Why Should I Be Gracious for Grace?
September 24, 2017
It’s the end of the third period of the day and I anxiously watch as the clock ticks down to 11:25. My stomach rumbles, starving from my previous two “meals” – a minor dinner and an even more negligible breakfast. When the bell rings, I rush to my locker to toss my books and bag in, knowing that if I were late to lunch I would be greeted by a line of about 75 students and teachers in front of the hot food bar. I reach my table, grab my plate to go to the hot food bar, and bolt to the already bulging line. Thankfully today is a good day – I am one of the lucky few who gets to the front before the chaos ensues.
As I count my blessings and bask in my glory, however, an unexpected turn of events occurs. A booming voice announces “everyone quiet down for grace!” and I am forced to sulk back to my table, having to wait for a tradition applying to only the most pious of religious students.
Not only does this “grace” not hold any meaning to me religiously, it also shortens my overall lunch period. The tables closest to the hot food bar are lucky, as once grace is completed, they are able to just jump right in the monstrous line if they don’t want the food that is provided at the lunch table. However, for the students at tables on the far end of the lunchroom, it becomes a mad dash to see who can get to the front of the line for the hot food not available at the lunch table.
The size of this line is ridiculous, forcing students who are uninterested in the small food choices at their table to wait in a line that can slice up to 10 minute, or even 15 minutes in extreme situations, off a student’s lunch period, leaving him only about 10 minutes of the 30 minute period to eat his food and talk to his sponsor or friends during this cherished time of the day (The other 10 minutes of the lunch is cut off early by announcements for the day and clearing the table, but that’s an article for another day).
Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this dilemma that requires virtually no effort: remove the pause for “grace” at the beginning of lunch. I do agree that we are all very fortunate to have the wonderful food served to us every day at lunch and I’m also grateful for the incredible lunch staff we have at University School. However, not allowing students to get their food from the hot food bar at the beginning of lunch only gives the students and faculty less time to eat.
The least that could be done to fix this issue is to allow students to get their food and set up their plates before grace. I don’t care if we aren’t allowed to eat our food before grace, but it is just pointless to prevent us from going to the hot food bar to get food that wouldn’t otherwise be available to us at the lunch table
I don’t know what religious significance the grace period provides for certain individuals, but if we are allowed to have our food in front of us at the lunch table, I believe that we should also be able to get our food from the hot food line to have in front of us before grace is said. If there’s some religious reason that you can’t have food on your plate before you thank God, I respect that, but it’s equally important to realize that a majority of the students at University School have no reason to wait without anything on their plates before grace.
It doesn’t make sense for every University School student to lose 10 minutes off their lunch period every day because of a few others’ beliefs. If we as a school are able to move past this ancient tradition of having “grace” before each lunch period, lunch periods will overall be more productive and enjoyable for students and staff alike.
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Zach Keenan • Oct 8, 2017 at 10:08 pm
I respect your opinion, and these are totally valid concerns that we’ve all complained about before. I can try to offer some answers to this, as a Prefect, the ones who somewhat notoriously dictate the length of the lunch period.
The purpose of grace is two-fold. For religious students, it provides a traditional opportunity. However, for those who are not so observant, grace presents the opportunity to take a deep breath and a short break from the school day. If you find grace useless, I challenge you to use it as an opportunity to think about your day, or to relax for a brief moment before shoveling as many chicken tenders down as possible.
The purpose of staying at your tables before getting food from the bar is one of courtesy: to the teachers, and the kitchen staff. Teachers who have meetings to attend or matters to tend to are given priority in the line. Additionally, it is incredibly overwhelming to our kitchen staff to see a line of “about 75 students.” Take some time to say please and thank you!
Breaking down the 30 minute lunch period into a 10 minute period is ridiculous. Before 11:30, grace is said (for no more than 15 seconds), and at 11:53, announcements are said. This is double the amount of time that you have presented. If we are looking for legitimate change opportunities, I suggest the self-restraint of waiting to get in line right away. Watch- others will follow suit.
Lunch is a time of the day to sit back. Free periods, extensions, break, are all good times, but lunch is the one time of day where we are able to sit back and have a conversation without pressure to get work done. The kitchen staff works very hard to create an environment in which all students are satisfied, and the Prefect Board is always open to suggestions for how to help them. If lunch periods are truly not that enjoyable, we will continue to work on ways to make it a more wholesome conclusion to the morning.
Eric Schoelm • Feb 28, 2018 at 10:48 pm
Zach, although I respect your opinion, I don’t concur.
The religious under (and all-too-often over) tones make me both uncomfortable and even more anxious to get my food.
If grace is to continue, I agree it should be more a moment of pause and thankfulness, not meditation or observation. Religiosity is a choice, especially at a secular school.