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How Can Schools Stop Running From More Recess Time?
Let me get this straight; the United States is supposedly the "fattest" country in the world and our kids have a TOTAL of forty minutes, per day, of recess? Oh, and they take Physical Education for an additional thirty minutes ONCE a week as well. What is going on with our educational system? It is a huge step backward when we have obesity issues amongst children and schools cannot offer proper time allotment for recess that would help engage them in activity!

I realize changing schedules would involve more than just tweaking little things here and there. Creating an extra ten minutes can be challenging when on a tight schedule as it is. These days, children leave their classroom to attend art or music in a designated room especially made for the needs of those classes, however the travel time alone can add ten extra minutes due to unexpected situations like a restroom break or disciplinary reasons.

It is fortunate that children can go to another classroom that is equipped with proper supplies for that subject; art for example. These classrooms did not exist long ago, and all subject areas were taught in the classroom, therefore, the time it now takes to get from one class to another zaps up any extra time for "free time"-recess.

We are presently in a public school district that has a 1:10 dismissal time EVERY Wednesday to give the teachers "teaching development" time. Well, I won't even go there. Our children receive even less time than most schools on average for recess. I make up for it by walking with them to and from school and it's a great time for us to visit, but I'm straying here, so back to the point at hand.

Schools are also discovering they cannot find enough supervision for the amount of children at recess. Well, why not get the faculty together and brain-storm ideas to create a schedule that can be applied and distributed throughout the school day? It makes me cringe to when I pass schools with 400 students playing on the play area, all at once, and there are three to five supervisors to cover that many children. So, of course I'd choose less recess time if my children cannot be safely looked after.

It is not required, in the teacher's contract, to supervise recess; this again, cuts down on the number of supervisors that could be supervising the children. I used to teach and I have been on both sides. I did have to supervise recess, everyday, and by doing this, the students received up to two 30 minutes blocks of recess per day.

This is what it comes down to; time and the willingness for parents and teachers to come together and devise a way for the school children to get no LESS than an hour of daily recess. It will not only benefit their health, but it will create a more calming atmosphere in the classroom. Kids have a need to release energy, and trust me; two, twenty-minute recesses daily, isn't going to cut it.

Learn more about this author, Allison Hickman.
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