Eating in the Middle School Classroom

Do you let students eat in the classroom?

Personally, I have rarely restricted food in my classroom when I am teaching. In fact, in many ways I have actively encouraged students to eat. Whether it is keeping a stash of muesli bars in my desk draw for students, bringing tea and biscuits in for the class or allowing students to eat their lunch while they work. Food seems to always be in my classroom. I’ve even been guilty of eating my lunch while I teach if my day has been particularly hectic.

I have this one class that is, to put it mildly, off the charts. Establishing routines and setting firm but reasonable boundaries with this particular group of students is proving to be difficult under the best of circumstances.

This cohort enters the classroom at 1000 miles per hour and could probably beat a jet plane in a “who can make the most noise” competition. I have about a 40% chance that a do now activity like colouring or word searches will settle them down enough within 20 minutes to attempt some learning. Part of the issue is that as soon as they enter the classroom, many of them pull out something to eat, which results in the rest of the class adopting the personality of a seagull and calling out “can I have some?” “I’m hungry!” “Give me some!” “PLEEEAAASSSEEE can I have some?!”

In this type of situation, I would normally explain to students that they can eat in my classroom as long as it is not causing a disruption to the rest of the class and they are working while they eat. Usually this works out fine, and I am left with only one or two students who struggle to abide by the expectations. But not this class. It had gotten to the point that I had considered banning eating from the classroom entirely because it was simply too disruptive. Que the brain explosion: what about ‘Crunch&Sip?’

During my brief stint at a primary school a few years ago there was a whole school practice that after morning exercise students would have some ‘Crunch&Sip’ time. They could sip water and have a small snack of fruit or vegetables before jumping into literacy circles. The purpose of the program was to address concerns that students were not meeting their dietary requirements for fruit and vegetables. My observations of my program were that those students who had a little snack before starting work appeared more focused and settled which resulted in better academic performance. What if I explicitly incorporated this into my Year 8 class routine?

For the past week I have provided students with explicit time to eat their recess or lunch while engaging in some quiet colouring or word finds. I note this time on the board with the rest of the lesson plan and tick it off once it is finished. I also put a timer for 10 minutes on my phone and show it to students as I move around so they know how much time they have left. How is this different to them just eating in class while they work? My working theory is that it provides time for whatever they are eating to enter their systems and stop the hunger, thus freeing up their brains for learning.

If you are a high school teacher reading this, I can probably guess at what you are thinking right now. You’re wondering if this is too childish for a high school context. Aren’t we supposed to be teaching them to be responsible adults who can manage their time effectively? They already get time to eat at recess and lunch.

Yes – in many ways I agree with you. Time management is a vital skill that everyone needs to learn, and schools are in a privileged position to be able to provide an environment to do so. However, I think we also need to consider the reality of the situation. Time management and responsibility are not taught implicitly, it needs to be structured and explicit. Providing distinct time and reminders helps achieve this. We also need to consider our own actions; how many of us only eat during our lunch break? Certainly not me. I am guilty of sitting at my desk, plugging away at work on my laptop while I eat my lunch, or hearing the first bell and deciding that was the perfect time to use the toilet – and I would consider myself to be someone with great time management skills!  

Since implementing a designated time for eating, the start of lesson insanity has noticeably diminished. My students seem to like having structured, predicable time to satisfy their hunger. Is it perfect? No. But it does appear to be producing results and sits well within my personal and professional values as an educator. This has in no way solved all of my challenges with this class, but if we consider the impacts hunger has on student concentration, academics and behaviour, I think it is worth it.

How about you? I’d love to hear how other educators approach this in their own rooms. Let’s keep the conversation going — preferably over snacks.