recess article from Binah

ffbmom

Sat, Mar 08 2008, 10:35 pm

Anyone see Mrs. Schonfeld's article? Seems public schools are trying to phase out recess. What is your opinion? What is supervision like in your child's school? What are policies for indoor recess?

SingALong

Sat, Mar 08 2008, 10:38 pm

I think that in public schools the kids swithch rooms between classes and I guess that gives them a 5 minutes break between classes, like 5 minutes "break" every 50 minutes of class. maybe that's why the board of ed. feels they dont need it so much.
I personally disagree as I think that recess is VIP for kids. they get to socialize and play. its especially important for schools where the kids sit in the same classroom all day, they really need to get out.

Imaonwheels

Sun, Mar 09 2008, 3:02 am

I went to public school. Is this talking about elementary or HS.

The at least 20 minutes after eating is very important.

One of the things they do here in Israel in elementary school is once or twice a week there is a planned activity for recess. HS aged kids need a little time for social interaction. Kids are not allowed out of a supervised play area.

The problem in PS is how this time is used. To catch a smoke or drugs in the bathroom, to get into fights, vandalism, boy/girl "experimentation". These things can happen at younger ages as well.

Elem students don't switch rooms often in the US. HS kids need that 5 minutes to get to their locker, get the books for the next class and get to another room on time. A teacher can penalize a kid for being a minute late.

I think a move like this, even if it succeeds, will cause discipline problems. The kids won't have any space. Any teacher will tell you also what happens when you have too many rainy days were the kids can't go outside. They start climbing the walls.

amother

Sun, Mar 09 2008, 5:00 am

I grew up in NY and went to public school. In the early fall and late spring the weather was deemed nice enough and we were allowed to play outside during half of the allotted lunchbreak. The rest of the time we sat in the auditorium and read books, NO TALKING ALLOWED! I don't think anyone went crazy from the lack of recess that I could tell, but playing outside was definitely more fun. And, yes, we were basically int he same classroom all day long with the same teacher.

Ruchel

Sun, Mar 09 2008, 8:47 am

I went to public school, and we had half an hour free in the morning, around 10, and in the afternoon around 3, and one hour to eat at noon.
In middle school we started changing rooms (because we had not one but several teachers now, one by course), it took a good 10 minutes although it wasn't supposed to. And DESPITE THAT many kids had a hard time concentrating in the beginning and end of each and every class.

Ruchel

Sun, Mar 09 2008, 12:19 pm

unfortunately along with caring and sharing comes bullying, bashing, hitting... often the bullied dreaded that time without adult checking.

(I'm still very much pro, but NOT without checking)

Mama Bear

Sun, Mar 09 2008, 1:08 pm

No recess? a recipe for disaster. which kid can sit for 3 hours straight and learn, learn, learn? Then what ar they supposed to do with their pent up energies?

I also think teachers need that 10 minute break, why should they hjave to supervise recess time?

I dont know, I grew up with 11 years of schooling, 10 minute break in the morning, an hour for lunch, 10 minutes in the afternoon, no supervision, and nothing bad happened! No one got bullied, no one got left out, no one got hurt. I was never into sports so I hardly ever went out in the backyard to jump rope, I liked staying in class and reading, often reading textbooks or the teachers' edition textbooks from her drawers! Or I used lunchtime to study for afternoon tests. In 11th grade our lunch period was cut to only half an hour since we started school at 9:30, and I missed that!

Ruchel

Sun, Mar 09 2008, 1:10 pm

Good that you were allowed to stay in the classroom! we were never allowed! and definitely I witnessed (and tried to intervene, but what can you do against a dozen of kids) crazy bullying.

Imaonwheels

Sun, Mar 09 2008, 7:34 pm

Quote:

I also think teachers need that 10 minute break, why should they hjave to supervise recess time?

Because children need supervision. Here one or two teachers every day have yard duty. That means they watch the yard once a week at most.

pink car

Sun, Mar 09 2008, 7:53 pm

I think the solutions is to have recess that is supervised

there should be a teacher on duty in the classroom, to make sure that kids are not bulllied, and the teachers need to be on the lookout.

unfortunately, there are lot of kids that are bullied, that we don't realize,

my sister was bullied as a child and it left a mark on her...