School Rules:Eating in the Classroom

張貼日期：Apr 07, 2011 1:15:28 PM

School Rules: Eating in the Classroom

Yi-Wei Chang 

      We all have the experiences of eating in the classroom when we listen to the lectures from the teachers. In this circumstance, some teachers may think the action of students’ having food in the classroom is acceptable. But some may forbid students to eat and make the rule of “No Food Allowed.” From my experience in this case, I once had a sandwich in the classroom while a teacher was teaching. He had told all the students before that having food in the classroom was forbidden, but I totally forgot the rule with no reason. As a result, I was kicked out of the classroom by the teacher. It was so insulting and humiliating. I was a little bit angry at that time and I thought it was not a big deal to eat in the classroom. But surprisingly, I have a completely opposite opinion now about this issue because of the following reasons.

First, eating in the class will distract my attention. Thinking and learning are focus-intensive activities. I should totally concentrate on the teacher, not paying my attention to the chewing and swallowing food. Also, while I am eating, the food or drinks may drop on the book or the floor. It will be a mess if something like that happens. In addition, after eating, I could probably go to the toilet more frequently and miss some details or important things. These are all distractions to a student’s learning.

Next, having food during the course will also disturb others’ concentration. The sound from my chewing, swallowing, and crinkling will divert not only my classmates’ attention but my teacher’s as well. And the smell of the food is another big problem. The good smell of food like Fried Salty Chicken makes others hungry, which is not very good for their learning. And a terrible one only makes them feel even worse and disgusted—the smell of Stinky Tofu! The examples above also show a strong support that student should not have food in the classroom.

The third reason why eating in the class should not be allowed is that there will be a lot of trash left in the classroom. Students usually forget to take their garbage with them and end up a lot of trash scattered on the floor. The garbage will attract many pests such as ants, cockroaches, and rats. Students should keep the environment clean because it is rather unpleasant with the pests crawling around when they have to focus on the lesson.

Proponents of eating in the classroom say that students can eat food in the class with some understandable reasons, such as when taking the earliest class, or attending the student seminars or extracurricular activities during the lunch break. Another frequently mentioned excuse is students cannot concentrate because they are hungry. Both of points make sense on the surface. But the truth is, students are doing themselves and others a disservice by eating in the classroom.

In conclusion, there is a lot of evidence showing that eating in the classroom is not a desirable behavior. It will disturb others and interrupt the process of the course and is considered impolite and disrespectful behavior. With the above reasons, I completely agree with my teacher’s decision and will always follow this rule in the future.