Most of the parents who had kids attending Jefferson Elementary School (Davenport, IA) when Operation Pull Your Own Weight was active, were school dropouts themselves. Most had completed 8th, 9th, or 10th, grade before they opted out of school for various reasons. But odds are they’d been labeled "low performers" early in their careers, and by the time they’d reached second or third grade, they’d been systematically convinced that they were less talented than the “smarter” kids in class.

By that early age these parents had already learned to see themselves as failures, losers, and odds are they stopped giving any effort to academics because if you don’t try, at least you have an excuse for failing, and you can maintain your “cool” in front of peers. You see trying and failing in front of peers is absolutely “uncool,” and is avoided even at the expense of shooting yourself in the foot.

Of course when they dropped out of school they found themselves saddled with menial, low paying jobs, or unemployed and on welfare, furthering the self-fulfilling prophecy of inferiority that they’d learned so well in school. Do you suppose that these parents had any desire to step in school and listen to some college educated “teacher” say predictably bad things about their kids?

In the midst of those conditions, one of the most surprising and unplanned virtues of Operation Pull Your Own Weight at Jefferson School was that it successfully attracted a small army of parent volunteers who, according to a number of teachers, got as much out of the PYOW experience as the kids. Below is one insightful comment from one of those parent volunteers that exemplifies what the teachers witnessed. Check it out.

Re: The Pull Your Own Weight Program

To Whom It May Concern:

I began working as a volunteer with the Pull Your Own Weight Program in February of this year. Within a couple of weeks I found myself so enthused and engrossed in it that my volunteer time doubled.

The best aspect of the Pull Your Own Weight Program is the holistic approach it entails. It covers the social, psychological, and the physical needs of the individual.

The children are able to perform in this program no matter what their age, size, or economic background is. They participate enthusiastically, often asking to do more than my schedule allows time for. The sense of accomplishment and pride is apparent in their faces as they learn more and more discipline in the physical and mental challenges of Pull Your Own Weight.

Psychologically this program encourages strength of mind and a sense of self-esteem that one usually associates with a martial arts program. Weekly I watch these children learn to challenge themselves, and never once have I seen this turn into a competition between peers. These children all have a sense of giving when it comes to urging and cheering on their classmates.

The students who take part in this program show a high degree of self initiative, striving to always better their last score. They begin to understand that in many things, the only obstacle between them and success is their own attitude and effort. And through this program they learn to push themselves towards realistic goals.

The practical steps, objectives, and possibilities of attainment are all geared towards creating a situation in which the child can generate his or her own limits and see them become fact long before the interest fades. And so the interest never does diminish, because for each new level reached, the children find a new one to attempt.

Physically these children become stronger each time they use the methods offered them. They can see their own strength blossom in a rapid and understandable manner. And while they focus mainly on arm strength, they eventually notice that the strength extends to the whole child. The program requires so little for the achievements produced that it is definitely something that should be recommended for all schools.

I urge any and all support for such a rewarding project as The Pull Your Own Weight Program. It encourages unity, self-esteem, and strength. Very few programs offer so much at one time. And the message entailed in the name itself is one that can be recognized and hailed by everyone.

Sincerely,

Devoura Lee Cooks March 7, 1991 Jefferson Elementary School

Rick Osbourne is a Chicago based, freelance writer who currently serves as Executive Director of Operation Pull Your Own Weight, an informational web site that's dedicated to naturally immunizing kids against obesity for a lifetime without pills, shots, or special diets. If you're interested in childhood and obesity or obesity in America, then check out http://www.pullyourownweight.net any time you'd like.