Comments on: In the news: Recess improves student discipline

By: Steve Buel

Steve Buel — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:32:47 +0000

When they start talking about time on task and increasing the school year it is so short-sighted. One of the recent books I have read on the brain even talks about the importance of recess and PE to learning.

By: pdxmomto2

pdxmomto2 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:32:19 +0000

I have just heard through the grape vine that recess has been reduced to one 10 minute period per day at the neighborhood school my daughter will be attending Kindergarten at this year (Vernon). I’m outraged, and depressed…. and considering home schooling…

I’ve decided she can go to school as long as SHE wants to, but if she doesn’t want to go I will not make her go.

By: ourkidsdeservemore

ourkidsdeservemore — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:31:42 +0000

I have been begging, pleading, arguing for our children to have recess. My children went from happy, excited to attend school to fighting not to go. I have heard too many stories about entire classes being punished for one’s inappropriate behavior. Silent lunches, no recess, when are parents going to fight for their kids?

By: marcia

marcia — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:20:04 +0000

Timely. I was just reading NEAToday..an article in there says kids who are denied recess are more unruly and more obese…according to researchers at New york’s Albert Eistein College of Medicine. I don’t think we need Einstein to decipher this…The article goes on to state that “increasing seat time” is not the answer… In Asia (the countries who usually outstrip us in test scores)…most elementary schools provide a 10 minute break after every 40 to 50 minutes of insturctional time…..Susan Ohanian emailed me last year after a trip to Korea..and talked about how wonderful the programs there were for the younger kids…Rooms filled with plastic jumpy balls for play time…recess…etc..Maybe we are missing something here…

By: Wacky Mommy

Wacky Mommy — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:13:46 +0000

enough sugar,

oh. My God. Please tell me you’re joking? But I know you’re not.

By: enoughsugarcoatingalready

enoughsugarcoatingalready — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:51:31 +0000

One thing that I just found out about my childs school, which will become a full k-8 in the fall ( they added 6th grade 2 years ago, 7th grade last year ) is that students used to have the option of going to the library during their lunch recess if they wanted to ( of course, on most days and with most kids, running around outside is the preferred way to spend recess ) however, this option no longer exists..want to know why? The library has now become the teachers lunch lounge as their old teachers lounge is now a classroom. So perhaps next year, when 8th grade moves in…the library will be on rolling carts in order to use the library as a classroom and the teachers will eat in their…cars?

By: Steve Rawley

Steve Rawley — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:45:27 +0000

My understanding is that at the K8s, lunch/recess periods are squeezed even more, all the way down to K.

By: Wacky Mommy

Wacky Mommy — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:24:13 +0000

Peter — it bothers this mom. You’re not alone.

By: Peter Campbell

Peter Campbell — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:03:45 +0000

ohme – I’ve talked to lots of parents about this. It doesn’t seem to bother them. I end up feeling like I must be the one with the problem. But then I stop and say, “Wait a minute . . . huh???” One of the chief reasons I elected to take my kid out of our neighborhood school was precisely this reason. A full-day Kindergarten program where they have 15 minutes of recess and then a lunch/recess combo for 30 minutes. Figure they spend 15 minutes eating and then go outside. That’s 30 minutes total in a day that starts at 8:30 in the morning and goes until 3 in the afternoon. We’re talking about 5 and 6-year olds here! If there’s someone on this blog who understands this policy, please enlighten me!

By: ohme

ohme — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:05:05 +0000

The “no recess to improve test scores” idea is insanity. I don’t know how to fix this, except for parents being OUTRAGED and letting principals know constantly how bad this is for kids. It would also help if teachers had the right to choose what is best for their students in this regard, rather than administrators. We know if the kids need a break more than anyone-we are in the room with them! I also think back to any workshop or class I have taken-after 2 hours in a chair, ADULTS need a break. Why would k-3 students need any less?
We also need a discussion about minimum lunch times. My k-8 has only 30 minutes for lunch AND recess. This is not enough time for little children to eat and play. Convicts get more time to eat than our children do. They need at LEAST 20 minutes for eating and 20 minutes for playing. (I would prefer 25 for each). The excuses we get from administration about why small children do not get more time for recess are ridiculous.
We are told to spend a certain amount of minutes on reading, writing, math…but putting these minutes in your schedule and keeping children in their seat for that time does NOT guarantee good learning.
Parents, speak up! Insist on better for your child!