Assigned seats for elementary school lunch?

[Anonymous]

Our principal recently decided to require teachers to develop assigned seating plans for lunch. The tables alternate boy/girl and it appears that children have been deliberately separated from their friends. Two grades have already been assigned and I'm wondering if the rest of the grades will follow. The kids were told that they are being too loud, and that is why they have gone to an assigned seating arrangement. Is this how lunch is done at other FCPS elementary schools--especially for the older children?

[Anonymous]

Welcome to public school. In our FCPS school, we've had the friendless lunch strategy, followed by the silent lunch strategy. We switched to private, where people seem to understand that kids talking and having fun while they eat isn't the worst thing that ever happened.

[Anonymous]

At our school, there have been particular classes that have had assigned seats, but at the teacher's discretion, and after there have been problems at lunch. This does not even happen every year, as far as I know. We have used other methods to address noise issues...developed by the counselor, I think.

[Anonymous]

At my DCs' MS they had assigned seating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our principal recently decided to require teachers to develop assigned seating plans for lunch. The tables alternate boy/girl and it appears that children have been deliberately separated from their friends. Two grades have already been assigned and I'm wondering if the rest of the grades will follow. The kids were told that they are being too loud, and that is why they have gone to an assigned seating arrangement. Is this how lunch is done at other FCPS elementary schools--especially for the older children?

Is this at Colvin Run, by any chance? My DC goes there and the fourth grade (not sure about the other grades) has recently been seated as you described. But only the Gen Ed classes, not AAP, so that adds a whole additional layer of absurdity and unfairness. Why persist in punishing entire classes for the disruption of a few? My child has been miserable at lunch, unable to sit with friends and just relax for a short time. DH and I are ready to confront the administation over this.

[Anonymous]

Ugh! I hate this.

[Anonymous]

Wow this sucks!!! It should be a break a d fun. Those that are disruptive should have a Temporary time out not everyone

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our principal recently decided to require teachers to develop assigned seating plans for lunch. The tables alternate boy/girl and it appears that children have been deliberately separated from their friends. Two grades have already been assigned and I'm wondering if the rest of the grades will follow. The kids were told that they are being too loud, and that is why they have gone to an assigned seating arrangement. Is this how lunch is done at other FCPS elementary schools--especially for the older children?

Is this at Colvin Run, by any chance? My DC goes there and the fourth grade (not sure about the other grades) has recently been seated as you described. But only the Gen Ed classes, not AAP, so that adds a whole additional layer of absurdity and unfairness. Why persist in punishing entire classes for the disruption of a few? My child has been miserable at lunch, unable to sit with friends and just relax for a short time. DH and I are ready to confront the administation over this.

You definitely should confront the administration. I feel like calling them myself and I'm not at Colvin Run. Many restaurants are very loud, I don't see why the cafeteria can't be loud. After a morning of learning, kids deserve a break to talk and laugh. At Forestville, they dim the lights and then someone tells them they are being loud and need to quiet down, and this seems to happen every time I've volunteered in the cafeteria, but I'm okay with this strategy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our principal recently decided to require teachers to develop assigned seating plans for lunch. The tables alternate boy/girl and it appears that children have been deliberately separated from their friends. Two grades have already been assigned and I'm wondering if the rest of the grades will follow. The kids were told that they are being too loud, and that is why they have gone to an assigned seating arrangement. Is this how lunch is done at other FCPS elementary schools--especially for the older children?

Is this at Colvin Run, by any chance? My DC goes there and the fourth grade (not sure about the other grades) has recently been seated as you described. But only the Gen Ed classes, not AAP, so that adds a whole additional layer of absurdity and unfairness. Why persist in punishing entire classes for the disruption of a few? My child has been miserable at lunch, unable to sit with friends and just relax for a short time. DH and I are ready to confront the administation over this.

You definitely should confront the administration. I feel like calling them myself and I'm not at Colvin Run. Many restaurants are very loud, I don't see why the cafeteria can't be loud. After a morning of learning, kids deserve a break to talk and laugh. At Forestville, they dim the lights and then someone tells them they are being loud and need to quiet down, and this seems to happen every time I've volunteered in the cafeteria, but I'm okay with this strategy.

I guess I just don't understand why. Why does lunch need to be quiet? Who is it hurting if they're loud?

[Anonymous]

We had random seating lunch growing up. Long tables. You went to the seat that was next. Looking back I think it was pretty brilliant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our school, there have been particular classes that have had assigned seats, but at the teacher's discretion, and after there have been problems at lunch. This does not even happen every year, as far as I know. We have used other methods to address noise issues...developed by the counselor, I think.

+1

At the end of last year they also instituted "Isolation Island" -- if you were talking too loudly or not sitting in your seat, you could get sent to the back of the caf. where they had six desks set up with dividers between each desk. Basically, you had to eat lunch by yourself. My kid got sent there a couple of times. I don't think he's been sent there this year.

I don't think kids just "converse" about their day and their weekend plans all that much. Most of the talking is probably not useful, it's just attention-getting and it's TERRIBLY loud in the caf. So, while it sounds prison-like to ban talking, I can see how it actually might help kids EAT their lunch. I know of a private school in Bowie that bans talking at lunch.

[Anonymous]

21 years teaching elementary in FCPS and we've never had assigned seats (other than certain tables per class).

[Anonymous]

Our private school has assigned seating, rings a bell halfway through when they are allowed to chat, and otherwise keeps them settled down. This is lunch with ps3-K, though. I like it because DD needs to eat. She is such a slow eater, and would not eat if she could talk.

One private school we looked at seemed to do a really good job. They let the kids recess BEFORE lunch, then grouped the younger kids with older kids. And, they all ate family style. It was great.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for all the feedback. I agree that eating in an FCPS cafeteria isn't a fine dining experience that requires hushed voices. I'm assuming that the teachers spend all day telling the kids to be quiet, so why can't they cut loose at lunch! Confronting the administration won't do much good. We have a Principal that does not like to be questioned or challenged in any way. The principal is young and inexperienced and has made a lot of mistakes in the first few years. And for the record, I am not at talking about Colvin run, which I have always heard was an excellent school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the feedback. I agree that eating in an FCPS cafeteria isn't a fine dining experience that requires hushed voices. I'm assuming that the teachers spend all day telling the kids to be quiet, so why can't they cut loose at lunch! Confronting the administration won't do much good. We have a Principal that does not like to be questioned or challenged in any way. The principal is young and inexperienced and has made a lot of mistakes in the first few years. And for the record, I am not at talking about Colvin run, which I have always heard was an excellent school.

Oh come, what school? No one knows who you are. Just give us the first letter.