Chewing gum in school is a very debated issue around the world. Many people say it is beneficial, while others say it is not. If chewing gum is allowed at ASL, it would positively impact students during school hours, due to an increase of concentration levels, and it would reduce stress.
Studies from the National Institute of Health have shown that chewing gum can increase productivity and concentration and reduce stress. These positive factors can greatly contribute to our success in school. If we are more productive and concentrated, we would be able to be more focused, and our daydreaming in the classroom would decrease.
Especially during the second semester, when our workloads become bigger and our responsibilities and expectations increase by a tremendous amount, it results in us becoming stressed. Our essays, projects, orals and homework all accumulate, and at the end of the day, the time we spend on school work takes up a significantly big chunk of our day. We don’t have enough time for recreational activites and spending time with our family.
At the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, 75 participants in an gum experiment. One third of the participants chewed gum, one third did not chew gum, and one third carried out the motions of chewing gum, without actually chewing gum. 35 percent of the students who chewed gum had a stronger academic performance, and were able to concentrate for a longer amount of time. If chewing gum is allowed at ASL, studentscan conecentrate on their work more, and have a stronger academic performance than previously.
Many teachers believe that chewing gum is unsanitary, creates a mess, and it an unpleasent way of talking to someone who has gum in their mouth. Of course, it isn’t nice placing your hands beneath the table to find a hard glob of gum, or speaking to a student who is loudly chomping on the gum in their mouth.
However, if students are permitted to chew gum, there would be no need to hide it, and dispose of it elsewhere, because they simply could just throw it in the garbage bin, and dispose of it properly. Students should be aware of the noise they are making, and respect their classmates and teachers while talking to them. This would prevent mess from forming because it would be disposed properly. Therefore, chewing gum would be sanitary, and would no longer be found under a table or in the middle of the hallway.
Furthermore, if students are allowed to chew gum, teachers should expect them to be respectful and responsible of cleaning up after themselves. If teachers expect and believe students to portray ASL’s Core Values, then there should be no reason to think that chewing gum on campus should not be allowed. Students should be respectful of the school campus and take responsibility when clearning up after themselves. If gum is allowed, students will rise to the occasion, and wouldn’t fall short because they would know their responsibilities. They would take advantage of the opportunity, would keep it, and wouldn’t become irresponsible. If studens agree to the rules established for chewing gum, there should be no reason for gum to not be allowed.
If gum is permitted on school campus, students would be able to concentrate and be more productive in classes, which is what all teachers want. Despite the “mess” of gum, middle school students would be respectful and responsible towards cleaning up, and would respect ASL property.
