Should schools cut recess time to allow for more instructional time? That is the main questions many school districts are trying to answer for future plans. I believe that recess is a vital part in developing different social aspects of children. They are able to interact with other students and "play" or run around to get exercise for approximately 30 minutes. By cutting this time, students would lose the face to face interaction time, which is beneficial for future jobs and schools. I believe that recess is also very beneficial in developing the entire child. Students are given enough time throughout the day for instructional time, so I feel it is very vital for them to be active and develop many positive social habits.
Maybe it should be a question of are the teachers using the appropriate instructional time wisely? Especially at a young age, I believe that the instructional time should be less than that at the middle school or high school. Students should be developing many positive social skills at this point in their life, still getting a good balance of instructional time.
"Trim Recess? Some Schools Hold on to Child's Play"
By: Eric Westervelt
http://www.npr.org/2013/11/07/243713419/trim-recess-some-schools-hold-on-to-childs-play?ft=1&f=1013
I really do agree with you, Rick! At our school, my 5th graders get 15 minutes of recess in the afternoon from 2:05-2:20pm. That's it! I feel that we expect our young students to handle more complex work, but with less "mental" breaks than they've ever had before. Some students really need more breaks, so I have planned to do "Brain Breaks" and Brain Gym at different times during the day in my classroom. I even read an article lately where one teacher has begun to teach yoga to her students. So when her students need a break, they pick a yoga pose for everyone to do together. I agree that we need to develop the whole child...which includes taking breaks and having recess more than 15 minutes out of the day.
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