Chicken Controversy... Your Thoughts

[werblessd1s]

CHICKEN CONTROVERCY IN NEW YORK SCHOOLS

While the chicken industry may leave much to be desired, there’s an ecology program at Canandaigua Academy in Canandaigua, New York that’s drawing fire for the manner in which it teaches kids about food production and its consequences ecologically despite the fact that so few people have any idea of the connection our food has to the world around us.

Of course, there are bound to be TreeHuggers finding themselves on either side of the fence when it comes to the controversy surrounding it. And that’s just the type of thing that makes this such an interesting situation.


Turns out the “Chicken Project” is a unit in the fall semester of one Eric Cosman’s ecology class that was launched three years ago where students get involved raising chickens for 10 weeks, then killing and barbecuing them to learn about food production.

But as news of the project spread, it led to an outcry from groups like the Public Committee for Animal Rights Advocates of Upstate New York, P*T* (edited, I was informed this word is not allowed in the forum or it would be removed) and United Poultry Concerns. As a result, Academy Principal Lynne Erdle canceled the project earlier this year.

But when many spoke out in favor of the project it was reinstated with the stipulation that students would be able to opt out of the project at any point during the unit and face no academic sanctions, although they would have to complete other assignments to get full credit.
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This is the link, it was in my daily TreeHugger newsletter: http://www.treehugger.com/files/200...ates-controversy-in-new-york-schools.php#ch03

 

[horsechick]

In this country we need to worry about:

1.) Education - affordable for all. Best we can give them, high standards.

2.) Healthcare- take care of all. No reason someone should work their whole life only to have insurance companies cancel them or live their lives not being able to afford to go to hospital (my step moms sister-lived in florida, was sick, her friends at work asked if she wanted to go to hospital, she said no, went home and DIED, all because she couldn't afford the hospital bill. )

3.) Elderly

4.) JOBS

I think its great for kids to learn where their food comes from. Its called REALITY.
There is NO chicken fairy that comes to the stores or KFC or your home and drops off these little chickie breast, and wings......
Some people need to blow there nose and move on. Volunteer in their own backyard. Help with homeless in their neighborhood.

You don't see many people doing that.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR>>>>

 

[kdcrws]

I will never forget the time in grade school when the teacher asked where green beans came from and one kid answered "A Can" a flippin' can was his answer! Depending on the ages of the kids I think a dose of reality wouldn't hurt them. In a neighboring town to mine (where my much younger cousins went to school) The FFA every year jointly raised a pig butchered it and then had a cook out my female cousin told me about this then had to tell me how her bro called PETA and the local news station to inform them what was about to take place! I had to laugh those two are such opposites! But anyway.....Kids should know where their food comes from it makes them respect it knowing that something died so they could eat and maybe be less wasteful in our disposable society.

 

[redoak]

My father-in-law used to teach high school level, they raised tilapia and then at the end of the semester ate them. I think the key is not to raise anything warm and fluffy if your teaching in a public school. Someone is less likely to take offense to killing fish.