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We were sitting around the table finishing dinner last night when Little Bug mentioned in passing that he had eaten his morning snack in the hallway outside of his classroom yesterday. Tom and I both jumped on the passing comment instantly.
Why? Was he being disciplined? Had he behaved badly?
He wasn’t being disciplined and he had not been bad. He was being singled out – along with four other classmates – for his snack.
Back in August just before Little Bug started school, we received a letter informing us that one of his classmates has an allergy to tree nuts. His classroom would be a nut-free zone within the school.
Now, what that boiled down to was that if one of this child’s classmates brought food to school – lunch, snack, birthday treat, etc… – that contained nuts, that classmate would be required to eat outside the classroom in the hallway. Oh, they would be allowed to bring a friend along with them, if they wanted, presumably so they won’t be alone.
We’ve paid attention to what goes to school in the lunchbox, as a result. No nuts.
So, yesterday’s snack-in-the-hallway episode took us by surprise. The snack was a brownie – with no nuts. I had made them Sunday afternoon, and at Little Bug’s request had not included nuts.
I guess it’s an easy mistake to make. After all, brownies often contain nuts. So, I’m not condemning the action.
But, I do wonder what’s been created – and more importantly taught – with this policy. Plainly and simply, minority rules.
And just how does that prepare our children for the world they will inherit? Because, ya know, minority does not rule.
Over the years we’ve been in business, we’ve had a number of clients who are advocates for people with disabilities. I’ve learned something from them; people with disabilities don’t want special treatment or to be singled out. They want to be treated like everyone else.
Admittedly, some food allergies are life threatening. And, I don’t mean to belittle this.
But I think the lessons to be taught are tolerance, accommodation and inclusion, without singling out anyone. All of these kids – allergies or not – need to figure out how to get along in this world. My question is: Are we giving them the right tools in order to do so?
Laurie J. Storey-Manseau is owner of StoreyManseau, LLC, an integrated marketing agency, and the author of the working-mom blog WIMS - Walking In My Sleep.
