Prior to reading through this week’s material, I was not aware that lunch shaming was a phrase that had been coined for when a child is unable to pay for their meal or has unpaid meal charges.

How to respond to this question?

Prior to reading through this week’s material, I was not aware that lunch shaming was a phrase that had been coined for when a child is unable to pay for their meal or has unpaid meal charges. In the option reading material, an article discusses how there are a certain group of students whose family income exceeds thresholds that qualify them for school lunch programs, however, the family is unable to afford to pay for school meals due to other circumstances. This is especially important since in elementary, middle, and high school, there is a dedicated time during the school day for students to sit down and eat lunch with their friends. In such a social setting, it is apparent when someone is left with nothing to eat, as the length of time dedicated to lunch time is quite long. Growing up, I didn’t really pay attention to any potential lunch shaming, as I always sat with a group of friends who were able to afford/bring lunch every day. However, if I were to go back to the cafeteria now, I’m sure I would be able to quickly notice those who have been lunch shamed. I do remember some instances of friends forgetting to reload their lunch money, and thus had to resort to eating “snacks” that they could find, as it was cheaper to do so. The nutrition aspect of not being able to afford a meal was quite apparent to me, even back in elementary school, as my peers were left to anything but a proper meal; things that adults would take one look at and deem as junk food.