Some Schools Finding New Recess Mandates Challenging:
Some Schools Finding New Recess Mandates Challenging: Parents aren’t having it.
By Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer
Varying Points of View
There are always two sides to everything. Parents, some of whom have advocated legislatively for daily recess in schools, are frustrated with how the new mandated recess is being implemented. Take for example, a school in Tennessee (who will remain nameless) that is facing a new law which requires students to have at least 130 minutes each week of recess which averages out to about 26 minutes a day for physical activity. This school, facing the new mandate, added the recess time to the end of the school day. A school spokesperson cited the new recess regulation.
Tennessee Code § 49-6-1021 requires students in elementary school to have 130 minutes of physical activity each school week, including at least 15 minutes a day.
As a retired principal I can understand the School’s Point of View.
- Teaching Language Arts and Math first thing when children are fresh, rested and ready to learn provides the best setting for academic success.
- When the school blocks out uninterrupted time for these two core areas and makes a commitment to limited or zero exceptions, then the school staff understands the emphasis on these two curricular areas.
- A schoolwide commitment and limited interruptions, has been shown to improve student learning in these important areas.
Parents Point of View
- “Those kids need a break. They need a brain break,” said Brittany Zacarro, a parent of a student. “Mid-day recess helps us reset, helps the kids.”
- “We know that if you’re sitting still, it’s really hard to learn,” Rybczynski said. “The more you get your blood pumping, the more blood is flowing to your brain. It really can reset, and you can refocus and learn better after getting up and doing some recess.
- After a while, if you’re sitting and working for a couple of hours, you need to get up and move or you’re not as productive. So, the same is true for children too.”
Mandated Recess: Where it all Began
Two years ago, three women with children in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System formed a group “Say YES to RECESS Tennessee.”
“We realized there was a really large discrepancy of how many minutes [of recess] they need and how many minutes they’re getting and how we felt that really affected not only their physical health but their mental health,” said Rachel Bush, an organizer of the group. “We’re standing up to try and do something about it and fight for all the elementary and middle school kids in the state.”
“Play is learning,” Bush said. “Recess really benefits every other area of the classroom. And if you look at it and say, ‘Well, it’s just play.’ Yeah, it’s amazing play and play is learning for children and they need it and their brains need it and their body needs it, and with the mental health crisis going on they definitely need it there too.”
Another parent pointed out, “It’s so important that kids get recess because it’s challenging for a little kid and an adult to sit still and learn for prolonged periods of time,” Rybczynski said. “So, getting up and moving around really in increases their ability to learn and it also will help their well-being. They’ll get some exercise, and we know that’s so important for development of kids over time.”
Melinda’s Take on the Importance of Recess.
“I’ve served on two national recess committees who wrote documents as to how and why to implement daily recess. You can find them here:
This document, Strategies for Recess in Schools, describes strategies for planning and providing recess in schools to help increase participation in physical activity and improve academic achievement (e.g., performance, behavior, attention). The audiences for this document include state and school district leaders that provide technical assistance and professional development on recess, physical education teachers, classroom teachers, recess and playground supervisors, support staff, school administrators, parent-teacher organizations, school health coordinators, school health advisory councils, parents, and anyone interested in supporting recess in schools.
This document, Recess Planning in Schools: A Guide to Putting Strategies for Recess into Practice is designed to help schools develop a school recess plan. A school recess plan identifies the strategies a school will use to organize and implement recess at the school. This plan should be a written document that can be shared with all school, staff, students, and parents. These are two great resources that I would highly recommend. They are administrative documents for planning for recess in your school.
I’ve written a number of articles that I view as practical “How to Guides for Improving Recess” aimed at supporting principals who must adjust to new recess regulations.
These articles are free to download and we have a website full of additional supporting materials.
When is it Too Hot for Recess?
Scientists don’t yet know why some people become seriously ill while exercising in hot weather, and others don’t. “There’s still a lot we don’t understand” about heat illness, says Douglas Casa, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, who’s extensively studied athletic performance in the heat. READ MORE
Recess Time Well Spent
School recess holds a special place in the heart of the American public school student, according to the editorial in today’s Concord Monitor. To a child “recess is time well spent”. READ MORE
64 Alternatives To Withholding Recess
Given the value of recess in a student’s physical and social development and the need for periodic breaks from classroom instruction, using recess as punishment is inappropriate. Listed below are some alternatives to withholding recess. READ MORE
I hope you will find these articles helpful. These also make great articles to share with your staff who may be struggling with the new demands that recess brings for teachers. “Why recess is important” often helps in their understanding and support.
Visit our website for additional materials and support. www.peacefulplaygrounds.com After 25 years in business working with schools across the nation, you’ll find we have some good ideas for improving recess and many of them came from principals’ suggestions.
