During class, some students become hungry due to not eating meals on time or from their high metabolism. Students and the teacher can be distracted by the noises, smells or just the overall urge to ask for a share of the snack. Teachers should prevent students from eating food in the classroom. Although eating in class could help students sate their hunger, the noises and smells from the food are distractions to others.

“Even if you try to chew your pretzels/chips/ice/whatever as quietly as possible, chances are it’s still noisy,” according to USA Today.

Although sometimes students run into problems and are not able to eat their breakfast before school, the cafeteria provides food before school and during break and lunch. Students should manage their time in the morning and make sure they leave time for a decent breakfast. If not, breaks between classes can satisfy their hunger so they focus better in class.

“Students need to eat something healthy about every three hours during the day,” Community Health Magazine stated. “They need something healthy to eat mid-morning, mid-afternoon and mid-evening.”

Even if teachers decide to ban students from eating in the classroom, teachers can provide solutions such as sending students who are really hungry to eat outside. Teachers can have their own preferences to solving the problem of a hungry student, but most of them should prevent students from eating in class altogether to prevent the possibility of distractions.

“Usually my students who want to eat, or are coming in late and want to eat, I’ll put them outside,” social studies teacher and tennis coach Natasha Schottland said. “They can eat outside even with the door open so they don’t miss information, but all the crumbs and everything like that need to be outside.”

Teachers setting rules that restrict certain foods or stop students from eating in class altogether can prevent the distractions that eating in class creates. Smells could fill the room and distract everyone, and those students will miss parts of the lesson, not to mention the noise and mess that eating in class makes.

“I could still focus on my work, but if I’m hungry and other people are eating, then I get a bit distracted,” sophomore Nishad Francis said. “If it is distracting for other people, have a corner in the room where they could quickly eat.”