The End of Recess

So, I don't have a quote for this post. But, I do have a picture. Now for the inspiration behind the post. I was at Breakaway on Tuesday night, I'm a volunteer. I had to sit out so that I could study, and was listening to my friend talk about a paper about recess that he wrote for a class. I didn't realize it, but apparentley there is controveresey over whether public schools should stop giving children a recess period...

I was thinking about it after Breakaway, and thought that this would make a good post. Rather, that my thoughts on the subject might make for a good post. There, so that's my inspiration for the post. Now for the meat and potatoes of this installment.

Simply put, I am a fan of recess. I only have three reasons but I think that they're excellent. Reason 1. for why schools should give their students a recess period- Children, being... well children are young and vivacious; they're full of life and energy. Anyone who has a younger sibling, or has spent time with them knows what I mean. Moreover, children have very short attention spans. What does all of this mean?? They need a chance to get rid of some of that energy or restlessness. When children are able to go out and play for awhile they are able to take a break, and kind of calm down a bit. When they get back into the class room, they are more focused and are more prepared to listen.

Reason 2. Is this. Learning can take place outside of the classroom... What I mean is that, children can learn a lot on the playground, or on field trips, or somewher else. When students spend time together on the playground they're kind of being socialized and learn how to play well with others. This is sooooo important. A kid whose lacking in social skills, or hasn't spent a lot of time around other kids is at a huge disadvantage.

Reason 3.- Children need excercise. I'd heard a while ago, I'm not sure where, that in some schools they're closing/ taking away P.E. Programs. If this is the case and I'm right about this than recess is a decent option. Besides that, kids need to get out some, and by out I mean outdoors. The sun is good for children. The same is true for everyone... Seasonal depression is actually fairly common. It's especially common in areas of little sunlight, or areas where it is colder. So, it's simply good for children to get out some.

I realize where administrators could be coming from. State mandated testing makes it harder for some. When these the issues become worries, or when schools fail to meet state requirements it causes adminstrators to look and find solutions. One solution might be to cut back on recess, or to cut it completely. However, for the reasons listed above, I think that it would be a huge mistake to make that decision.