How Students Would Handle Education Reform, School Lunches And Bullying

At HuffPost Education, teachers, politicians, superintendents, principals and parents weigh in daily with their opinions on controversial issues, from value-added assessment to bans on school lunches.

But how would students approach these hot-button topics? We rounded up their ideas from sites across the Web on what they would do differently, if they were to take over as principal for a day.

Here's how schools would look if students were at the helm:

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On School Lunches

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"The three changes I would make in my school to fill in during my principal's absence would be -- Lunch: I would make lunch free with better food; I would give kids the last 5 minutes of class for social talk; I would try and improve all teaching skills." -- TA

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School Lunches Around The World

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Controversial school-related documents from around the country

"The three changes I would make in my school to fill in during my principal's absence would be -- Lunch: I would make lunch free with better food; I would give kids the last 5 minutes of class for social talk; I would try and improve all teaching skills." -- TA

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Nice Try Best. Idea. Ever.

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Comments

[kinger50]

05:44 PM on 04/23/2011

I think everyone should do whatever they want, when ever they want, with whomever, or whatever they want....for free with absolutely no consequences. That about sums it up except for the kiddo with be bad kids getting spanked in the office. Must be chanelling grandma and grandpa.

[arguhlin]

09:57 AM on 04/23/2011

Well, we ARE just kids after all (admittedly, I'm going to be an adult in eight months but I am still in school) and none of us want to think about the hard stuff, partially because adults don't seem to want us to think about the hard stuff. They want our deepest worries to be what we're going to eat for lunch. There are also plenty of kids who actually care about our education and understand the issues that face us; HuffPost clearly did not try to find these kids. I applaud the few good thoughts, like the about how we learn, but these were not chosen from a group who understand what is wrong with education. Besides, "principal for a day" is hardly a topic that helps kids consider what needs to be done. When you think principal for a day, you think, "How can I enjoy being in charge just this once?" Not how you can change things. Major failure for HuffPost.

[Boddicea]

10:35 AM on 04/18/2011

Who picked these?! I can't believe these were the best comments from around the web. The majority sound like they're from elementary school kids.

HuffPost, why don't you try this again and really put some effort in it.

[JFetch]

09:05 PM on 05/04/2011

Kids are dumb. What else did you expect?

[ben616]

03:07 AM on 04/16/2011

Have you ever hugged on drugs though?
Spectacular!

[mlaiuppa]

09:45 PM on 04/15/2011

So much for the inmates running the asylum.

Although #8 and #14 are pretty good.

[TFT]

05:33 PM on 04/15/2011

Listening to the kids is different from doing what they suggest.

I hear them saying lunches suck, hugging has been forbidden, and they don't have any fun.

I think these 3 things are important issues, and easily fixed. Listen to the kids, and then think about what they are saying using their limited communication skills. We as the adults should be able to understand what they are saying.

I agree this was a stupid way to present it, and H%ffPo sort of sucks.

[Desolati0n]

07:33 AM on 04/16/2011

As a high school student myself, I can assure you the lunches do suck, I'm told we get the same food as do prison inmates, the pizza is rubbery, and the chicken nuggets are pink inside. As for hugging, maybe that's only a middle school, and elementary school thing, at my school kissing, hugging, and hand holding are all permitted as long as it's not during class. As for fun, that's an opinionated question, I don't have fun every day, maybe because I'm in high school, nonetheless, high school is okay.

[D-blings]

04:22 PM on 04/15/2011

What's the point? To show how stupid kids are these days?

[John Camp]

03:44 PM on 04/15/2011

This was either a subtle way to show the absurdity of the "wisdom of youth/from the mouth of babes" approach or a complete waste of space, I can't decide which.

[sawyer0413]

04:31 PM on 04/15/2011

I'm with you. I am perplexed by this, and what it was intended to show.

[smileylib]

07:49 PM on 04/15/2011

Ditto! Not sure what the point of this was. The answers given by the students simply reflect the worse of our students...lazy, unmotivated, and more concerned with social/video game time than learning. What student likes homework? What student wouldn't want Fridays off? No one could possibly take this article seriously.

[TookieWords]

10:02 PM on 04/15/2011

Wow... the kids are asking for a learning enriching environment and healthy food. Yeah, it screams of laziness.

[dna user]

03:23 PM on 04/15/2011

TRENT FOR PRESIDENT 2012

[Witchitalineman]

03:19 PM on 04/15/2011

With the exception of a few comments, these kids have no idea of what the real work will be like. I suggest study, study and study. Make it cool to be smart and educated.

[TookieWords]

10:03 PM on 04/15/2011

oh.. so you mean keep doing more of the same! :) lol so much for "reform" huh.

[prometheus]

03:13 PM on 04/15/2011

Well, at least the school lunch thing might change (Jamie Oliver's School Lunch Revolution) in our lifetimes. Man, that stuff was bad as a kid.

[dna user]

03:15 PM on 04/15/2011

I wouldn't pin my hopes on a guy with a show.

[wca16]

02:29 PM on 04/15/2011

Rubbish! But I did like this one quote "...hugs keep u off drugs."

[RobertoAlba]

02:11 PM on 04/15/2011

Thank God the kids aren't in charge. School would simply turn into a daycare play center with nice lunches and hugs - not that they aren't that already.

[AmigaMan]

08:46 PM on 05/15/2011

Don't forget... They'd also be texting on their f***ing cell phones ALL DAY LONG.

[fozzi58]

01:16 PM on 04/15/2011

The answers sound like something Karab Amabo would give.

[CarryOn]

11:34 AM on 04/15/2011

I would ask all the students I can what they like to do and what they think is a good way to learn and how they like to learn and what would help them learn

someone was thinking