Classroom Management Series #1: Eating in the Classroom

Welcome to the fifth week of the Classroom Management Series!  We have addressed many things including students using electronics in the classroom and students using profanity .  Don’t forget to check the Classroom Management tab above to see all the topics we have covered so far. 

Today we are going to talk about students eating in the classroom.  Kids are growing, and growing kids need food.  However, snacking on their chips and slurping their sodas is extremely distracting in a class.

Imagine the kids that come from a lower income family, they most likely can’t afford to run to the vending machine or soda to grab a snack.  So they are drooling over the rustling of a wrapper.  Or think of a child who struggles with an attention disorder, the wrapper or slurping is one more noise to distract them from their learning. 

Here are some suggestions for dealing with eating in the classroom. 

Prevention Solutions

• Stand at the door and make students finish/throw away their food and drink before entering the classroom
• Allow students to place unfinished food and drink on your desk during the lesson
• Allow students to finish food while doing the warm up
• Students can earn a snack day by doing what is expected of them for so many days

Responsive Solutions

• Have students put their snacks in their backpacks or on your desk if they start eating them in your class
• Have students throw them away when they start eating in class
• Have students pick up trash around the room once the lesson is done

I do want to note that you may have some students who come to school without breakfast and they are in your first few classes or even have to skip lunch for monetary reasons.  If you want to help them combat that hunger, you can have a few cheap snacks, like soda crackers or granola bars, in your desk to discreetly give them.    This can change their mood and improve their learning as well.  

Next week's question:What do you do when students call out without having permission (didn't raise their hand)? Please leave your tip in the comment section below.