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Spud success
By LOGAN NEILL © St. Petersburg Times, published April 5, 2001 SPRING HILL -- Most days when you walk into Joyce Lewis' classroom, you'll find her students hard at work with their daily subjects such as math, reading and language. But drop by on the one morning each month when the class is gearing up its fledgling lunch business called Spuds R Us, and you'll be amazed at the diligence of its mission to make money. For $3, anyone -- mostly teachers and school staffers -- can buy a hot-from-the-oven baked potato topped with ingredients such as broccoli, cheese, mushrooms and bacon bits, plus chili and a cold drink. And although the food is delicious, it's the service that definitely makes the difference in this kitchen. Everything is prepared fresh by the 11 students in Lewis' class at J.D. Floyd Elementary School. "They have a ball doing it," said Lewis, an exceptional student educator who specializes in developmentally handicapped pupils. "Being able to participate in something like this is very special to them." Lewis has been teaching exceptional student education, or ESE, pupils for several years, and she knows the value of helping struggling youngsters build self-esteem and learn responsibility. To teach her students social skills and improve their behavior, she takes them on occasional outings in the community. Because many suffer from disorders such as autism and other behavioral abnormalities, activities such as bowling and roller skating, eating at restaurants and going to grocery stores are things they don't get to experience very often. Another thing they don't often get to do by themselves is cook. So, each Friday, the students fix themselves simple lunches and snacks in their classroom kitchen, all the while learning how to measure ingredients and how to operate tools and appliances -- life skills they might not get elsewhere. But because of budget restrictions, Lewis learned she might not have enough money to continue her class' community-based instruction trips. Though she was able to get a small grant to pay for transportation, money to pay for admission fees would have to come from other sources. That is how she came up with Spuds R Us. Run entirely by the students themselves -- they prepare the food, count money and provide change, and clean up afterward -- the monthly effort has turned a fairly good profit so far, which goes toward offsetting the cost of the field trips. And that makes kids such as Peter Morchy, 11, and Kody Undestad, 8, very happy. "We're making money!" said Peter, flashing a big grin. Kody agreed, saying, "The reason is, teachers really like our baked potatoes. They say they're the best." Lewis said that at least part of the credit goes to local businesses, especially the Publix near the school, which offers her potatoes and other ingredients at cost. A few days before cooking day, the students head to the store to pick out supplies. Lewis uses the experience to teach them functional math skills such as price comparing and quantity recognition, while at the same time providing a social outing they can share. "The whole experience has been very positive for them," Lewis said. "These are kids that really take pride in doing things for themselves. It's enjoyment for them being part of the real world."
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From today's Hernando Times |
