Eat The Crust On Your Bread

We have a saying at our house called “Eating the crust on your bread.” It means doing things that you do not want to do in order to get results that you want. In other words, sacrificing and possibly suffering for a particular outcome.

It came about years ago when our children were young. We had a family gathering with aunts, uncles, and cousins. There were lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My daughter did not like the crust on bread, so I usually trimmed it off. On one occasion someone else made the sandwiches and the crust was intact. My daughter was eating the sandwich from the middle and avoiding the crust. Her Dad starting teasing as Dads are known to do.

He began by telling her that she should eat the crust because it would make her pretty. Of course, she said, “Daddy it does not.” He responded, “Sure it does. Look at your Aunt Dee and your cousin Michelle. They’re eating the crust” She said, “Oh yeah, they’re pretty.” He explained that she really needed to eat the crust and it indeed would make her pretty.

Conversations moved on to other things. Finally, my daughter yelling, to get Dad’s attention, “Daddy, you really need to eat the crust on your bread.” Dad got the message. I still refer to these necessary tasks as “eating the crust on your bread.”

There are so many hard tasks today that require the same effort.  I am hearing from constituents everyday about the many challenges that are being faced. Sadly, eating crust is not going to help.

Now that schools will not be meeting in person, families are faced with the obstacles of at home school and work. Not an easy problem to solve.

Teachers are faced with the difficulty of engaging students, keeping them interested and motivated and making sure they are learning.

I have heard from so many parents. Some are satisfied with the progress their children have made and others think it has been a complete disaster.

One mother described the fantastic experience one of her children was having with “at home learning.” She talked about the creativity the teacher had used in keeping her child engaged. She felt that her child was on track with learning and she did not feel that he had missed anything.  Then she went on to discuss the disappointment in the experience with another child.

She said they had little communication with the teacher and her child was missing out on many lessons. She felt that this teacher was not engaging or teaching satisfactorily and her child was falling behind.

I have heard these same stories from many parents. Some cases are working out fine and others are not. Children are different and their needs are different and there is no perfect solution.

In Forsyth County, I understand there were 7,000 students who did not engage in online learning. That is a tragedy. These children will absolutely have difficulty ever catching up on missed lessons.

There are those who say children do not contact nor transfer the virus at the rate of adults and there is little danger to this population. Others say it is not worth the risk.

We do know that children are missing out on some important social activities. Many children will fall behind and may not be able to catch up.  Even for those who can master online learning, there is no replacement for classroom studies.

School closures have already created virtual dropouts. Even children with access to computers are not regularly participating. School closures also impact kids’ health. Many kids also lose access to nutritious meals since millions rely on programs for free or reduced-price lunch.

A disproportionate burden is falling on women. Many are working their jobs and supervising home school. Many face the risk of dropping out of the workplace or miss career advancements due to the burden.

The most frightening fact of all is that children are at much greater risk of child abuse. Added stress for families and no daily contact with the outside will add to these risks.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has been out front in encouraging the reopening of schools. The Academy says children learn best in the class environment. They believe taking safety precautions and returning to in person learning is the best for children. They also agree that children are less likely to have symptoms or severe disease from infection.

Keeping children and teachers safe is a real challenge. Making sure our children are learning and thriving is also a priority. This task might make it necessary for everyone to eat the crust on their bread.