Eating in class is something a majority of teachers don’t let their students do, but should they? 

     Students should be allowed to eat foods that are healthy for them and that might not make a big distraction like granola bars or fruits and veggies.

Teachers main goal is to help students be successful and learn, but how are students supposed to learn if they can’t think. According to the site Mind, eating healthy food helps the brain produce chemicals called neurotransmitters that help people think and regulate thoughts; students need food to think.

An argument that is often made is that students have time to eat during passing periods and during breakfast in the morning. That’s true, but sometimes people just don’t have enough time to eat during passing periods and they don’t make it to breakfast in the morning. According to Healthy Children, teenage boys should be getting roughly 2,800 calories per day and teenage girls should be getting roughly 2,000 calories per day. Without time for eating in class, students won’t be able to get all of the nutrients they need in a day.

West Albany High School provides breakfast and lunch that helps kids get food, but when teens get in late or wake up late and miss breakfast and aren’t allowed to eat in their classes, they won’t be able to focus. Some kids don’t eat lunch because they feel uncomfortable eating around people, don’t have money to pay for lunches, the vegetarian options aren’t appealing, or they don’t have the opportunity to make lunches from home. It is a normal thought to think that students have enough time to eat lunch in that period of time, but that thought doesn’t apply to everyone and their situations.

The biggest reason, according to most teachers, is that they don’t want students to eat in their classroom because students make big messes with their food. Certain snacks can make big messes, but other foods like chewy granola bars, fruits, veggies, nuts, and fruit snacks are easier to clean up. Students should be able to eat healthy, non-messy snacks in classes. The teenage student body needs snacks often so they can grow and be successful in classes.