Commercialization of Schools

When I was in elementary school, my friend's mom used to be the manager at a McDonalds close to our neighborhood. Now this was in an era prior to the explosion of McDonalds and Starbucks on every corner and so when we said McDonalds generally everyone in our neighborhood knew which one we meant. Anyways, as part of a rewards program for students who attended her son's school she teamed up with our elementary school and offered quarterly rewards for students with good grades. She apparently handed out a lot of the certificates for a free burger, fries and a drink because eventually, everything we were awarded as students, came with a certificate for free McDonalds food.

And that wasn't all. There was a reading program that I think is still around called Book-It. If you read a certain number of books within a certain number of days you were awarded a certificate and a coupon for a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut. Again as with the McDonalds, everyone knew where this Pizza Hut was so we used to go there on occasion. Surprisingly I wasn't as voracious a reader then as I am now but I was quite good nonetheless. Still, I probably earned more McDonalds coupons than I did Pizza Hut coupons but needless to say, I could have easily survived on McDonalds food had I not had the good fortune to be living at home. And therein lies the rub. Not the fact that I was living at home but rather, I was being 'enticed' by fast food to perform well at school. That seems to be a major issue that many parents are having with their local school districts.

There are parents all across the country who are upset over the fact that schools are continuing to tie rewards for good performance in school (whether it's for good grades, perfect attendance or what have you) to fast food rewards. Some parents believe that this is merely the further commercialization of our school system and the opening of doors for corporate America to get involved in schools and enhance their hold on students. Now I argue that point simply because I don't believe it's the truth. Sure there is a caveat in awarding a kid a free meal at McDonalds in that it isn't going to be enough to feed the entire family. So now obviously if the parents are taking the kids there to redeem their award, won't the parents be incensed over then being lulled into buying some food as well? At least that's what some parents would try to argue with you.

Still, I don't see it that way or for that purpose. Sure companies like McDonalds may be doing it to drum up more business revenue for themselves but on the whole, what's the harm in their wanting to do it? McDonalds continues to donate money to various schools and organizations as a form of charity and community service. Thanks now to the bad rap that childhood obesity has been giving fast food, any and all support by McDonalds and similar companies is being viewed as a negative thing. Heck! Plenty of adults are livid with Microsoft for the various bugs and problems that their software generates but that doesn't mean that parents are calling for an end of Microsoft's involvements in school donations or computer donation programs. Why not? Besides doing schoolwork, aren't computers game systems as well? Don't most parents frown on that as well?

I think the key thing that can come out of this scenario is a lesson in moderation. Parents need to instill in their kids an understanding of why things are better in moderation as opposed to excess. If a kid wins a coupon for free food it doesn't mean that a parent should immediately yield culinary control of the child over to McDonalds for every coupon he or she receives, rather it should be a rare treat rather than an everyday occurence and thus kids and parents will both probably learn to appreciate the reward a lot more. Schools should definitely look at how some of these companies are getting involved in schools but they shouldn't completely block it. Public education needs more and more financing and if corporate America is looking to give some to schools, they should accept it with open arms. They should maybe just hold a bit shy of allowing their gymnamsium being renamed the McDonalds Gymnasium but other than that, I'm all for it!