Research Supports Snacking in Class
By: Sawyer Hancock
Have you ever been starving in class and felt like you were about to pass out from hunger? Many kids and I think that students should be able to eat in all their classes so they won’t be super hungry. In this article, I will show you why I think this.
During class, if you are super hungry it’s extra hard to focus on what the teacher says and what you're learning. But if you are able to eat a snack, it helps so much and you can actually stay focused on what the teacher is saying. Also, when you're hungry, it can cause headaches which also make it hard to focus on the class and the teacher. Lafayette Times says, “Snacking allows students to quench their hunger and boost their focus. A quick snack break can rejuvenate students and give them more energy for learning.”
We have a long time between classes and lunch, so lunch seems especially far away. We have 80 minute classes and we start school at 7:15 and eat lunch at 12:25. That’s over a 5 hour time difference. We also only get a 15 minute regulation break in the morning, so that means that lunch is still over 2 hours away. Jaselyn Garcia says, “I think you should be allowed to eat in all of your classes because in one of my classes, the teacher lets me eat a snack during the class if I’m really hungry and then after I've eaten the snack, I can focus and learn better without being hungry.”
If you are still hungry after breakfast in the morning or if you had breakfast during regulation break, you can pay for another one with your school lunch money. In some cases, money is tight at home and you don’t have school lunch money in your account to pay for another breakfast. If this is the case, then you'll be really hungry until lunchtime. If you bring a snack from home though, you won’t have to pay for a second breakfast and you won’t be hungry anymore. Mrs. Ayer says, “As long as students are eating a snack that is on the approved snack list, they should be allowed to eat a snack in class.”
In conclusion, students should be able to eat during class. A snack will fuel them and help them with focusing on the class and the teacher. Also, since there is such a long time between the start of the school day and lunch, a snack will help students with their hunger until it’s lunch time. Lastly, if students are really hungry and decide to get another breakfast, that will cost them money from their lunch account.