Editorial- "Free-for-All in the Cafeteria"

I chose to read an editorial from the NY Times titled “Free-for-All in the Cafeteria”. The editorial discusses the problem in New York City dealing with their public schools and subsidized lunches. The editorial starts off by stating the initial issue, subsidized lunches. It discusses how so many children are eligible for these “free", subsidized lunches but many choose to not take advantage of it. While 780,000 children qualify, 250,000 of them choose to not participate. 

The writer then directs straight to the reason why many of these children don’t participate. They states the reason is due to the embarrassment, bullying they receive, and identification as poor. The editorial includes many facts including the rate change seen through out school grade. They state the opinion that most teenagers would rather go hungry than struggle from the humiliation of receiving subsidized lunches. The editorial goes on to say that instead of telling these children to suck it up and accept the lunches, we should encourage them to take advantage of it.

Next in the editorial the idea of free lunch throughout all schools is brought up.  The benefits of children having a good meal has towards their ability in the classroom is also brought up. It states that it is easier to teach children who are not hungry. The writer then goes on to state the people who are involved with this issue. Finally she closes with a direct opinion stating that they should “should embrace these ideas because a school population that’s better nourished is more ready to learn.”

The editorial is very direct and shows what side the writer is on.  The writer takes a stand in the situation and picks her side while showing it directly. She does not take on a personal attack by strictly focusing on all of the schools in general. The editorial consists of all of the writing requirements including writing in the third person. The writer does not use the word “I” and keeps themselves unassigned. It fulfills the word count requirement leaving it to be shorter compared to a column. The writer does a great job by keeping control through out and keeping her focus on the issue of the subsidized lunches.

Overall I enjoyed reading this editorial and think the writer did a great job addressing her stand and beliefs on the issue. By reading this article I have received a better understanding of how to go about writing editorials in a successful manner.