Recess (Pretty Soon, Your Child May Not Know What That Is)

This boy is a recent addition to the burgeoning home-schooled world. I saw him for a few minutes one day when he was between one hands-on activity and another. A seasoned farmer at our community garden asked him to help wrangle a gaggle of geese. Much discussion ensued about what geese like to eat and if they will start eating our produce, and what the best ways to deter them from doing this would be.

I watched this boy walk down the street with the geese and I thought of all the elementary-school-aged kids at our new "green" school and how they do not have a guaranteed 15-minutes of daily recess. I don't know if you know this. I don't know if you care. But I hope you do.

The recess issue is hot nationwide. Petitions are being written and signed (including this one right here in DeKalb County). State legislatures are taking up the issue. And organizations including the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education, the Council on Physical Education for Children, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, and the American Association for the Child's Right to Play advocate for daily, unstructured time of at least fifteen minutes, preferably outdoors, unrelated to PE class, and not used as a reward nor taken away as a punishment, up until the 5th or 6th grade. Download the excellent Right to Recess Toolkit here.

Position papers from these organizations cite numerous studies that underscore the cognitive, behavioral and social benefits of this unstructured break time. They mention the military, labor union, and corporate policies for break time for adults, and they suggest that our children need this guaranteed time during their "work days" even more. My research, however, indicates that the people who are saving recess for their children are the parents. Parents are standing up from coast to coast and fighting for it. As a result, states have started to mandate daily recess. Are we willing to do that here?

In case you don't know, the current DeKalb County Schools policy is against recess. However, there is some wiggle room in this policy which enables principals to make decisions regarding their belief that recess supports instructional time, which the wide body of existing research does indicate. Teachers also have the ability to schedule this unstructured time each day, but many of them end up adhering to this only sporadically. Here is the actual policy statement:

The DeKalb County Board of Education supports physical education in all schools pursuant to Board Policy IDB in lieu of scheduled unstructured break times. The DeKalb County Board of Education, in compliance with academic time on task, State Board of Education, and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools standards for class time among other daily school schedule requirements, does not support an extension of the school day or reduction in time from the school schedule to provide for scheduled, unstructured break time for students in grades K-8.

The Board does support each teacher's decision to provide supervised student movement within and out of the classroom which supports student's attentiveness and academic learning. The school principal shall issue regulations in consultation with faculty and appropriate instructional personnel at the school and system level, as appropriate, to insure that decisions for student movement in or out of the classroom do not interfere with and provide support for academic learning. The principal shall also issue directions or regulations concerning the responsibility of supervision of students so that student movement activities will be a safe and positive experience.

If your children are currently in a public elementary school in Dunwoody (or anywhere in DeKalb County) where they are getting guaranteed daily recess of at least fifteen minutes (including on days when they have PE), please thank your principal and teachers. If you are not sure, ask your child each day. Ask their teachers. Also, ask if the teachers are hanging the threat of canceling recess over their heads all morning, or writing RECESS on the board and then erasing a letter each time the children talk, or holding particular children back from recess as a punishment or to make up work. Ask if your child gazes out the window at the playground and honestly doesn't know the next time he or she will touch it.

The DeKalb County Schools Board of Education board members are currently discussing the daily recess issue, and they need to hear from you regarding this. Please contact our Board of Education representative, Jim Redovian, with your thoughts on this. Contact your children's principals. Contact their teachers. We are more than six weeks into the school year, folks. "If we have time for recess" and "maybe next year" or inclement weather (ever hear of cards or checkers?) doesn't matter when you are 9 or 10 years old.

Your child may be fidgety in class without recess. Your child may have special needs that are aided by multi-sensory experiences. Your child may be a hands-on inquisitive learner. Your child may consider recess the reason he or she wants to go to school each day. Your child may love the outdoors. Your child may need the exercise. Your child may like to develop physical skills that build confidence that translates into higher performance in the classroom. Your child may be a social leader or may see his or her closest friends only at recess. Your child may find that recess helps him or her develop knowledge and tolerance about children from diverse cultures. Your child may just need a break. And yes, at the holy altar of test scores, recess delivers.

As for me, I don't believe that the ability to effectively promote environmental stewardship in our children is possible without guaranteeing them these fifteen minutes of unstructured free exploration and play each day outside in nature. I just received a copy of the brand new book just released by The Center for EcoLiteracy titled Smart by Nature which states, in regards to recess, "How much more green can you get than being able to play outside?" And so, I am concerned that we have a "green school" that doesn't have guaranteed daily unstructured outside time. Okay, let's call a spade a spade and forget the euphemisms, it's a school that doesn't have recess.

I can pack my kids' lunches when I don't like the cafeteria food. I can walk and bike with my children when I don't want to add to the carpool line mess. But what can I do about recess? What can I do without you?

It takes a village (or a brand new city!) to raise these children, as they say. And the children of our city need your voice on this. Please help.