Recess

My friend Kathleen posted this article today, from Edutopia. It's about the need for recess in elementary school. Not a 20 minute, hurry up and get outside, run round and come back recess. The author, advocates for at least 45 but preferable a full 60 minutes of recess. I'll get to the reasons why in a minute, because I agree with her 100%.  But I'd like to expound on a point she touched on in the beginning before she even outlined her three reasons.

The 15 or 20 minute recess is a logistical nightmare for the elementary school teacher. I know, because I did it.  Let me say, I totally support the need for recess and subscribe to the notion that some is better than none. But the 15-20 minute recess, is not 15-20 minutes, and it is almost more hassle than it's worth. The trek to the playground, the trek back, takes at least 7-10 minutes combined. If you can do elementary math and you're following along, you realize we're back down to 5-10 minutes total of actual recess. Now add to that the need to drink water (we live in the oppressive and sometimes dangerous heat of Florida), the need to cool down when you come in, and that time outside takes more prep and recovery than the recess time itself. The author's three reasons, for providing an hour of recess time, with my added commentary are:

1. Creative Play:
The author explains that 15-20 minutes barely gives the kids enough time to figure out what they're going to play and what everyone's roles are, let alone time to actually play. Yes, yes, yes. But I would add to this, that we over structure and over supervise too. Teachers are being forced to because administrators and school districts are so scared of parent backlash... over regular everyday kids stuff (at least by my childhood standards). Adults are always standing by to break up kids' disagreements, protect against "bullies,"* help maintain a made-up standard of fairness. I'm not advocating for ignoring a situation which warrants adult intervention. However, when we jump in to their games to establish rules, we are not allowing them the learning opportunity to recognize and establish these norms on their own. It's called creative and imaginative play for a reason. As the author suggests, kids need time and space to make up their own games. They also need time and space to solve their own problems without an adult jumping to rescue them out of every difficult situation.

2. Social-Emotional Development:
The author shares that more and more children are having trouble with social interaction and reading cues. She notes that structured social skills lesson with adults facilitating role plays is limited, and kids need real-life practice during real experiences. As someone who has taught required social skills lessons at several schools, I could not agree more. The learning in those lessons pretty much stops when the lesson is over. It could be considered good practice for a student who really struggles with any kind of social interaction. It helps having an adult to help coax her into framed interactions. But the real learning happens when kids have impromptu interactions in authentic settings, where and when they can practice with genuine feedback. Sometimes the unfiltered feedback of kids around their age is most effective. No sugar coating, no over dramatizing negative comments, just kids being real kids. Adults don't need to yell out every time a kid is mean. The kids are pretty good at pointing it out on their own. Besides, everyone who interacts with kids in anyway, knows they are more receptive to feedback from each other than they are from adults. That's not to say turn your back and don't pay attention. But let them try to figure stuff out on their own. If you're paying attention you'll know when you need to jump in. None of this can happen inside 15 minutes. An adult is more likely to yank a kid out so the others can play before the time is up. Then, rather than learning to interact better with her peers, the student is stuck on the sidelines pouting and getting mad.

3. Physical Regulation
This one is so important.  I'm not sure where the author is from, but she didn't address the weather. As I mentioned earlier, the weather here in Florida is a huge factor. Body temperature regulation and proper hydration all play into the recess schedule. Playground temperatures regularly sit in the 80s and 90s and before and after recess the kids are in the air conditioned buildings. The drastic temperature changes can really impact physical and cognitive functioning. But the author cites some research about short recess making kids more hyper. Imagine going to the gym for a 15 minute workout. Just as you're getting active and feeling pumped, it's time to go. Your adrenaline is up and your workout is over. A 15 minute recess can have the same impact on school children. Just as their bodies are active and they are physically ready to play, we bring them back in and ask them to sit down and concentrate. That's not easy. The author explains that an extended recess time would give the kids time to be active, regulate their bodies, and allow them to bring their activity level back down again. That cycle can't happen when there isn't enough time to experience each stage. This is why some teachers may find the mini recess worse than no recess at all.

Anyway you slice it, kids need more activity. They need to spend more time outside. I am not anti-technology. I don't believe that TV and video games cause ADHD. But I do believe that kids need a heavy dose of nature and the outdoors. I believe in life there is a balance. It is up to adults to teach children the benefits of moderation and to help them understand the balance. Our schools right now are not teaching balance. I don't blame the schools or any of the people in them. I blame bad policy and bureaucracy. There would be arguments there aren't enough hours in the day.

I would say add more time. The Teachers Union would say you can't add more hours to the work day unless you increase teachers' salaries. I would say so increase teachers' salaries; they're too low anyway. I would also say, if teachers saw the kind of schedule and school day they know is right for kids- the kind they've been advocating for- most of them would be onboard.

Or I would say kids will function better with more recess. Kids who move and interact and solve problems during recess, are probably more likely to increase concentration and motivation to do well in class. But what do I know? A mom and teacher of 18 years, what could I possibly know about kids?

In an upcoming post, I'm going to address how people need to be outside for completely unstructured undirected time as well. 


*I put bullies in quotation marks to denote the overuse of the word- not because they don't exist, but because we have bastardized the meaning of the word to the point that kids and parents, and even teachers, don't use it correctly anymore. It undermines the attention needed to address true bullies, and their targets, in an appropriate manner.