breakfast. -
4:18 - 4:20Meet Allison.
-
4:20 - 4:21She's 12 years old,
-
4:21 - 4:23she's smart as a whip
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4:23 - 4:26and she wants to be a physicist
when she grows up. -
4:26 - 4:30If Allison goes to a school
that serves a nutritious breakfast -
4:30 - 4:31to all of their kids,
-
4:31 - 4:33here's what's going to follow.
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4:33 - 4:36Her chances of getting a nutritious meal,
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4:36 - 4:40one with fruit and milk,
one lower in sugar and salt, -
4:40 - 4:41dramatically increase.
-
4:42 - 4:46Allison will have a lower rate
of obesity than the average kid. -
4:47 - 4:48She'll have to visit the nurse less.
-
4:49 - 4:52She'll have lower levels
of anxiety and depression. -
4:52 - 4:54She'll have better behavior.
-
4:54 - 4:57She'll have better attendance,
and she'll show up on time more often. -
4:57 - 4:58Why?
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4:58 - 5:01Well, because there's a good meal
waiting for her at school. -
5:02 - 5:05Overall, Allison is in much better health
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5:05 - 5:07than the average school kid.
-
5:08 - 5:09So what about that kid
-
5:09 - 5:12who doesn't have a nutritious
breakfast waiting for him? -
5:12 - 5:14Well, meet Tommy.
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5:14 - 5:17He's also 12. He's a wonderful kid.
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5:17 - 5:18He wants to be a doctor.
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5:19 - 5:21By the time Tommy is in kindergarten,
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5:21 - 5:24he's already underperforming in math.
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5:25 - 5:27By the time he's in third grade,
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5:27 - 5:29he's got lower math and reading scores.
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5:31 - 5:32By the time he's 11,
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5:32 - 5:36it's more likely that Tommy will have
to have repeated a grade. -
5:38 - 5:41Research shows that kids
who do not have consistent nourishment, -
5:41 - 5:42particularly at breakfast,
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5:42 - 5:45have poor cognitive function overall.
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5:47 - 5:49So how widespread is this problem?
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5:50 - 5:52Well, unfortunately, it's pervasive.
-
5:54 - 5:55Let me give you two stats
-
5:55 - 5:58that seem like they're on opposite
ends of the issue, -
5:58 - 6:00but are actually two sides
of the same coin. -
6:01 - 6:03On the one hand,
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6:03 - 6:06one in six Americans are food insecure,
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6:06 - 6:09including 16 million children --
almost 20 percent -- -
6:10 - 6:11are food insecure.
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6:11 - 6:13In this city alone, in New York City,
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6:15 - 6:20474,000 kids under the age of 18
face hunger every year. -
6:21 - 6:22It's crazy.
-
6:23 - 6:24On the other hand,
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6:25 - 6:29diet and nutrition is the number one cause
of preventable death and disease -
6:29 - 6:31in this country, by far.
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6:32 - 6:35And fully a third of the kids
that we've been talking about tonight -
6:35 - 6:38are on track to have diabetes
in their lifetime. -
6:39 - 6:42Now, what's hard
to put together but is true -
6:42 - 6:44is that, many times,
these are the same children. -
6:45 - 6:48So they fill up on the unhealthy
and cheap calories -
6:48 - 6:52that surround them in their communities
and that their families can afford. -
6:53 - 6:55But then by the end of the month,
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6:56 - 7:00food stamps run out
or hours get cut at work, -
7:00 - 7:03and they don't have the money
to cover the basic cost of food. -
7:04 - 7:08But we should be able
to solve this problem, right? -
7:08 - 7:09We know what the answers are.
-
7:10 - 7:14As part of my work at the White House,
we instituted a program -
7:14 - 7:18that for all schools that had
40 percent more low-income kids, -
7:18 - 7:22we could serve breakfast and lunch
to every kid in that school -
7:22 - 7:23for free.
-
7:23 - 7:26This program has been
incredibly successful, -
7:26 - 7:30because it helped us overcome
a very difficult barrier -
7:30 - 7:33when it came to getting kids
a nutritious breakfast. -
7:33 - 7:36And that was the barrier of stigma.
-
7:37 - 7:40See, schools serve
breakfast before school, -
7:41 - 7:45and it was only available
for the poor kids. -
7:47 - 7:50So everybody knew who was poor
and who needed government help. -
7:51 - 7:56Now, all kids, no matter how much
or how little their parents make, -
7:56 - 7:57have a lot of pride.
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7:59 - 8:00So what happened?
-
8:01 - 8:03Well, the schools that have
implemented this program -
8:03 - 8:08saw an increase in math and reading
scores by 17.5 percent. -
8:08 - 8:1017.5 percent.
-
8:11 - 8:16And research shows that when kids
have a consistent, nutritious breakfast, -
8:17 - 8:21their chances of graduating
increase by 20 percent. -
8:22 - 8:2320 percent.
-
8:24 - 8:28When we give our kids
the nourishment they need, -
8:28 - 8:30we give them the chance to thrive,
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8:31 - 8:33both in the classroom and beyond.
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8:34 - 8:37Now, you don't have to trust me on this,
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8:38 - 8:40but you should talk to Donna Martin.
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8:41 - 8:42I love Donna Martin.
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8:42 - 8:46Donna Martin is the school nutrition
director at Burke County -
8:46 - 8:48in Waynesboro, Georgia.
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8:49 - 8:52Now, Burke County
is one of the poorest districts -
8:52 - 8:55in the fifth-poorest state in the country,
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8:55 - 9:01and about 100 percent of Donna's students
live at or below the poverty line. -
9:02 - 9:03A few years ago,
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9:03 - 9:07Donna decided to get out ahead
of the new standards that were coming, -
9:07 - 9:10and overhaul her nutrition standards.
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9:11 - 9:15She improved and added
fruit and vegetables and whole grains. -
9:15 - 9:18She served breakfast in the classroom
to all of her kids. -
9:19 - 9:21And she implemented a dinner program.
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9:21 - 9:22Why?
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9:23 - 9:26Well, many of her kids didn't have
dinner when they went home. -
9:26 - 9:29So how did they respond?
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9:29 - 9:31Well, the kids loved the food.
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9:32 - 9:34They loved the better nutrition,
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9:34 - 9:36and they loved not being hungry.
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9:37 - 9:41But Donna's biggest supporter came
from an unexpected place. -
9:41 - 9:44His name from Eric Parker,
-
9:44 - 9:47and he was the head football coach
for the Burke County Bears. -
9:48 - 9:51Now, Coach Parker had coached
mediocre teams for years. -
9:51 - 9:54The Bears often ended
in the middle of the pack -- -
9:54 - 9:57a big disappointment in one
of the most passionate football states -
9:57 - 9:58in the union.
-
9:59 - 10:04But the year Donna changed the menus,
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10:04 - 10:07the Bears not only won their division,
-
10:07 - 10:10they went on to win
the state championship, -
10:10 - 10:12beating the Peach County Trojans
-
10:12 - 10:1328-14.
-
10:13 - 10:16(Laughter)
-
10:16 - 10:17And Coach Parker,
-
10:18 - 10:21he credited that championship
to Donna Martin. -
10:24 - 10:27When we give our kids
the basic nourishment, -
10:27 - 10:28they're gonna thrive.
-
10:29 - 10:32And it's not just up
to the Cheryl Barbaras -
10:32 - 10:34and the Donna Martins of the world.
-
10:35 - 10:36It's on all of us.
-
10:37 - 10:41And feeding our kids the basic nutrition
is just the starting point. -
10:42 - 10:44What I've laid out is really a model
-
10:44 - 10:47for so many of the most pressing
issues that we face. -
10:49 - 10:54If we focus on the simple goal
of properly nourishing ourselves, -
10:55 - 10:58we could see a world
that is more stable and secure; -
11:00 - 11:03we could dramatically improve
our economic productivity; -
11:04 - 11:06we could transform our health care
-
11:07 - 11:09and we could go a long way
-
11:09 - 11:12in ensuring that the Earth can provide
for generations to come. -
11:12 - 11:17Food is that place
where our collective efforts -
11:17 - 11:19can have the greatest impact.
-
11:21 - 11:24So we have to ask ourselves:
What is the right question? -
11:24 - 11:25What would happen
-
11:25 - 11:31if we fed ourselves more nutritious,
more sustainably grown food? -
11:31 - 11:33What would be the impact?
-
11:34 - 11:35Cheryl Barbara,
-
11:37 - 11:38Donna Martin,
-
11:38 - 11:40Coach Parker and the Burke County Bears --
-
11:41 - 11:43I think they know the answer.
-
11:43 - 11:45Thank you guys so very much.
-
11:45 - 11:49(Applause)
- Title:
- Want to teach kids well? Feed them well
- Speaker:
- Sam Kass
- Description:
-
What can we expect our kids to learn if they're hungry or eating diets full of sugar and empty of nutrients? Former White House Chef and food policymaker Sam Kass discusses the role schools can play in nourishing students' bodies in addition to their minds.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 12:02
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Want to teach kids well? Feed them well | ||
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for Want to teach kids well? Feed them well | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Want to teach kids well? Feed them well | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Want to teach kids well? Feed them well | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Want to teach kids well? Feed them well | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Want to teach kids well? Feed them well | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for Want to teach kids well? Feed them well | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Want to teach kids well? Feed them well |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 2/7/2016 to reflect changes in the video.