Don't blame the teachers because Johnny or Jeannie are fat; blame the school system that allows soft drink and snack machines in the school for the kids to use. Blame the Lunch Lady who orders out pizzas and fries from one of the fast food shops because the kids will eat them as opposed to healthy meals and there is little left over so it looks as if you are using your resources wisely.

The school in which I substitute has a cafeteria style setup and many kids go through the fast food line and only order french fries/chips with ketchup over them. Thank goodness ketchup has been deemed a vegetable, because now they get two veggies instead of just the one.

Then there's Butterball Billy who resembles a rotund exercise ball because no one has taught him to make better choices at meal time, both at home and at school. I suspect he is also a latch key kid who loads up on junk food when he gets home because it is available to him and his parents want to avoid the stress of trying to get him eating sensibly.

Or Jampot Jenny, whose parents are larger carbon copies of her when you meet them at parent teacher nights. Her mother feeds the whole family as if they are racing for a heart attack, and there was a benefit to being obese.

Dave