Chewing gums should be allowed in schools.

1. "Gum chewing lowers test scores". This is simply untrue because a study back in 2002 shows when chewing gum blood flow increases to your brain and releases certain chemicals to stimulate it as well. Here is the study: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RESEARCH REPORT Clinical Mapping Brain Region Activity during Chewing: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study M. Onozuka1,*, M. Fujita1, K. Watanabe2, Y. Hirano3, M. Niwa4, K. Nishiyama5, and S. Saito6 1 Departments of Anatomy and Basic Neuroscience and 2 Physiology, Gifu University School of Medicine, 40 Tsukasa-machi, Gifu 500-8705, Japan; 3 Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; 4 Department of Radiology, Yoro Central Hospital, Yoro 503-0013, Japan; 5 Department of Biochemistry, Kanagawa Dental College, Yokosuka 238-8580, Japan; and 6 Oral Health Association of Japan, Tokyo 170-0003, Japan; * Mastication has been suggested to increase neuronal activities in various regions of the human brain. However, because of technical difficulties, the fine anatomical and physiological regions linked to mastication have not been fully elucidated. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging during cycles of rhythmic gum-chewing and no chewing, we therefore examined the interaction between chewing and brain regional activity in 17 subjects (aged 20-31 years). In all subjects, chewing resulted in a bilateral increase in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals in the sensorimotor cortex, supplementary motor area, insula, thalamus, and cerebellum. In addition, in the first three regions, chewing of moderately hard gum produced stronger BOLD signals than the chewing of hard gum. However, the signal was higher in the cerebellum and not significant in the thalamus, respectively. These results suggest that chewing causes regional increases in brain neuronal activities which are related to biting force. Also a study in Seattle that has been reported by newspapers shows on how test taking increases as you chew gum. 9-year-old Mackenzie Woelz brought the gum chewing idea to school. She found a scientific study that says chewing gum boosts brain power. "Test scores increased 35%, Chewing gum increased blood flow to brain cells," said Woelz. The British study also found gum chewing stimulates insulin production, and that helps boost memory. This forever and indefinitely proves that chewing gum can help test scores. 2. An annoying gum smacker can lower test scores. Again this is an easy question to solve. A gum smacker if loud and annoying enough can be called by what teachers say a "disturbance to a learning environment" and thus the kid is forced to spit it out until he learns responsibility to chew the right way. Also if the teacher doesn't notice but you do you quietly ask them not to chew gum that way or alert your teacher thus everyone has the chance to chew gum but have to chew it in a proper manner. 3. That kids will stick it under desks. Well for that I have found more studies from Settle, Dallas, and Ohio proving the only reason why they would stick it under their desk because they're afraid if the teacher saw the gum that they would be in trouble. Also if your still skeptical I have interviewed kids on this subject. Take for instance Mike a 5th grader who I ask the subject about and he gave me around the same answer above. So if chewing gum is allowed more of it would be in trash cans than desks. As for some of mine ideas about the subject. Gum is becoming like cell phones today; everyone has it and uses it in class. I say this because it's too hard for teachers and school officers to search for an item all day while the teachers should be teaching and the offices keeping the peace. For gum everyone uses it and it would be too hard for management to handle all those kids by searching them for gum. It's pointless, by making gum allowed in schools it helps kids what they want and they'll know that they won't be in trouble for having it. Thus as I stated above more gum in trash cans and kids will learn responsibility with it. Finally with in my first round I've stated the history of gum. As you can see civilizations have been enjoying it for centuries and has been part of our past and culture. By taking it away your essentially saying this part of our culture is dirty and unethical. So gum should be allowed in schools for what I have stated above, thank you and I wait for my opponent's rebuttal.