The article, "How schools ruined recess- and four things needed to fix it" was written by Valerie Strauss. This article is written based on the fact that students aren't getting what they need out of recess. The article discusses that recess needs to have more space, trust, time, and loose parts. These four things will give students time to gain full benefit as they are able to play creatively.
I would personally love for each of my students to get to benefit from this type of recess. I have many students who actually despise going to recess because they are bored or too cold. I think giving them more freedom and more time would force them to find ways to keep themself busy and engaged. Kids these days rarely get to experience trying to create their own methods of play because so many things are preprogrammed for them. I love the idea of letting kids be kids- letting them get dirty, build, and climb! I think these activities would truly give students the chance to burn off extra energy, have fun, and incorporate the need for creative and critical thinking skills!
When I think about this idea on an ethical stance, I think a lot about the safety of these students. It is our job as teachers to keep them safe. If we gave them the option to climb trees and play freely, and a child got hurt, we could face the chance of upsetting parents or even charges for legal obligations. As much as I LOVE the author's ideas on how recess should look, I understand why it is not the most ethical choice. Most recess rules are set in place to protect children, not to ruin recess.
I would personally love for each of my students to get to benefit from this type of recess. I have many students who actually despise going to recess because they are bored or too cold. I think giving them more freedom and more time would force them to find ways to keep themself busy and engaged. Kids these days rarely get to experience trying to create their own methods of play because so many things are preprogrammed for them. I love the idea of letting kids be kids- letting them get dirty, build, and climb! I think these activities would truly give students the chance to burn off extra energy, have fun, and incorporate the need for creative and critical thinking skills!
When I think about this idea on an ethical stance, I think a lot about the safety of these students. It is our job as teachers to keep them safe. If we gave them the option to climb trees and play freely, and a child got hurt, we could face the chance of upsetting parents or even charges for legal obligations. As much as I LOVE the author's ideas on how recess should look, I understand why it is not the most ethical choice. Most recess rules are set in place to protect children, not to ruin recess.
Hey Kathy,
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a great point about safety! I think any recess is better than no recess, and that is something our preteens really suffer from in that transition to middle school. I do like the idea of letting kids make their own rules and come up with games. We tried to do an open gym time last year and the kids did a great job leading games on their own. It is a great skill for young people to develop.