It has long been a rule at many private and public schools to prohibit students from chewing gum in class. Gum chewing is widely perceived as disrespectful to teachers and as well as a disturbance in general. In addition, the sound of people chewing gum with their mouths open is widely loathed.  One study found that 78% of teachers felt gum chewing distracted students during class discussions time.

Ms. Stephanie Fajardo, a Biology and Physical Universe teacher from Los Angeles said gum chewing itself isn’t bad, but rather a matter of the student being loud on purpose:

A student being obnoxious while chewing gum is a student who is purposefully loud, sometimes going so far as sticking their gum on the classroom furniture. Many teachers think this way as well and believe that students should only be given the privilege to chew gum if they are willing to follow basic rules.

Despite this negative interpretation, gum chewing is said to have many benefits. To test these benefits, some students were asked to chew gum while taking a test. The students who chewed gum scored 3% higher than students who didn’t. Gum-chewing students believe it helps them feel relaxed and therefore perform to their best abilities. 

It has been proven that chewing gum significantly relieves anxiety. In addition,  the muscle movements employed while chewing gum improve alertness and increase memory. The action itself aids cognitive tasks such as memory, thinking ability, and stimulates increased brain activity, leading to an improvement in creativity. 

Further evidence of the benefits of chewing gum is the fact that 65% of athletes chew gum to relieve stress before a game, thus proving that it helps them. Former professional basketball player Michael Jordan was frequently spotted chewing gum during warmups.

Another study asserted that gum chewing can improve memory by as much as 40%.

In effect, chewing gum has benefits which far outweigh the downsides.

As long as students chew quietly,  and then dispose of their gum in the proper waste paper receptacle, it should be allowed.