When I tell people that I do not have a lunch, I am usually met with one of three responses: 1. ‘You are crazy.’ 2. ‘You are dumb.’ or 3. ‘You are a tryhard.’ During different parts of the year and in different grades, I have felt all of these things. 

I had a lunch as a freshman and a junior, and I waived my lunch when I was a sophomore and a senior in order to take some extra classes. So with a lot of experience with lunch, or lack of it, under my belt, let me tell you what I think about it.

The pros:

Disclaimer: I do not promote not having a lunch. I did not waive my lunch out of pleasure, but of necessity (for me). That being said, it is useful to have an extra period in your day. Sophomore year, I was able to take AP Statistics, and since I already knew I wanted to take Multivariable Calculus senior year, taking statistics that year prevented me from missing out. Senior year, I ended up taking AP Chemistry, which is a double period class. Thus, it pushed out my lunch. But I do not regret it; I have had a lot of fun in chemistry and most days, it does not feel like it is that long. I am really glad to have taken these two classes, and it would not have been possible without skipping out on lunch.

This is not as much of a pro, but I have learned to work around not having a lunch. My journalism teacher lets me, so I eat my lunch in her class. It is during fifth period, so it is not much different from other students’ lunches. Also, as I run cross country and track and field, I am pretty much in a PE exemption all year round, save for the two months before the end of first semester. With a PE exemption, I am able to get a lot of homework done, as well as study or go to the testing center, which are all things I would usually do in lunch.

The cons:

There are many times that I do wish I had a lunch, however. I do not remember freshman year as much, but I did enjoy my lunch junior year a lot. I had a lot of friends that period, and we bided our time chatting about our day, studying for an upcoming test, or playing NYT games on our iPads.

Not having a lunch makes it difficult to get through the day sometimes, because there is not a designated time in my day that I get to relax, unwind, and get a true break from learning. As a result, my school days feel really long and like I am spiraling through my classes with relentless momentum.

This next con is kind of obvious: a lack of nutritional substance. When I was a sophomore, I had a really hard time at practice because I was not eating enough during the school day. Though I did have snacks here and there in my classes, a tray of fries and a granola bar was not going to cut it, so I would be really fatigued by the end of the day. Now, I am starting to bring more food from home, so it has not been as bad. 

Even though I am now a senior, I have also never used my off-campus privileges. With no lunch, I cannot waltz off to a restaurant with friends or take a quick trip home like most upperclassmen can. When I think about it, it is unlucky that I do not get to experience some of the privileges that I have.

But what I think has been the worst about not having lunch is the social isolation. Seeing your friends in class is not quite the same as seeing your friends at lunch. You cannot really freely talk to them in the middle of your class period, but at lunch, you can decompress around people you care about without the overbearing and stressful environment that school comes with. I especially remember sophomore year second semester, all of my friends had 7th period lunch together while I was in PE. I felt disconnected from them because they would divulge in gossip and information that I would have no idea about when later referenced to. 

Reflection:

I would not say that waiving a lunch is the most ideal situation, but it is also not as bad as people make it out to be. It simply matters what your priorities are. Some years, those priorities have been taking classes that interest me, and others where I preferred that break. But looking back on it now, I do not regret the choices I have made. They worked for me, and if that time ever comes where you have to choose, think about what works best for you.