If you are a teacher in a school where children are lucky enough to get recess, please don’t use it as a disciplinary tool. Don’t deny students with behavioral issues recess for punishment. If you do, not only will you not be doing right by your students, you will risk looking like you know little about children and their needs.
If you are a teacher with parents who don’t like recess, and I have known parents like this, you need to discuss the importance of recess with them.
The important thing is to know that other professional groups are increasingly understanding the importance of recess and they will point to teachers who deny recess as not doing right by children. Teachers will eventually look most unprofessional—even cruel.
Evie Blad at Ed. Week writes about how there are some places like Minnesota, where lawmakers might rule against permitting teachers to withhold recess as punishment. Many schools are insisting teachers not use recess as punishment. So teachers may no longer be legally permitted to deny recess to a child.
In fact, why teachers have not picketed for recess in general, that they haven’t been out on the frontline fighting for their students’ right to recess, always perplexes me. Teachers should stand with pediatricians and others who support recess.
How many times must it be said, that making children into workhorses with no breaks is tantamount to child abuse?
The fact that the teaching profession needs parents, wellness advocates and pediatricians to stand up for the right of children to get unconditional breaks, while some teachers deny students recess, is troubling.
And when I talk about recess, I am not talking about P.E. or organized play. I’m speaking about breaks for children, where they get a little time each day to do as they please on the playground.
If we learn anything right in teacher education, it should be how important free play and activity is to a child’s physical and mental development and well-being.
Teachers, of all people, should also understand the information they can glean by observing children on the playground. They should have been hollering for years about this, instead of passing off bubble tests to kindergarteners.
Yet, some teachers not only refuse to support recess for children, they appear to be part of the problem!
Recess for children who have behavioral problems or who are hyperactive is important. It will help them focus and probably lead to better work—and test scores.
A friend of mine who is a veterinarian told me a while back, and we were discussing high-stakes testing, that she didn’t understand how teachers could be complicit in the terrible testing that they do. She compared how she treated animals and her obligation to always do right by them.
While I can see her point, I also understand and even defend teachers who are backed against the wall when it comes to high-stakes testing, because they are fearful of losing their jobs. The rules are handed down to them by administrators.
But with recess, when teachers have a choice and they choose to punish by withholding recess, instead of doing the right thing, they are the ones making a huge mistake. And it appears many are beginning to realize it.
I completely agree with you, Nancy. Teachers should, without question, understand the vital importance of free association between pupils of all ages, but especially for those of primary school age. I would go so far as to say that by removing this precious opportunity for social interaction among pupils, as part of a behaviour management repertoire, is unethical. As a headteacher, I would ensure that staff were helped to understand why the use of such sanctions is inappropriate. The responsibility for tackling this abuse of a child’s right to free association begins at the top.
Sound, experienced leaders have a duty to make it clear to colleagues where their moral obligation lies on this issue. This should be a minimum expectation in a profession responsible, among other things, for helping young people develop greater self-awareness through positive interventions.
Thank you, John. I appreciate that you mentioned the school leader’s role in this issue. Often principals encourage teachers not to have recess. I know of schools that no longer have playgrounds! Much of this starts at the top!
Nancy, I understand the implications of recess and the help it can do. My biggest concern is that they don’t get much activity at home. Kids used to be outside playing tag, or pickup games with the neighborhood. Now, that activity is solely outsourced to teachers. It’s difficult enough for parents to watch 3 kids. Teachers watching 25 is absolutely impossible without issues. It’s no wonder kids in high school have attention issues. They want a commercial break every 8 minutes where they can go get another Coca-Cola and candy. Should high schools start to have Mandatory “recess” time, similar to japan’s physical activity break in offices? What’s your opinion at the high school level?
Stefan, Great points! Children don’t always get the opportunity to play after school. So much homework doesn’t help, and sometimes after school activities are so organized. And I’ve often wondered about a recess for middle school…especially 6th graders who used to be a part of the elementary school. Even if students didn’t run and play, socialization is important at the middle and high school levels. Thank you!
It’s great news that the pendulum is starting to swing away from this counterproductive practice. Too many kids are denied the opportunity for physical activity. Exercise helps kids with ADHD and behavior issues.–but they are then sent in for artificial replacement of neurotransmitters– that are PRODUCED by physical activity. Full circle–let them play.
Frances, I agree! I hope this means that principals with schools built without playgrounds reconsider! Thank you!
Speaking as a teacher, I can say that part of the problem is that we often don’t have any other way to control behaviors in the classroom. Not that recess isn’t important, but when you have a child who only cares about recess and parents do nothing to modify classroom behaviors, we don’t have much of a choice.
I would love to hear some suggestions of other ways to handle behavior problems in the classroom, because taking minutes away from recess is not ideal for anyone but is often the only choice.
Thanks Angie. There is a discussion going on about this on FB. You are not alone. I will try to post something else about this next week. Thanks so much for your comment!
Nancy, as a teacher who thinks kids should have their recess time, we all have to look at both sides. When a child is punished at home the first thing we take away is their outside time. In the classroom sometimes as stated before this is our only thing to encourage the good behavior and time on task. . We have to take a serious look at the school day and what we are asking teacher’s and students to accomplish. We want them to have free time and we want them to pass these high stake tests with 30 minutes sometimes 45 mins of instruction time. We can’t have it all, Another reason why some schools are going to a 4 day school week and longer classes or year around schools like California. I know what research shows about physical activity however, it all shows we are continue” testucate” Our children you can’t have it all. I can be a discipline problem in the classroom and you can’t take my recess!
I have a 13 year old wonderful boy with Aspergers Syndrome. He is attending a main stream charter school. He made a bad choice by saying something inapropriate and his punishment has been 3 1/2 monrhs without recess or lunch.. Just finding this out has made me angry beyond words. He has since become withdrwan and afraid to be social in fear of getting into trouble. im heartbroken and currently seeking legal advice..
I agree that recess should not be taken away as a punishment but what are the other options? We need to have something to use as a punishment. At my school, we tell the kids their good behavior earns recess. When we do have to take recess away, we have them “walk the line”. We have a rubber track around our playground and they have to walk on it for a set time amount. They go at their own pace and can skip, hop, jump or get around it however they wish. We figured that was better for those ADHD kids to help burn some energy! I would love to hear what others do! This was what worked best for my school but I don’t think it is the best.
Hi Kathy. Thanks for your comment, but I must disagree. I don’t think recess should be used as punishment. And I am not a fan of students being made to walk around other students playing. It can be humiliating to some students as another comment indicates. But I realize that teachers need some options for discipline. I will try to write more on this later. Thanks for commenting though. You are not alone.
Nancy. I’m more worried about loss of summer vacation — lot of school initiatives want to take that away. I think part of reason teachers don’t want recess is that students fight. The school yard is one big pile of bullies terrorizing other children. When my son was in elementary school, we secretly video taped from across the street what happened on the playground around my son. He was playing and some other kids came took away the ball he was playing with, pushed him to the ground and then started really nastily kicking him. ( I then understood why his legs had huge bruises on them). Fortunately he managed to get up scrambled away to another part of the school yard. The teachers on supervision didn’t see any of this, in fact, the entire recess was one big battle, I had trouble not going across the street to “rescue” my son. In the one 15 minute recess we photographed, more than 15 different incidents of students attacking other students, punching, kicking, pushing to the ground, taking things, etc. My son was hunted down 3 times in the recess, and forced to relocate, and attacked each time. The teachers on recess duty didn’t see to see any of this — they, hung around the school, talked to each other and never intervened, or paid any attention to what was going on. When we showed this video at the school, they were livid, how dare we photograph them at work. — but they had to admit recess was out of control.
One last thing, the font in this box is really kind of faint. It makes it hard to see. maybe get your IT people to darken it up a bit.
This is the reason why are schools are so fouled up. Silly parents that blame teachers for everything. If you have the time to “Video tape” teachers–without their permission, then maybe you should volunteer your time as an yard duty. All this crap about bullying is nonsense. The real bullying going on in our schools is by asshole parents that bully teachers. I have seen it too many times.
Well maybe it is underhanded to videotape without anyone knowing, but it is concerning what he saw. It does sound like bullying. I do think this school needs to work on this problem and they need to include parents. Parents and teachers need to work together. And parents volunteering on the playground might be a solution. My guess is the problems at this school go deeper than recess. But thank you for your comment. You raise a good point.
Collin, This is tough to read. I wonder if your school has a PTA. I think it would be a good idea to get teachers and parents together to figure out what can be done to fix recess. Many parents worry about bullying during recess and it can happen as you describe. But intervention and getting students to work out their differences can also be a valuable socialization lesson. Let us know what happens. Recess should be a pleasurable break.
My daughter ‘s school has recess. However, the teachers use recess to punish the children. If the child has misbehaved they are not allowed to play but must walk a specific path around the play ground to be public ally shamed. My 9 yo came home the day she walked the plank in tears. She was so embarrassed and humiliated. She went from loving school to dreading it. She had missed a day of school due to ongoing health issues and did not turn it in on time. I met w teachers and asst principal. I asked for the objective of such punishment? They said it was good for them to expend energy and release negative emotions. I called it straight up bullshit. In no place is public humiliation in front of peers a positive enforcement of a child. I told them under no circumstance will I allow my daughter to be punished this way. I suggested they research childhood psychology a little more closely.
Vela, I can understand, even though I disagree, why teachers want to deny students recess when students act out. But it puzzles me when so many students who fail to keep up or finish their work are punished. And it sounds like your daughter had a legitimate excuse! Shaming students is troubling and no teacher should be a part of it. Thank you for sharing this difficult story.
As a teacher, I do not take recess away as a punishment. However, I do have students come in at that time to do make up work or late work. There is very little to no extra time in our day to do these things, and work sent home is often not returned. I would be in a predicament if I were asked to NEVER use a child’s recess.
Betsy, thanks for your comment. But the whole point of this post is to show that pediatricians and other important groups want children to get breaks during the school day. It may be mandated in Minnesota. Adults get coffee breaks. It is unhealthy for children to work without breaks. And the research indicates kids do better when they get that break. I’d suggest backing off so much work. Chances are students will do better and they will love you for it.
Just an aside: your comments about high-stakes testing are a bit unnerving. Why would anyone think we have a choice in giving those tests? Many of the things that go on in schools are decided by someone way up the administrative ladder. Unlike your veterinarian friend, we don’t have control over everything we do or don’t do during the school day, from mandated curriculum to standardized testing.
Well actually you do have a choice. But if you choose not to administer the test, or do the curriculum, you could get in trouble–even lose your job. That’s why teachers are caught in a bind. Parents are opting their children out of the test around the country. My point here was the least teachers can do is permit recess when the school does recess. Children are under a lot of pressure–look for ways to give them a break. Thanks again, though I know you probably won’t like my replies.
What’s bothering me here is that you have no idea how I run my classroom or even my philosophies. I am a huge proponent of physical activity for kids, including recess. I am well-aware of the research you mentioned. I am well-aware that we all need breaks throughout the day. I believe we should go back to 2 recesses a day. And, as I mentioned, I do not take away recess as a disciplinary tool, I incorporate lots of brain breaks, stretch time, breathing exercises, etc. during my teaching day. I am simply pointing out the realities of my day; there are times when I need to keep students in to do make-up work. It would make my job much harder if I lost that option.
Sorry to bug you. I am a believer students deserve a break. It may be mandated by various states so you might not have a choice. The reality for you seems to be that you use recess as a catch-up time for students to complete work. Therefore you are denying students a break. I disagree with that approach no matter who does it.
Sincere question: when would you suggest I teach the concepts missed when students are absent?
We ran out of room! Betsy, I don’t doubt that you are sincere and a conscientious teacher. Many teachers are pressured to cover a lot that will be on the tests. And if you are relying on those tests for your evaluation than it can be worrisome for you and your students. I do think students might do better with a break than if they continue doing nonstop work. The climate in schools today is very hyper and students and teachers are pushed harder than ever before. I think the question is why? Will students really fail if they get a few breaks during the day? You don’t have to agree with me. But I wish you would maybe not cover so many concepts. Just give it some thought. Thanks.
I am not surprised we ran out of room; you may have noticed that I like to talk. 🙂 I appreciate your comments, and you are correct about the pressure. I have been teaching since 1984, and the biggest change I’ve seen over the years has been the emphasis on more, more, more: paperwork, testing, content, etc., and mostly within the last few years. I can see we really have similar ideas about what school SHOULD be. I read this article just yesterday, and it really spoke to me.
http://fillingmymap.com/2015/04/15/11-ways-finlands-education-system-shows-us-that-less-is-more/
I like to talk too! Thank you for the article about Finland! Hang in there. I hope things turn around soon. Teaching is such a good profession and teachers deserve more respect. Thank you for your comments Betsy. Stay in touch!
What about children who misbehave on the playground? We have 3 recesses each day–and when children misbehave on the playground, they are removed and minutes of their recess are taken away.
Excellent question, Kristi! I looked into this. Anthony D. Pellegrini has done extensive research on recess and in his book Recess: Its Role in Education and Development, he discusses what’s called Rough and Tumble Play or R&T which is observed especially in boys.
It is sometimes difficult to interpret the difference between R&T and fighting on the playground. Sometimes just asking children if they are playing or fighting works. But it is worth looking into the differences, and the indication is that even this kind of play is very important to children.
That said, R & T play might be difficult to accept on the part of a teacher if they are worried about children getting hurt. It would be nice if recess were taken more seriously and teachers were given more opportunities to learn about it in school or inservice.
I’m a Sped Aide and my great granddaughter is in our rm. she did not get to experience head start school bc of Covid. She turned 5 July 1rst, 2021 she has not been diagnosed with autism or anything yet but was referred to sped. She has been put in a timeout circle bc she is not understood by a teacher of her play. A lot of kids tattle and the teacher listens to the child who tattles. Well with school being almost being out for the Summer. I was told by my supervisor that my great granddaughter could no longer have recess unless someone was outside with her bc she was hitting & punching & biting. Along with another child who they say wanders off. Unless they had me or my supervisor out with them during recess. I don’t understand why they didn’t say or do anything sooner? Why now when there is only a few weeks left of school. My supervisor made it sound like my great granddaughter couldn’t have recess anymore unless one of us were out with her. I had recess duty Wednesday 5/4/22 and I observed her playing a game of monster pretending to eat her friends and pretending to eat them getting their shirts wet. The two girls were laughing and running and playing. The teachers do not watch the children at recess time, they only stand in the middle of the playground and visit. My great granddaughter was non verbal but now says a few words. And talks in her own little language but can now say a few words. The lack of communication is bad in our school. I only want the best not only for my granddaughter but for all the Sped kids. Thank You
I think you need to ask for a meeting with your granddaughter’s teacher. Make a list of points that concern you, and ask how you can assist your daughter. Find out how you can get your daughter the help she needs. She may have attention difficulties and perhaps the teacher has a large class and cannot give your child the assistance she so rightly deserves. The teachers should be observing children at recess. Let me know how you make out.