From time to time,
Education World updates and reposts an archived article that we think might be of interest to
administrators. We hope you find this recently updated article to be of value…
Does it make sense, educationally and developmentally, to eliminate recess for students in elementary
school? That question is the subject of debate among educators. What do teachers and parents have
to say?
"What's your favorite subject?" asks the ancient joke.
"Recess!" is the reply.
But, today, some students -- and teachers -- might not find the joke funny. That's because some
cities, like Atlanta, have eliminated or cut back on recess in elementary school to free more
time for instruction.
So why cut recess? With widespread stress being put on standardized tests throughout the United
States, students need to prepare by spending more time on academics, the general argument goes.
The extra time has to come from somewhere, and recess seems like a good place to trim.
"The big thing in this country now is standards," Marie Diamond, president of the Connecticut
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, stated in a recent Hartford Courant interview.
"We've raised the bar; our standards are higher," says Diamond. At the same time, she adds,
"The majority of kids need some time for recess, just like people in offices need coffee breaks."
But the key to success in school and in life, many education experts say, is academic learning.
Shaving a few minutes from recess, or even eliminating it altogether, they argue, won't hurt children.
Play has educational value, they admit, but play can occur outside of school; school should be
devoted to academics.
Have You Seen
These Articles
From the
Ed World Archive?
Recess Before Lunch Can Mean Happier, Healthier
Kids
Recess follows lunch almost as predictably as four follows three, because it always
has been that way. Principals who have put recess first, though, have noticed children
eat more and behave better after lunch. Included: Ideas for making the change to recess
before lunch.
Playground Pass Creates Recess Success!
If you've done recess duty, you know the playground is not all fun and games! Wouldn't
you love a simple, straightforward teaching tool that steers students away from trouble
and into recess success? The Playground Pass does just that!
Recess: Necessity or Nicety?
The pressure for schools to improve student test scores is so intense that some are
abandoning the childhood treasure of "recess" in lieu of more on-task time. Education
World asked educators about recess practices at their schools and the importance of
free time for kids to be kids. Included: Tips for a safe and productive recess period.
No Break Today!
Faced with a need to find more time to meet increasing educational standards, 40 percent
of schools in the United States have either cut recess or are considering doing so.
But does cutting recess really gain more learning time? Read what the experts -- and
columnist Linda Starr -- have to say about the growing trend toward "all work and
no play."
Even as eliminating recess has become something of a trend, some other schools are reversing
the trend by reinstating recess. In Berkeley Hall School in Los Angeles, recess had been replaced
with physical education classes. But first- and second-graders weren't ready to give up some free
time each day. Teachers reinstated recess for them.
"Recess is different from PE," said Vicki Murphy, a second-grade teacher, in an interview with
the Christian Science Monitor. "The kids need unstructured time where they can make up their own
rules."
MORE TEACHER REACTIONS
Responses on the TeachTalk listserv to the question "Has anyone tried [doing away with recess]
and how are teachers and children coping?" drew responses that mostly favored staying with traditional
recess.
"When I read in the paper this summer about many schools abandoning recess, I couldn't believe
my eyes," Diane McElroy told Education World. That's when McElroy, a veteran second-grade teacher
at Rio del Mar School in Aptos, California, posted the question on the Net.
One teacher responded that 30 years ago she was in school and never had recess, so she didn't
see the trend as that significant. But the majority of teachers who responded favored keeping
recess. Several said cutting recess was forced on teachers and students with no input from them.
McElroy concluded, "When I told my class that many schools were doing away with recess, you'd
think they were hearing about the Grinch That Stole Christmas!"
WHY TRIM RECESS?
Abolishing free time during the school day, observers say, began with pressure from international
competition.
"It all began with the 'Nation at Risk' report in 1983," Charles Doyle, assistant dean of the
School of Education at Chicago's DePaul University, told the Christian Science Monitor. The federal
report cast light on American schoolchildren's poor standing internationally and led to a call
for standardized testing.
In other countries -- such as Russia, and Japan -- students have little free time, defenders
of the anti-recess movement say.
But -- some educators point out -- in Japan, teachers, parents, and Education Ministry officials
actually talk about building more free time into students' days.
But talk is all they seem to do. Except for brief breaks between classes, most Japanese students
still have no recess at school.
"Completely free time? I think it's impossible in Japan," says Sumie Kakemizu, a former elementary
schoolteacher who is now a politician. "Most teachers are too afraid of doing something different
from others, something not written in their teaching manuals."
A built-in contradiction in attitudes toward education influences educators in Japan. On the
one hand, educators are criticized for putting too much pressure on students for academic excellence.
On the other hand, educators are criticized if students don't excel academically.
WHAT PARENTS SAY
An online Parent Soup poll on the question "Do you think recess should be eliminated in elementary
schools?" drew this response from parents: Of 1,506 total votes, 3 percent said yes, and 97 percent
answered no.
Right now, it seems the verdict is out on whether increasing numbers of schools will trim or
eliminate recess. But if parents and teachers have a voice, recess isn't going to disappear anytime
soon.
ADDITIONAL RECESS RESOURCES (UPDATED FOR 2005)
Recess Backlash:
Parents Say It Pays to Play
The American playground is now also a battleground for parents, educators, and policymakers --
with many struggling to defend the tradition of recess against the incursion of tight budgets.
(Christian Science Monitor - November 16, 2004)
The
Value of School Recess and Outdoor Play
It is a widely held view that unstructured physical play is a developmentally appropriate outlet
for reducing stress in children’s lives, and research shows that physical activity improves children’s
attentiveness and decreases restlessness.
The Case for Elementary School
Recess
The American Association for the Child's Right to Play (IPA/USA) believes that recess is vital
to the child's overall healthy development. They offer parents, teachers, and school administrators
information to support the need for elementary school recess.
On
the Elimination of Recess
In this Education Week column, Katherine Schultz (an assistant professor of literacy and teacher
education in the graduate school of education of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia)
speaks eloquently about the foolishness of considering recess "wasted" time in a child's life
and education.
All Work,
No Play At School
A Christian Science Monitor news story examines how recess is handled in countries such as Japan,
Germany, and Russia.
From time to time,
Education World updates and reposts an archived article that we think might be of interest to
administrators. We hope you find this recently updated article to be of value…