Gum in Classrooms

Dear Editor,
I believe that the students that attend Hancock Grammar should be allowed to chew gum during school. Don’t you? I mean, we have been asking for this right for a while and we still haven’t been granted our wish. Well, I think I have a really good argument. So first I’m going to back you up with the facts about chewing gum benefits. Now, I know that you are probably thinking, b-o-r-i-n-g! But in the long run, this could be helpful. When you chew gum, it sets your jaw muscles into motion. This, believe it or not, increases focus, concentration, and alertness. This could be really beneficial during class when you’re learning an new skill or even when you’re studying. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard that chewing gum can decrease appetite and reduce weight loss, right? Well, with obesity becoming a bigger issue in our younger generations, isn’t that a good thing?

Well, the learning part is over so you can sit back and relax and enjoy the rest of this. Imagine you’re sitting in class and the teacher is on one of her tangents. You keep fading in and out of focus, struggling to pay attention. Then your stomach growls, embarrassing you. Everyone looks at you. What can you do? You aren’t allowed to eat in class, although you wish you could. And you just can’t seem to pay attention! All you want is a sweet taste and a busy jaw. Ta da! Gum! Basically, us kids are just dying during class periods. Unfortunately, we’re bored and, most of the time, we don’t eat breakfast. We’re hungry and are suffering till lunch arrives and then we’re stuffing ourselves beyond belief. It’s unhealthy.

Last, but not least, we can be responsible. I’m sure that the main reason we are not allowed gum is because we won’t throw it away. They probably think we’ll drop it all over the carpets and stick it to the undersides of desks, right? Well, we have to talk about punishment. Okay, lets say that some chewed pieces of gum are found miss placed. We are punished with a week of no gum. If you are caught, you are involved in the removal of the gum, acting as a detention, after school and an unexcused absent for sports. I think if we have some penalties like this, our cause may be more convincing. So there you have it. All of my reasons we should be allowed to chew gum at school. You with me?

Sincerely,
Haley Sattler