By Angela Denstad
Time and again, back-to-school season comes around, and that means – whether you’re a student, a parent of a student, an educator, friend, fan, or neighbor of students – life shifts into school mode. Even for those who only vaguely recall their own long-ago school days, the fresh, fall air and dewy mornings might just lead to a longing for a new pair of shoes and the scent of pencil shavings. I wonder – has the sensory memory of using a pencil sharpener, with its low rumble and rhythmic grind, now gone the way of chalk dust?
Nostalgia is a wistful place, a mist softening the edges of half-remembered time, delicious as hitting the snooze button on a school morning. But as we all know, delaying the alarm has harsher implications. If we linger too long waxing nostalgic about earlier, simpler times, we deceive ourselves, falling behind and out of touch with present reality; it’s only we ourselves who were simpler then, lacking the added years and experiences that layer into our understanding.
What’s wrong with a little reminiscing? Nothing at all. Except when we try to relive the past. It can’t be done, The Great Gatsby taught us – or those of us who did our reading homework back in high school, anyway. Life is meant to evolve and, especially concerning our societal approach to education, we should be pushing every boundary of thought, testing every wild hypothesis, forging connections of past and present data, and history, and art. And we should all be involved, whether through formal study, citizen science, mentoring, or just staying literate in a video dominated world. Learning is a lifelong pursuit.
Cutting or curtailing education hurts us all. Limiting funding for research sets us back to those nostalgic days before medical advances and improved safety standards. But more insidious is limiting the possibilities of young minds. As Alexander Pope wrote, “A little learning is a dangerous thing;/ Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.” We should use every new tool and old approach – from game-based learning to hands-on skills – to encourage every learner to find what works for them. School shouldn’t be a chore, but a challenge each student wants to tackle from their own unique approach. We, as a society, need to build a culture of curiosity and respect for unique and diverse modes of thinking and send our children, prepared in this way, to our teachers, who then can nurture their growth.
Along with new school shoes and books and a decent meal, we need to prepare our kids with love in their hearts and freedom of thought, teaching them how – not what – to think. And when we teach tolerance and respect, we tend a garden of hope that every child will come home, safe from violence, to have someone ask of them what they learned in school each day.
As we settle into September and the back-to-school season, save yourself some time – and fuel your body and brain – with this easy meal prep assignment. Take that time saved to teach someone, learn something new, or encourage a student in your life.
About the author: Angela works as a copywriter in the education sector and has dabbled in various culinary pursuits. She was the author of The Caledonia Argus’ long-standing weekly food column Thyme Out with Angela and is happy to now join the rotation of food writers with the Fillmore County Journal.
Meal Prep Chicken and Rice
2 cups short-grain brown rice*
3 cups water
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast meat
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon dried herbs or spice of choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine the rice, water, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook at a steady simmer for 30 minutes without lifting the lid. Let the cooked rice sit, covered, for an additional ten minutes off the heat to absorb the steam. Lift the lid and fluff the grains with a fork.
Preheat an oven or air fryer to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, combine 1 teaspoon salt with the paprika, pepper, and additional seasoning to taste. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly over all sides of the chicken. Drizzle with olive oil, rubbing the spice mixture into each chicken breast. Place the chicken on a boiler tray or baking sheet and cook until browned and the internal temperature of the thickest part registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, or until no longer pink in the center, 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. Allow to rest at room temperature before slicing.
Portion out the 5 cups of rice and sliced/diced/shredded chicken into meal portions. Get creative with add-ins! You can use these basics to stuff a burrito, add sauteed vegetables for fried rice, create a curry, a grain bowl, or salad-in-a-jar, among many other options.
*For long grain rice, reduce the amount of water by ¼ cup.
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