In response to Eliminating Recess Hurts Kids: When Testing Pressure is Too Great, We All Lose By Nicholas Thacher
If I haven’t taught my students in 8 hours how to read, write and do arithmetic’s then they won’t learn it in an extra 10- 15 minutes. Recess time is vital to our student’s mental processing and not giving it to them will definitely change the data, for the worse. When learning something one must have time to process it, but we don’t give our students that ability.
My county’s policy is learning must be going on from the morning bell to the afternoon bell. Below you will see my class schedule.
School begins at 7:45
7:45- 7:55- Morning Announcements
7:55- 8:40- Writing and Language Arts
8:40- 10:10- Reading
10:10- 11:05- Science/Social Studies/Health
11:05- 11:50- Specials- P.E., Music, Computer, Art
11:50- 11:58- Bathroom Break
11:58- 12:28- Lunch
12:28- 12:55- Science/ Social Studies/ Health (cont.)
12:55- 1:55- Math
1:55- 2:10- Reflection Journals
2:10- 2:15- Pack up
2:15- Dismissal
With this schedule there is no processing time. No time to be an individual, to run and play. Everything is back to back to back. As an adult I don’t learn that way and why we expect that of our students is cruel. Why we expect 5 to 10 years old (K-5) to sit and learn for that long period is just ridiculous and something should be done about it.
Looking at my schedule and knowing my students I feel that recess should be inputted right after lunch. We already did Science, Social Studies or Health before we went to Specials and continuing it is not effective because my kids aren’t paying me any attention. Allowing them to run, play and process for that short period will allow them to focus on the next major subject, which is math.
The physical activity not only stimulates their brain activity but also give our students the much need exercise they are lacking in their daily lives. If someone making the “rules” don’t soon realize that physical stimulation is important to our mental state of mind, our students are doomed.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that recess is important. That 15 minutes that the students are not in the class learning educational material means they are out on the playground learning social and life skills, which many of them are lacking. Just because they are not receiveing reading, writing or math, does not mean they are not learning. Plus, kids just need the break. We get 15 minute breaks when we are doing a job, so why don't they get 15 minute breaks to process what they are learning and have a good run around the playground?