Our school has many great things about it. It’s a friendly environment with lots of great people. Unfortunately, there are some people in our school with a nasty habit. Throughout our school, a significant portion of the student body chews tobacco.
Personally, I don’t have anything against chewing. What I do have a problem with is people spitting it all over the sinks and stalls of the bathrooms, as well as other places and making a mess of our school. It is annoying to everyone who has to see it, and it creates a problem for the custodians who have to clean it up when they have more important things to be doing. It also is a distraction when teachers have to deal with chewing students in the middle of class.
I’m not the only one who has a problem with the mess it leaves in our school. Other students have their opinions as well. Shawn Doely, a student here at AHS, gave his perspective. He commented, “I don’t mind it, just be respectful and throw it away. If you’re going to chew in school, don’t spit on the floor.”
If everyone that chewed in school was respectful enough to dispose of their chew properly, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Pictured: some common varieties of chewing tobacco.
Unfortunately, people continue to throw chew on the floors, against walls, and in the bathrooms. Another problem is that chewing in school is illegal and people get in trouble when they get caught. They may have to pay a fine, and they can get suspended from school. “People get caught and it cuts them off from learning because they are suspended all the time,” said one student. He also added, “People should just wait until school is out.”
I think this is the best way to solve this problem. If someone absolutely must chew in school, they should have the courtesy to at least keep our school clean, however, I would suggest that people should just wait until they are out of school in order to make our school a better place.