NationStates Jolt Archive


Recess

Suicidal Librarians
24-09-2004, 22:35
My little sister (who is in elementary school) recently told me that she only has one 15 minute recess a day, right after lunch I think. Anyway, that just made me really mad for some reason. When I was in elementary school I had about a 45 minute recess around lunch time, and occasionally a 15 minute recess in the afternoon. And if you go even farther back, my mom at her country school, had a half hour recess in the morning, a half hour recess at lunch, and a half hour recess in the afternoon. And a bunch of little kids at my sister's elementary get 15 minutes. It's ridiculous! There are a few reasons why kids should have a recess that is at least a half hour:

1) Many little kids have a lot of trouble sitting still in class, recess would get their energy out.

2) All our school system cares about anymore is test scores, they are completely sucking away any fun that may have been at school.

3) Maybe if kids didn't want to go home so bad so they could go outside and play they would actually concentrate instead of staring at the clock thinking, "3:00, 3:00, 3:00, ring bell, ring!"

Okay, that's my opinion. I can't believe I typed that much about recess.
Bottle
24-09-2004, 22:39
i never had more than 20 minutes of recess when i was in school, and for 3 years (4-6 grade) we had 10. i lived to tell about it.
Suicidal Librarians
24-09-2004, 22:46
i never had more than 20 minutes of recess when i was in school, and for 3 years (4-6 grade) we had 10. i lived to tell about it.

My point is, 15 minutes is hardly anything for someone my sister's age (younger than a 4th grader). You get out there and you go in pretty much right away. I don't think 4th and 5th graders need very much recess, being more mature, after all when I went to middle school I didn't have a problem with not having recess, I was too old for it anyway. But if you think about it, kids spend so much of their childhood in school, they deserve to get some fresh air.
Zincite
24-09-2004, 22:48
That really sucks... even my neighborhood MIDDLE school lets everyone go outside during/after lunch. Half an hour to eat and then go outside or to the library or gym. In elementary school I personally didn't like and was annoyed with recess, but a reasonable school should allow ten or fifteen minutes in the morning and the same in the afternoon, and lunch.
The Spaceman
24-09-2004, 22:49
I agree
Suicidal Librarians
24-09-2004, 22:50
That really sucks... even my neighborhood MIDDLE school lets everyone go outside during/after lunch. Half an hour to eat and then go outside or to the library or gym. In elementary school I personally didn't like and was annoyed with recess, but a reasonable school should allow ten or fifteen minutes in the morning and the same in the afternoon, and lunch.

Just out of curiousity, why were you annoyed by recess?
Zincite
24-09-2004, 22:57
Just out of curiousity, why were you annoyed by recess?

'Cause I liked class better. Now that I'm in high school my hour's lunch off campus and a fifteen minute break in the morning and in the afternoon works pretty well for me, but in elementary school... I didn't have anything I wanted to do during that time so I just got bored.
Kerubia
24-09-2004, 23:32
I hope she enjoys that 15 minute recess, because sooner or later there won't be any recess with all the BS about "oh they might get hurt".
Santa Barbara
24-09-2004, 23:35
Bah. Why should they get any recess at all? It's not like children don't have any free time, is it?
Nimzonia
24-09-2004, 23:46
I think back to school, and wonder how I managed to get by with only about an hour total in breaks during a 7 hour day. These days I have enough trouble motivating myself to get up and go to college for one hour a week.
Baby Harp Seals
24-09-2004, 23:50
Bah. Why should they get any recess at all? It's not like children don't have any free time, is it?
Exercise, Fresh air? (or, as fresh as it can get these days
Santa Barbara
24-09-2004, 23:56
Exercise, Fresh air? (or, as fresh as it can get these days

Overrated. Besides, that's what lunch is for. Sure, they have to eat too, but having to choose between eating and exercising/getting fresh air will be a wise lesson in resource management!
Goed
25-09-2004, 00:35
I think back to school, and wonder how I managed to get by with only about an hour total in breaks during a 7 hour day. These days I have enough trouble motivating myself to get up and go to college for one hour a week.

LOL same here bud, same here ;)