Recess. One of the fundamental aspects of being a kid and getting an education. Right?
Today, the topic of recess (and lack thereof) came up several times throughout the school day. First, the boy I mentioned yesterday, C, was wandering around the classroom during reading. He has books in his book box that are just right for him (cue: previous blog post) but no desire to sit. He paces around the room for much of the school day, including times that are low-key, like listening to a read aloud or directions. My CT was trying to talk to him for the third or fourth time in the last ten or so minutes to remind him again what his job was. After he walked away from her, she said, "You can do it now or you can do it at recess." Gasp! For this teaching team, this is a last straw. We understand the value of recess and that it's an opportunity for kids who aren't great at sitting and listening all day to stretch their legs and get some oxygen.
The second time it came up is when I was walking my students back from PE. We passed another 2/3 class in the hallway, and I overheard the teacher say, "Now Miles, why would you do something like that?" Miles (presumably) said, "I was bored and didn't know what else to do." The teacher then asserted, "Well, just so you know, you'll be missing all of recess because of it." Now, it's hard to take a short snippet of a hallway conversation to make conclusions about a student or a teacher's practice. However, based on what I've heard about this teacher, this type of "punishment" or "consequence" is right on par with her teaching style. If the kid says that he was bored, offer him some solutions. He could do math facts in his head. He could plan out a story he'll write the next day. He can plan his dream lunch. He can think about his favorite person. Anything! Nothing busts boredom better than recess or free time with friends, so why keep him from that?
The third and final time recess was discussed today was the one that fired me up the most. I overheard that one of the 4/5 teachers held her entire class in for a 15 minute recess with their heads down on the table because 5/18 kids weren't following directions. Once again, it's hard to judge a situation based on hearsay, but this seems unreasonable to me. Preventing most of your students from the few times a day when they aren't regulated by teachers will only lead to more issues for the rest of the day. The only reason why this is effective is because you're making the kids feel shame. Now, I understand that there are times and places where shame could or should be applied. You talk back to an elderly woman in church? You should feel a ashamed. You intentionally break your little sister's favorite doll right in front of her unprovoked? Maybe shameful. You don't follow directions imposed by a teacher who appears to be only somewhat in touch with her students needs? Hardly. If I were teaching that class, I would reflect on my own teaching and figure out why five kids were having a hard time. Were the directions unclear? Was it too hard? Did they have all the information they needed? Was the activity engaging?
This is a huge topic that I plan on revisiting in the future. Ever since my mom told me that my home school was very close to cutting recess altogether to increase instructional time, this topic has been a big one for me. Give the kids time and space to RUN and PLAY and do all the things that we normally tell them not to do.
Peace & love,
Ms. T
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