Gum in school is something to chew on for educators
Chuck FieldmanContact Reporter Pioneer Press
Chewing gum in school helps some students focus
To chew, or not to chew?
That is the question officials at area schools must decide when it comes to gum and their students.
Clarendon Hills Middle School Principal Griffin Sonntag said chewing gum in school has been allowed over the past four to five years.
"A lot of kids were chewing it, anyway, so the deal is that we don't want it to be a distraction, and they need to make sure they dispose of their chewed gum properly," he said. "For some kids, it can help them focus, too."
Sonntag said there are a few exceptions.
"We don't want them chewing it in P.E., band or chorus, but that's for safety," he said.
Popular choice
Robin Callahan of the CHMS Parent Teacher Organization volunteers to work at the lunchroom table at which school supplies and snacks, including sugar-free gum, are sold twice each week.
"The gum definitely is our biggest seller," Callahan said, noting at least 100 packs of gum are sold each week.
"The sixth-graders buy by far the most gum, the seventh-graders not quite as much, and the eighth-graders even less. I think it's a big novelty for the sixth-graders."
Eighth-grader Weston Ball said he chews gum in school two to three times each day.
"I chew in the morning to get the breakfast taste out of my mouth and have fresh breath, after lunch to have fresh breath, and if I'm taking a test because it helps me focus," he said.
Meagan Hughes, a CHMS sixth-grader, said she chews gum in school every day.
"It does help me focus," she said. "I had heard it's supposed to help you focus and thought that was fake, but it works for me."
Gum chewing by students was allowed at Hinsdale Middle School until this school year.
"We started finding chewed gum stuck in too many places around the building," Principal Ruben Pena said. "We put out the word when we met with our students at the start of the year that they no longer could chew gum, and we told them why."
Sensory needs
In District 181's seven elementary schools, policy states gum is allowed only with permission of a staff member, said Bridget McGuiggan, director of communications.
"Our staff noted there are some students who benefit from chewing gum because of oral sensory needs," she said. "There are other students who have attention concerns that are allowed to chew gum. Gum is sometimes a replacement for kids who chew on their clothes, hair, etc."
McGuiggan said for individualized education plans, teams of staff members generally write "sensory strategies" into the plan, which may include gum, if that is something that has been tried before and found to be successful in helping with self-regulation, anxiety, and/or attention.
Megan Carrick, an occupational therapist with Kids In Sync Pediatric Occupational Therapy in Northfield, said gum chewing definitely can help student.
"The only way to learn is to feel emotionally and physiologically comfortable," she said. "The idea with gum chewing is a concept of regulation, to be calm and organized. Chewing gum engages the jaw; it's muscle activation against resistance, which aids with this, much like people finding exercise helpful in helping them to focus. It supports awareness and the ability to learn."
Craig Johnston, a University of Houston assistant professor in health and human performance, specializes in obesity research, but in 2003 studied gum chewing in middle school while with the Baylor College of Medicine.
"It helps because it increases blood flow to the brain, and that's because you're using your jaw," he said. "It doesn't have to be gum, but we wouldn't want to encourage kids to just keep popping food into their mouths, and I don't think anyone would be crazy about having wax in their mouth."
Johnston said his study showed small, but significant differences (increases) in test scores for students who chewed gum while taking a test.
"If we can give kids that advantage, we should," he said. "And that obviously doesn't only mean when they are taking tests. It can help when they aren't taking tests, too.
"Chewing gum isn't going to help every kid, but sugar-free won't hurt them, so I do support it."
Varying policies
Pleasantdale Elementary District 107 doesn't, as a general rule, allow students to chew gum in school, but does make exceptions, Superintendent Dave Palzet said.
"We do allow kids to chew if it will help them learn, or if it reduces anxiety," he said.
La Grange-Countryside Elementary District 105 does, generally, allow students to chew gum in school.
"That may be revoked if there is a school-wide problem or individual classroom," Superintendent Glenn Schlichting said. "Since we generally allow gum chewing, we have not connected gum chewing to [individualized plans]. But we are aware of the therapeutic benefits for some students."
LaGrange Elementary District 102 permits gum chewing for some students who have identified sensory needs," said Joyce Powell, assistant superintendent for special education.
"This might be a student identified for special education services and who has an individualized education plan with sensory needs noted in the plan," Powell said.
Brian Graber, principal in LaGrange Highlands Elementary District 106, said he would be open to providing permission if there is a particular reason why it would be helpful or beneficial to a particular student.
"It would not be because a student feels like it or makes a decision on his own," he said. "It could involve a recommendation from a doctor and definitely a conversation with parents, who would talk about experience at home as far as focus or concentration."
Graber believes gum chewing can be a distraction.
"The distraction is not just who has it, but whom it's being shared with," he said. The sound and smell of gum can be a disruption in a classroom."
At Brook Forest School in Oak Brook, Principal Kelly Voliva said gum chewing is not encouraged in most situations.
"However, on occasion, if it is helpful in allowing a child to focus, we have offered gum chewing as an option," she said.
John Baar, a now-retired longtime teacher and assistant principal at Butler Junior High in Oak Brook, said he tended to allow his students to chew gum as long as it didn't create a distraction.
"I didn't think we needed to be the 'gum police,'" he said. "You obviously don't want kids in school distracted, but I never really found that to be an issue."
Baar, who retired from Butler in June 2012, said he once turned over all of the desks in his classroom, where gum chewing was allowed. He did the same with desks in a classroom taught by a teacher who was very strict in prohibiting the chewing of gum.
"It was very interesting," Baar said. "I didn't find one piece of gum under any of the desks in my room, but there was quite a bit under the desks of the other classroom."
Incentive treat
McClure Junior High Principal Dan Chick said he knows some teachers don't allow gum in the Western Springs school.
"I think that most probably don't mind as long as it doesn't become an issue/distraction," he said.
Beth Gregor, principal of Emerson Elementary School in Elmhurst, said they have specific gum-chewing days.
For example, Gregor said, the PTA is fundraising for new playground equipment this year.
"With a donation for that purpose, children will be allowed to chew gum on a designated day," she said.
The Student Council also can declare designated gum chewing days with the principal's approval, Gregor said.
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Math + Chewing Gum = Better Grades?
Chewing Gum Might Make Teachers Frown but It Improves Academic Performance, Study Says
By Bill Hendrick
From the WebMD Archives
April 23, 2009 -- Chewing sugarless gum during class and while doing homework may improve academic performance of adolescents, a new study says.
The research was underwritten by the William Wrigley Jr. Co., the Chicago-based chewing gum giant, but scientists from the Baylor College of Medicine say that didn’t influence the study’s design or its outcome.
And scientists who had nothing to do with the study say it’s likely that chewing gum can reduce stress, leading to enhanced concentration and thus better academic performance.
The results of the study, by Craig Johnston, PhD, an instructor of pediatrics-nutrition at the Baylor College of Medicine, and colleagues are were at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition’s Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2009.
Johnston and his team enlisted 108 eighth-grade students in four math classes, randomly assigning them to two groups: one group chewed Wrigley’s sugar-free gum during school, while doing homework, and also while taking a standardized test; students in the control group didn’t chew gum.
Johnston tells WebMD that students who chewed gum showed an increase in standardized math test scores after 14 weeks of chomping in class and while doing homework, compared to those who didn’t chew.
Gum chewing was associated with a 3% increase in standardized math scores, which Johnston terms small but still “statistically significant.”
The youngsters who chewed also had final math grades that were “significantly better” than those who didn’t chew, Johnston says.
The participants included 52 girls and 56 boys. The gum chewers reported chewing at least one stick of gum 86% of the time they were in math class and 36% of the time they were doing homework. Johnston says that chewing gum reduces stress and anxiety and increases arousal.
“Some researchers speculate that a decreased level of stress leads to better focus and concentration, which may explain the relationship between gum chewing and increased focus and concentration,” Johnston says. He adds that the study “demonstrates the potential benefits of chewing gum on academic performance in a real-life, classroom setting with teenagers.”
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He says more research is needed to determine whether chewing would help people in other subjects, such as English and history, “but this is an exciting first step.”
Daniel Moran, PhD, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, says the results are plausible but that he needs more convincing, especially since the study was funded by a chewing gum company.
“It makes sense that if it’s acting as a stress reliever, it is making you smarter,” he tells WebMD after reading Johnston’s abstract. “I’d like to know more about the brain mechanism that’s affecting this.”
Michael Posner, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, says such studies are “difficult to evaluate” because “it is not possible to tell if chewing gum has an influence or whether those who chew gum are different in other ways from those who did not.”
He tells WebMD that there’s no evidence in the study that higher scores in math or other subjects wouldn’t result from “any form of eating or other movements."
“It could even be that the attitude created by being allowed to do something that might be forbidden in class might be important to the effect,” he tells WebMD. “The evidence of self-reported stress reduction and alertness seems to support the advantage of gum chewing over doing nothing, but does not indicate whether gum chewing has a special advantage over other forms of activity.”
Still, Johnston says educators who examined the study’s results were “impressed.”
The Wrigley firm says in a statement that the study is meaningful and should be of interest to parents “when related to small steps that can lead to better academic performance.”
It says the study builds on previous research but says it is chewing gum and not a particular brand that leads to better scores and reduced stress.
The study was supported by the Wrigley Science Institute, which says its research is focused on exploring the impact of chewing gum on focus, alertness, concentration, situational stress, weight management and oral health.
The Baylor researchers say their study in a “high stakes testing environment underscores the need for novel approaches to facilitate improved academic performance as standardized test scores have become a mandatory requirement for assessing academic achievement.”
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD on 3/, 009
Pros and Cons of Chewing Gum
Mar 10, 2014
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A well-known candy item, chewing gum is loved by many people, especially children who favor bubble-gum sugary flavors. A lot of schools and some business places demand that employees and students restrain from chewing gum not knowing that there are also some health benefits that can be acquired from it.
So, if you are one of those people who love or hate chewing gum, knowing about the advantages and disadvantages of doing it may provide you a better idea about the activity. You may want to weigh in the pros and cons of chewing gum before making up your mind about chewing gum.
The Pros of Chewing Gum
1. Chewing gum is recognized as good help for heartburn relief. Researchers have discovered that the extra saliva produced by chewing may seem to neutralize the digestive acid inside the stomach, which had leaked into one’s esophagus. This activity also seemed to assist in forcing back the fluids into the stomach. Therefore, it offers relief from heartburn. Chewing gum, of course sugarless, for at least thirty minutes can do the trick and could offer relief for as long as three hours.
2. Aside from the relief it offers to heartburn, chewing gum may also kill bacteria and thus making your breathe fresher. Chewing can stimulate production of saliva, so the more saliva inside your mouth means lesser bacteria to have in it. A gum sweetened with the substance known as xylitol is believed to boost salivation and avoid replication of bacteria inside the mouth. When it comes to choosing the flavor, it is great to prefer cinnamon because it could actually help with reduction of bacteria inside your mouth, naturally sugar-free cinnamon.
3. Another advantage you can get from chewing gum is the possible weight loss. A lot of chewing gum brands are packed with calories and sugar, which may lead to weight gain. But then, some studies claimed that chewing gum, particularly the ones free of sugar content can actually decrease mindless eating and food cravings. It has been recognized that chewing gum can suppress appetite, particularly cravings for sweets and decreased snack intake.
The Cons of Chewing Gum
Even with several advantages of chewing gum, it also has some disadvantages. The following are some of these:
1. Excessive Gas. Even though chewing might be helpful for weight loss, it may also lead to stomach discomfort. According to studies, chewing gum may cause belching and gas, as within the chewing process, added air amount is being swallowed.
2. Dental Health. Chewing gum may also provide some effect on your dental health. Chewing gum with sugar content may harm your teeth, which causes cavities leading to tooth decay.
3. Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome. People suffering from temporomandibular syndrome must avoid chewing gum since the act of chewing may strain their jaw joints.
How Do You Feel About Chewing Gum?
By weighing the advantages and disadvantages of chewing gum, you must conclude of how you feel about it. It provides both advantages and disadvantages. So, depending on your understanding you must then decide whether the act of chewing gum is right for you or not.
Topic: No Gum chewing in School
Audience: Students
Purpose: To make students see the negative impact chewing gum has on the school
environment.
0- Introductory Statement: To most, gum chewing is a harmless activity that both students and
adults enjoy. However, it also can have its drawbacks. Gum chewing in the school environment
can be destructive and distractive.
1- Thesis Statement (your opinion clearly stated): Therefore, I strongly feel that gum chewing
in the school setting should not be allowed.
Body Paragraph 1:
2- Second strongest argument: The first reason why I feel gum chewing should not be allowed
in the classroom, is because it can destroy school property .
3- Detail: Gum is a sticky substance, and if it is not disposed of properly, it can become
embedded in carpets as students go from class to class. Once set in, this substance can be almost
impossible to get out.
3-Detail: The underneath of desks become a dumping ground for this gummy mess; defacing
the desk and creating a breeding ground for germs.