It’s not a surprise that students want to eat during class, especially here at Day Creek. 7th graders don’t have lunch until 12:20pm and 6th graders have a time slot that would basically be brunch at 10:40am! It isn’t difficult to find 7th graders who voice their frustration with the later lunch period while 6th graders don’t want to eat buffalo wings for breakfast.

“I sometimes feel hungry when I don’t eat [before school],” said Jordan T.

The Howl agrees! As 7th graders, we struggle throughout the first five periods of the day without food. Our stomachs rumble in class because most teachers don’t allow eating.

“I let students eat in class because 7th graders have a very late lunch, and I know that some of my students don’t eat breakfast in the morning because sometimes mornings are a little crazy,” said Mrs. Porter.

While some teachers adapt for the challenges of a late lunchtime, others find the disruption in crinkling Cheeto bags and crackling drink bottles.

“I used to allow students to eat small snacks in class because I know even I get hungry throughout the day. And when students are hungry, they’re less likely to focus. Though, during direct instruction students, it was just causing a distraction,” says Ms. Sabin.

That puts the issue back on students who should recognize the silence of grapes and Hydroflasks. Maybe something to ask your teacher?

Until then, teachers will continue to see food in class as potentially disrespectful, distractioning and ant-inviting.

“When I observed other teachers, I saw students reach into their backpacks, because they were hungry, and they were more concerned about eating than what was happening in the classroom. It was very distracting to the students a majority of the time. Another reason is because in previous classrooms, and even this classroom, ants were a huge problem,” said Mrs. Dedick.

But, what about the health of the students? When some students don’t eat during class, it leads to dizziness and headaches. Then they can’t focus at all.

“I feel as though the lunch period is too late in the day and the students will feel too hungry. I also feel that eating snacks will help keep them focused, so they aren’t left starving,” said Ms. Keltner.

It sounds like a compromise could be reached. Students can easily fix the loud distraction by choosing snacks that are quiet to open and eat. And we can all do our part and throw away our trash. Cleaning up shouldn’t be someone else’s job if a teacher is open to allowing food in their classroom.

“The teacher is obviously going to be angry if you’re ripping bags open. If you’re quiet, the teacher will most likely not care. Students are sometimes a little noisy and the teachers will get rid of the snacks. For students, I think they’re just grateful to be able to eat in class,” said Deborah A.

She’s right. Maybe if students do their part to eat quietly and clean things up teachers will be open to food in their classrooms.