As a student, having a 25 minute lunch feels illegal. Not only am I a slow eater, but there are many days that I opt for buying lunch. As a senior, I have heard constant complaints surrounding the brevity of lunches, as I have also complained about this subject many times myself.
Anyone who has bought lunch at this school knows that if you buy lunch, after going through the process of waiting in line and sitting down, you are left with what feels like 5 minutes to eat. Other students who do not buy lunch face a similar problem, as it takes a few minutes out of their allotted lunch time to get their lunch from their locker. Eating lunch in both of these situations makes it difficult for students to finish their lunch, much less enjoy it.
Teachers often remind us that they would rather us use the bathroom during lunch, than take time out of their class to go. This is not a very good option, because you either have to designate 5 minutes at the beginning or end of lunch to go, leaving you with only 20 minutes to eat. Not only this, but oftentimes the deans will turn you away if you ask to go to the bathroom too close to the bell at the end of lunch.
Dipping into class time as a result of the deficit, some teachers see a need to allow their students to finish their lunches in class. Class time should be designated to learning, and lunch time should be long enough for students to meet their nutritional needs. Teachers should not have to sacrifice teaching and learning time for their students to eat.
One tangible result of providing students with longer lunch times is that they will naturally gravitate towards healthier food options. Juliana Cohen, a professor at Harvard University, conducted a study that showed that, “Kids with at least 25 minutes of sit-down time eat more veggies. (If you have only five minutes, which would you rather eat—the pizza or the broccoli?)”.
At Timothy Christian Schools (the school I used to attend), not only are high school students given a break in the morning where they can choose to have a snack break, but upperclassmen are given 45 minute lunches. Having these longer lunch periods gives students the opportunity to socialize with their peers and even get some homework done if needed.
Longer lunches would allow students to take a mental break to recharge. Oftentimes, students at RB have full schedules and do not take a study hall. Going from class to class, with only a 25 minute lunch that gives students barely enough time to eat, much less take a mental break to recharge and get ready for their next class. Often, it creates a stressful environment that commonly becomes tiring and overwhelming to students. If students were given extra time for lunches, a lot of this stress could be eliminated by giving students a chance to take a breath from their busy schedules.
