Learning at Noon

In the context of the unrelenting neoliberal reality of schooling, teacher education focuses largely on the formal, structured spaces in which children learn: predominantly the classroom. Yet, critical educators also recognize that children learn in informal spaces at school, including at lunch. This essay examines how school lunch can be used to teach about humans’ relationships with other humans, animals, and the environment through innovative school, community, and university-based programs. In conclusion, this essay suggests that critical teacher educators should understand the pedagogical importance of school lunch in students’ lives, and begin to incorporate it into preservice teacher education programs.