Why school lunch should be longer

Lunch time is probably everyone’s favorite period of the day. Lunch time is very important to each student at Mountain View HIgh School. Lunch lets students have a break from school. It’s even a time to catch up from school work and who doesn’t like to eat after your brain has worked out for 260 mins!

Lunch time is for students to have a brain break from learning. The only problem is that it’s only 30 mins. There are 4 main options that you can do for lunch: you can pack a lunch from home, get in a lunch line that takes forever to get through because everyone just butts each other, you can starve until you get home. Or my favorite, you can go out for lunch. It can either be just going home or just getting your favorite meal from a nearby place. 

But guess what, you gotta choose very carefully because each option has a consequence all except for bringing your own lunch from home, even then it’s a hassle to pack a lunch during your moring rush. But who does that? If you choose to get lunch from the school cafeteria you honestly can have good luck or bad luck. But most of the time it’s bad luck. Because everyone is trying to get lunch so of course friends are gonna let their buddie butt in line, which just makes the line even longer. Once you get your lunch you have about like 10 mins to eat. It’s enough time to eat I will admit, but most of the time students want a little more time to let off steam after they eat. 

If you choose to starve yourself because either because you don’t wanna wait in that huge line or simply because you don’t have time to go home to get a quick bite, it’s probably the worst option because 1. We are teenagers so we get “hangry” 2. you honestly need all the energy you need to get you through that last period.

  And if you decided to give in to your cravings and go out to  Chick-Fil-A because you deserve it after you aced that test, you won’t make it on time for your last class. And let’s be honest, most teachers hate it when you are late, even by a minute. Even then once you get your food you have to either scarf it down because most teachers won’t let you in class and you gotta respect that. Or just eat your food awkwardly in class while everyone stares at you. But if you had more time there would honestly be no rush for anyone to do that.

Students need time to eat and have a break to get through them for our last period. And it is possible, if you take 5 mins for each class time we can have a 50 min lunch break. 5 mins isn’t gonna harm our education. Schools like Lone Peak, American Fork, Skyridge and even Timpanogos have a 40 min lunch and still get out by 2:15pm. A student from Timp explained that having an 40 min lunch is super nice and gives her a break from school. She said “Having 40 min for a lunch break makes me feel more at ease and makes me less stressed out. “It also makes me feel like my lunch time isn’t rushed.” 

An extra 20 mins is all we ask for… So many of my friends think the same way they think that 30 mins is way too short for a lunch break. I remember back in elementary school we had lunch and then we were allowed to go to recess. You know why they let elementary students do that? Because they need time to stretch their legs and destress from school work. Kids need time to not worry about school work for a bit. Same with teenagers, some of us would like to eat our lunch in peace and then maybe have time to do something that distresses us.

And this can also benefit the teachers so they can eat their lunch  and help out more students that might need that extra help. I know it’s a big stretch for this to happen but it would honestly help so many students. 

I know that most students would be so grateful if we had this opportunity but until then we will stick with our short 30 mins of a break.