This evening’s “healthy eating and meal planning class” exposed my role as teacher and activist. I now know that the fine line between these two identities is constructed. I cannot deny that teachers are activists.

In my classroom I make the agenda clear.

• I want participants to think critically about their food consumption.
• I want participants to question the source of foods they eat and the production used to grow and distribute the food.
• I want participants to realize the power of consumption in choosing what to eat and where to spend their money.
• All the while, I want to present participants with information on “alternative” food choices – be it raw milk, pastured beef or fair-trade coffee.

Tonight I explained the conflicted meanings of popular food buzz words. The activity is often enlightening for families because they see the meanings of words in a new way. This process of shedding light is both overtly political and downright practical. At the moment, I find myself walking along this ever-thinning line.

The lefty in me comes out when I talk about grass-fed meat, raw milk and the oppressive rules of organic certification standards. It’s so difficult not to get preachy. The more I’ve learned about industrial agriculture and CAFOs and their disastrous consequences on our health and the environment, the more I want to share this ‘other’ perspective.

How strange and distressing that the ‘otherness’ is seen as whole foods! If we want to people to eat healthy, do we not promote whole foods? If we promote whole foods, are we not rejecting processed goods? Is it so bad to desire stronger local economies? If not, why not support the local food movement?

All of these issues overlap and I believe it is futile to deny this. Just as we draw a line on right and wrong, should we not draw a line on healthy and unhealthy? I can’t stand by and debate this issue too much. Too many people are sick or dying because they lack the knowledge of resources to do better for themselves. To this end, I am an activist.

I am a preachy teacher.

Like the late Howard Zinn said, “You can’t be neutral on a moving train.”

Related posts:

1. The Food Curriculum Project (part V) “Lesson Plan 3″
2. New Year’s Resolutions
3. Living off the grid
4. Sourcing “The Local”
5. Thank you Alex Roberts (or) Chocolate Pudding on a new level

Tags: education, food literacy, Food Politics, local food movement