Here in our inner city school district recess was "banned" at least 5 years ago. Plus we were told NOT to accompany the class to the bathroom and that kids should be sent out "as needed".
All of this was supposedly done to "recapture" instructional time.
As virtually everyone on this site seems to agree, the decision was, to use a terrible word, stupid. Brain research (Eric Jensen) has shown that kids need unstructured play time to help assimilate all of the "stuff" we teachers have to push into their little heads.
My wife and I are both elementary teachers, and we agree it should be mandatory that all administrators go back into the classroom and teach every few years to keep them in touch with reality.
Teacherman
P.S. A more sympathetic vice principal has recently allowed us to tack on a 10 minute recess after lunch if we personally accompany the children outside.
How out of touch with reality can an administrator be? Children need unstructured time, just like adults do. I'm sure that the time your kiddos will "gain" won't make them any more engaged than if that time were spent in recess.
There are so many things that kids learn on a playground. The social cues that they can pick up from their peers can help them with their problem solving skills and their ability to see what the norm is in social settings. On top of that, it is good for the mind and body. Kids need fresh air, vitamin d, and the opportunity to run, jump, and play. I am SO glad that our school system does not subscribe to this theory. I don't care if it is 30 degrees, we go out for a few minutes every day. Rainy days are hard enough. I cannot imagine doing away with it completely!
We only have about 20 minutes of recess daily depending on when you go to lunch. If you're one of the classes who go last you might just have 5-10 minutes which isn't enough for 2nd graders.
I just hate the kids don't have time to play with each other at school.
"Young rats denied opportunities for rough-and-tumble play develop numerous social problems in adulthood. They fail to recognize social cues and the nuances of rat hierarchy; they aren’t able to mate. By the same token, people who play as children “learn to handle life in a much more resilient and vital way,” said Dr. Stuart Brown, the author of the new book “Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul” (Avery)."
That was just a snippet from the article I linked. What kind of adults are these children going to grow up to be like? We are turning them into lab rats....and I'm afraid this experiment is going to really cause a lot of harm.
__________________ “The least productive people are usually the ones who are most in favor of holding meetings”
Not only do they need that time to play, but think of how many go home and sit in front of a screen of some kind and never experience fresh air till the next morning. I have one kid, in 1st grade, who has repeatedly told me that recess is boring...and now they want to do away with the only time that some kids are outside? At the school I student taught at, their 3rd grade classes still had 2 recesses, one in morning, and one in the afternoon. I had a lot less behavior problems than I do now with one recess.
Currently, I am a K teacher, and at my school, there is NO recess for any grades! It is so strict and rediculous (sp) if you ask me! Kids need time even if it is 10 min. to stretch and enjoy being with their friends.
Wow I can't believe that they can do that. In Australia, in every public school, students have 2 breaks; Morning tea - which includes a 15 minute supervised seated eating time, and a 25 minute free outdoor play time & Lunch - a 15 minute supervised seated eating time and a 45 minute free outdoor play time.
Students are also required to do a minimum 30 minutes physical activity with their classroom teacher on top of scheduled specialist PE lessons. This is for every grade level - even up to high school. In the younger grades they have this as well as free & structured outdoor play as part of their curriculum.
Posted this back in March under the title - "Bathroom break - the new recess"
When I was doing my clincial experience (5th grade), I attended a staffing meeting. One of the topics was...let's have a SCHOOL policy on how to travel in the hallways, and how to behave in the bathrooms.
(I should mention that one class in this school was the behavioral class- don't know it's official title- for the entire district, and there were some very tough/urban areas of this district. This multi-age class was the next step before these kids went into juvenile detention. but I'll tell you - the teacher ran a VERY tight ship...and we NEVER heard a peep from that room. But partially due to having this class in the building, the staff tried to set some issues up as SCHOOL procedures- to give a sense of fairness to all.)
Ok... so, do we let them whisper? Not talk at all? Walk rigidly? Walk in clusters as long as they are not out of "line" with their behavior? And what about IN the bathrooms? Can they talk? Linger? Some teachers wanted the rules to be tough and worthy of detentions or violations. Others...well...
After the meeting my teacher and I went back to his room. (Some may recall my stories about this man- the one who wanted his class to toughen up before jr high and get rid of the baby-edge.) He was a sensational teacher, and really emphasized to me the art and importance of reflection in teaching.
Here were HIS points..
For goodness sake... you take away recess, and then you expect them to walk rigidly and never speak. "I let them chat in there (the bathroom)-as long as it doesn't get too loud- and linger, as long as we finish it within 5-7 minutes. After all...that's the only time they really DO get a break throughout the day. Sadly...It's the new recess."
