Lunch is a crucial part of our daily routine. During lunch, we refuel our body and brain with the nutrients we need for the rest of the day. We also can give our brains a rest from all the previous classes we had. I think lunches should just be at least 5-10 minutes earlier than they are now for a few different reasons.
The main reason I think lunches should be earlier is because students need that fuel for their bodies. When students have more energy, they can get more out of class. With the school day starting at 8 a.m., a five-hour wait for lunch is a long stretch for students. When students don’t have the nutrients they need, it can be hard for them to get things done in class and pay attention. In class or the hallways, I will always hear students complaining about how hungry they are. This year, with Taher being closed during school hours, I feel like it’s impacted students even more. Not being able to get a pick-me-up mid-day snack makes it tough for students to get the energy they need.
In addition, we’ve had event and mass schedule days very often this year. When we have these types of schedules, lunches start a few minutes later than the block schedule times. On these days I tend to get really hungry with the later lunches, and notice I have an extra difficult time staying on task in class. On mass and event schedule days we have shorter classes so after lunch we have just one class left. I feel like it would be helpful to have lunch more toward the middle of these days rather than at the end. I think this would help to evenly spread out classes and breaks.
Having lunch earlier will also help accommodate the custodians. Since lunches end around 1:05 p.m. on normal block schedule days and later on event/mass days, it doesn’t give the custodians much time to clean up the lunch room. The cafeteria tends to be quite dirty after lunch, so it takes time for the custodians to clean it. Having lunch even just a few minutes earlier would be more helpful for them.
Lunch gives us the much-needed break we need, which is why it’s important for it to be at the right time of the day. Overall, having lunch earlier will help students tackle the rest of the day and help them renew their energy.