School recess: The next educational battleground?

I was completely unaware of the problem until very recently when my son told me he had no recess. I was floored. I could not imagine that such a thing was possible. I just took it for granted that recess is an essential part of a school day. I'll see what I can do locally to challenge this.

You know, I don't think that's such a bad thing. In my own experience, recess and lunch were terrifying for a lot of us who were bullied during that time. More often than not, we'd just end up in the library (or others in the field doing drugs). Believe me, there were days I wished there were no recesses, a quick lunch just long enough to eat, and then a shorter day so I could just get home.

Recess is time to bond through play from my own experience at least - a time to create "in and out groups"; where children have the power to negotiate and decide for themselves who they want to interact with. Guess different societal structures have different expectations for the usage of "recess". Bullying is relative; there is but a thin line to bullying and playful teasing.

When I was in 6th grade, our school introduced recess - we all thought it was an old-fashioned thing that our parents did, but didn't know that we were supposed to have it. By that time, though, we were the oldest grade in the school, and we were too cool to participate much in recess; instead, we stood around outside and chatted. I wonder if maybe they had started it in our school earlier if we would have actually used the time to play - before we were too cool to play.

As well as the purely psychological benefits that the freedom to play gives, there is another, far more important aspect for younger children.

There is considerable evidence that links physical activity, the cerebellum and academic skills such as reading and paying attention. [ http://www.myomancy.com/2006/06/the_cerebellum_.html ].

The cerebellum is known to control gross and fine motor skills but over the last thirty years awareness has been a slowly growing its role in cognitive functions, especially in areas effecting learning. Evidence was being collected thirty years ago showing a correlation between poor physical coordination and hyperactivity [ http://www.myomancy.com/2005/11/twenty_eight_ye.html ].

Problems with cerebellum development have also been linked to Biploar Disorder, a problem that is often comorbid with ADHD. [ http://www.myomancy.com/2005/11/adhd_bipolar_th.html ].

If recess and its associated physical play are lost then opportunities to train and grow the cerebellum are reduced.

Chris

Disclaimer: All links are to my blog Myomancy [ http://www.Myomancy.com ] on the science and treatment of ADHD, dyslexia and autism.

First, kids can't be expected to concentrate effectively all day without breaks. Most adults sure as hell can't.

Second, getting kids out of the library, even if it means being in amongst the bullies, is important to their social deveopment. Bullying should be in all ways discouraged, but the kids who don't interact with other kids enough are the ones who fail to develop important social skills - so they end up being bullied even more. "Recess" and other free-play times are damn important for that social interaction and development.

Yeah, it's torture for a lot of kids, but so is maths for others. It's still a very important lesson to learn.

Hell, it's important for bullies to get some social context on their behaviour, too. Most grow out of it - but it takes time, and that means a whole lot of recess. Who wants adult bullies?

Why is it that adults--often adults with little to no immediate family--believe children should receive fewer privileges than they themselves have? Most adults who work nine to five or a similar shift receive 30 minutes to an hour of lunchtime and two 15 minute breaks. This doesn't include the countless number of studies recently done to show how little work most office jobs produce; a vast amount of time is spent (wasted?) on browsing the internet or office politics, such as yammering at meetings. Why should children be treated like workhorses?

If I had children in a school system where there was little lunchtime and no breaks, as was the case when I was in high school a few years ago, I'd just tell them to do as I did: take naps to make up for that time. Didn't hurt my GPA a bit, and it was a nice way of telling the system to go stuff itself.

Quoted:
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If I had children in a school system where there was little lunchtime and no breaks, as was the case when I was in high school a few years ago, I'd just tell them to do as I did: take naps to make up for that time. Didn't hurt my GPA a bit, and it was a nice way of telling the system to go stuff itself.
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That's the best thing I read all day, and a damn fine plan.

I found this article, and the comments written to be fascinating. I'm only 18 years old, and the forty-five minute recess sessions I was given in grade school date back only four years ago. Speaking souly on life-experience, I feel that recess is absolutely vital in the development of children's social and intellectual skills and less important to their physical fitness. Recess not only gives students a relaxing time to look forward to during the day, but it is the only time when students are surrounded by peers, not limited to their friends and family. Although the experience of recess can be awkward or even traumatic to some children via bullying and exclusion, it's through that tormenting and socially awkwardness that students may find ways during their grade school years or perhaps years later to counteract that tendancy. In high school I noticed that the same peers that were excluded and bullied in grade school found a new chance to engage in conversation and had a better understanding of conflict and negotiation. I, myself, fell into this "category" persay and have the ability to reflect and realize that recess, as seemingly juvenille as it may sound, helped me to develop essential life-skills that today, help me to succeed.