(Guest post by Greg Forster)
Check out Michael Petrilli’s great article in the new Gadfly. If major media outlets are going to act like the sky is falling because of student obesity, why is nobody worried about teacher obesity – which imposes much more direct costs on the school system than student obesity?
Health insurance costs associated with treating overweight teachers and other school staff are taking a major bite out of public education budgets. I estimate that these costs come to at least $2.5 billion annually–more than Maine spends on its entire k-12 system in a year.
This calculation assumes that the obesity rate among people who work in k-12 education is the same as that for the population as a whole: about one-third of all adults. (I can’t think of any reason why it would be lower–and if you’ve been to many educator gatherings lately, you wouldn’t think so, either.)
Why is teacher obesity so expensive? Petrilli blames gold-plated health benefits thanks to “over-generous collective bargain agreements.”
It’s hard to tell just how far into his cheek Petrilli’s tongue is planted here, but the article’s worth a read.
Jay P. Greene's Blog 
Whoops, when I posted this yesterday I forgot to add the notice at the top that it was a guest post. Sorry, Jay!
I am shocked at the obesity levels that I see just in the building that I work in. Have there been any studies of the Obesity rate in teachers. My guess is that it is higher then the general population.
Teachers typically take care of everyone else and then are unable to care for themselves.
I want to do a study on obesity in Physical education teachers, so if anyone has any advice, or tips or wants in please call me at 910-785-0098, and I am Curits Holland a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Pembroke.
Best,
Curtis
Are there studies? I tried to follow your link and it didn’t work. I am also on the lookout for studies regarding teachers and anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications. So curious about how the culture of the “superteacher” is affecting our health.
Also– Wow I just noticed how old some of these comments are. It would be nice to have the date show on teh blog entry– I didn’t see it.
I too have been disgusted lately as I attend teacher confereces. We spend more time with kids than their parents do, yet why is there not a higher health standard for educators. We cannot teach about healthy lifestyles when we’re not living it. This issue is so offensive to me…..as bad as teaching reading and not being able to read a book!
“Disgusted” is an unhealthy response on your part. Why are you body shaming overweight teachers? Being overweight is not necessarily a health problem and many people cannot control their weight gain. As people get older, it becomes easier to gain weight. Stop body shaming teachers who don’t look like models! I have never in my whole teaching and student career seen a teacher who qualified as obese. Being overweight is not a sign of being unhealthy.
SUB here. Taught at a school where I was shocked at all the grossly overweight teachers. It looked like they all came from the same family. It’s true that people gain weight as they age, but these were teachers in their 30’s. They could make their day less stressful if they did not run their school like a military camp, yelling & screaming at students all day. I sure was happy to get out of there and will not Sub there again.
As a 5th year teacher I have only experienced what goes on at my school, but I believe that there are many factors to why teachers gain weight. Here are the ones that I noticed in my first 2 years of teaching when I put on 25lbs (which is a lot for some one that is 5’2″):
—PARENTS! Yup, you heard me! Stop sending in junk food as a thank you to your child’s teacher! My first year, some one gave me and my husband a WHOLE CAKE! Between, Christmas, birthday, and teachers’ appreciation and a full class of students bringing in treats, it get a bit excessive quick! I understand you want to say thank you, but I would rather just a sweet note than all that processed junk!
—TEACHERS MEETING! OMG I cannot tell you how many teachers meetings I have been to where I can’t find ANYTHING to eat that is REAL FOOD (not processed and sugary).
—STRESS! I didn’t think I really stress ate until my first big parent conference or my first class program! WOW! I am sure I am not the only person who consumes junk when they are stressed!
—NO TIME! No time to exercise, no time to cook right, no time to take care of you! Or at least that is what I thought for the first 2 years of teaching. I have learned that I must simplify whenever possible and I try to leave school by 4 every day! I do my work on breaks and any free moment I can, just so I don’t have to take stuff home with me. There are still times that I bring stuff home, mind you, but it is not nearly as often. I cross fit 3-5 times a week now and cook all my meals on Sunday afternoons. It really has changed everything!
For those of you out there reading this, know that YOU CAN CHANGE! I have lost those 25 lbs + some but have had to work my booty off! YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!
Why is there so much body shaming going on here? What happened to inclusivity, including unconventional body shapes and body sizes? For teachers who are supposed to be sensitive and tolerant to differences, it seems like bias against the overweight is overlooked. Being overweight doesn’t mean a person is being unhealthy! Many people cannot control their metabolisms which automatically slow down as people age. Why shame people for not having perfect bodies and perfect metabolisms? Body shaming is not tolerant and not inclusive!
Why is it then that when we go to our Doctor, he suggests losing a few pounds. I had never heard of “body shaming” until recently. Yes, it is true there are all kinds of body shapes, sizes and some may be healthy with a perfect metabolism. Researchers and nutrition experts tell us our children are overweight. Wouldn’t it make more sense to try and do something about the weight gain rather than ignore it?