There's a sign on my kids' school playground that actually says "no running"

Which I find quite amusing.

/About as effective as telling a 12 year old boy "No masterbating"

Those kids sound really, really fat.

It'll make you go blind.

Ummmm, wow that sounds retarded. If you want kids to have a gym class, well then give them a gym class. The whole point of recess is to let kids play and do as they please. It is goof off time. Change it to anything else and it's not recess anymore.

Too stupid. If the problem is kids fighting and so on, have aides out there to deal with it. You need to have people to watch after them anyhow.

That's how it was long, long ago when I was in elementary school. You did what you liked but there were aids of various types (teachers, janitors, administrators, etc) out there watching what went on that would intercede if you were causing trouble.

You know, as recently as twenty years ago, people didn't worry about making sure kids got enough "unstructured play time," because virtually all play time was what we would now call unstructured: it was so far and away the default that nobody thought to even give it a name.

What happened? Has it really all been due to an obsessive fear of risk?

"Before, I was seeing nosebleeds, busted lips, and students being a danger to themselves and others," said Alejandro Echevarria, the principal.

Man, those elementary kids are hardcore. It must be the rap music.

Also:
"Now, Coach Brandi does miracles with 20 cones and three handballs."

I think I saw that video once.

I'm at work and can't rock a picard-facepalm. Can someone throw one up for me?


I feel for the staff at the school, I really do. Kids always get into the most trouble when they're unsupervised. That said, I don't think taking away their unstructured time is a good plan. If they're having a lot of fights then more staff - staff who actually DO something instead of looking away when someone's punching you - could help control the violence.

An even better solution would be to open the library and the gym for free play at the same time so kids could hide out with the books, kids who wanted structured games could go play in the gym, and the kids who want to hang out with their friends outside could do that.

Throwing 100+ kids into a basketball court is a stupid idea for recess. I'm not surprised they had to turn to something like this to avoid fights.

Don't colour outside the lines. (new window)

This is a good thing. Unlike those of us who grew up pre-internet and videogames were not something you saw in everyones house too commonly, these kids live in inner city,urban environments where its physically dangerous for them to run around their neighborhoods and play together. So they really haven't a clue what to do when all tossed together in a confined space at recess. I grew up playing kick the can,kickball, soccer, etc with all the neighborhood kids...the closest some of these kids get to that is playing Madden on a older brothers beat up old PS2. Schools cant change what the kids deal with at home, and this is a positive reaction. Much more positive than just expecting them to figure it out.

Bring back reform school. Ship off the truly deranged ones, the rest will have minor squabbles that are easier to solve. 90% of the problems at my kids school comes out of the same 5 kids.

If they can afford to pay this woman 14 bucks an hour to keep the little brats in line, I say why the hell not.

This is so sad; my elementary school playground had hard packed earth under all the equipment, including a 20' high fireman's pole you climbed up a chain ladder to get to the top of, and yes, there were the occasional scrapes, busted lips and bloody noses.

But guess what? The kids healed, and they learned what NOT to do in certain circumstances.

/busted up both eyebrows in elementary school
//never got a stitch for either one
///did freak out the substitute teacher with the 2nd injury though

Sad? If it gets those fat farks off their asses and cuts down on the bullying (although it DOES help build character and a thick skin), I'm all for it.

I'm just surprised kids still have recess. The world seems to be doing its damndest these days to suck all the fun and joy out of being a kid.

Great! We're raising a generation of mush-brains even less able to think for
themselves than the GenX Teabaggers!

OlafTheBent: There's a sign on my kids' school playground that actually says "no running"

Which I find quite amusing.

/About as effective as telling a 12 year old boy "No masterbating"

Would have worked for me when I was 12.

/14...not so much

EighthundredmillionthFarker: If they can afford to pay this woman 14 bucks an hour to keep the little brats in line, I say why the hell not.

Yeah, that's my take on it. Disciplinary problems are down, the little butter balls are moving about, and it's not like the vast majority of these kids have back yards to play in once they get home. All that in exchange for $14 + benefits? Deal.

This might be needed for inner city kids. Their playground doesn't look that big to begin with. If their recess isn't organized I could see where the chaos would cause fighting and bullying. Unfortunately the kids who would rather read, draw, or generally do quiet activities are missing out on their time to "recoup" during recess, but for the most part this is beneficial.

In our town most schools have huge playground. I think my elementary school had half an acre. We had a blacktop, two basketball courts, a baseball field, a kickball field, a playground with swings, slides, etc. and another field that was just open grass. It was pretty rare that anyone go into a turf war over anything because if the kickball field was full, you could just go to the open field to play.

When I got out to recess I burned off tons of energy with jump rope, dodgeball, kickball, swings, climbing trees, and four square. These days kids have iPods, handheld games, and other devices that encourage them to be stationary. It isn't a bad thing some schools are forcing kids to play during recess. It may be the only exercise kids these days get on a regular basis.

/Has video games growing up
//mom still kicked me outside to go play 90% of the time

Change the headline to 'Kids now have PE instead of recess during school day' and no one would even raise an eye brow.

We had both in grade school. A full period in either the gym or out side, playing what ever the coach thought was good that day: kickball, softball, soccer, flag football. Then we got 15 to 30 minutes after lunch to just sit outside and do what ever. No one died, at the school anyways.

"It's just not natural."

Sadly this is probably a true statement. Because it's "natural" to sit at a desk for hours and hours. Getting some fresh air and exercise is certainly not "natural" to these kids. I say let the farktarded parents have their way. Just make sure little Timmy gets a job to pay for my Social Security.

Why can't they just put a teacher out in the school yard to monitor everyone during recess and make sure that no one gets hurt? They don't have to organize, just supervise.

We always had a teacher or 2, depending on the number of kids, out supervising at recess. They didn't necessarily force you play, but they made sure you didn't huddle up in the doorway or anything, which pretty much meant you had to go out and play at something. During recess time in January in South Dakota, you either kept moving or you didn't make it back in alive for lunch.

My kids have pretty much the same thing at their school now. The elementary teachers take turns at recess duty. They may not organize specific activities for them, but they are pretty good about making sure the kids play fair and include anyone who wants to be included. Kids are also discouraged, if not outright banned, from sitting off in a corner and doing nothing. I guess I'm failing to see the problem.

hailin: This might be needed for inner city kids.

The schools I attended growing up were much like yours, and yeah living in NYC now...? I walk by PS Whatever and see these playgrounds, what you and I would call a "parking lot", and they try oh so mightily to make these things look cheery and inviting... but that whole silk purse from a sow's ear comes back again and again. It seems easier to find a patch of ground for your dog to play on than to find one where kids are welcome.

Thank you, Urban America, for raising another generation of pathetic robots with low IQs, lower dreams and the lowest of goals and self-esteem.

Thank you, helicopter parents, for currently attempting to raise a group of kids MORE farked up than those limp-wristed nancies now known as Generation X were. Thank God I missed that boat by 8 years.

But, above and beyond ALL else: thank you for raising a generation of losers in constant need of praise and adulation. Really. I mean it.

Those worthless farkers are going to keep me happily occupied and employed until 60. If not older.

Field research sciences (NO! DANGEROUS!) / artisan woodworking (NO! MORE DANGEROUS!). Manly activities.

/I did not cry at Old Yeller... I did when I nailed my HAND TO A BEAM.
//Have done that a half-dozen times in my life, usually just the webbing between fingers.
///Sometimes I get lucky. Other times, I have to holler down someone to get me a crowbar (or, God forbid) a cat's paw.

cehlen: Why can't they just put a teacher out in the school yard to monitor everyone during recess and make sure that no one gets hurt? They don't have to organize, just supervise.

This. The point of recess is not so much physical activity (that's what PE is for), but downtime. Both are needed, for very different reasons.

This is why kids are so farked up lately. Heavily medicated and treated like pets.

mod3072: During recess time in January in South Dakota, you either kept moving or you didn't make it back in alive for lunch.

That is the same way it is here in MT. Though, nothing was more fun or epic than when a giant snowstorm passed through. Each grade had two classes (Fifth grade A and fifth grade B, etc.), so each grade would pick an area of the playground and each class would build their own giant snow fort opposite of the other class. The building of these forts went on all week and then on Friday was the most epic snowball fights ever seen by mankind. Or at least be me.

Good times...good times.

mod3072: We always had a teacher or 2, depending on the number of kids, out supervising at recess. They didn't necessarily force you play, but they made sure you didn't huddle up in the doorway or anything, which pretty much meant you had to go out and play at something. During recess time in January in South Dakota, you either kept moving or you didn't make it back in alive for lunch.

My kids have pretty much the same thing at their school now. The elementary teachers take turns at recess duty. They may not organize specific activities for them, but they are pretty good about making sure the kids play fair and include anyone who wants to be included. Kids are also discouraged, if not outright banned, from sitting off in a corner and doing nothing. I guess I'm failing to see the problem.

I thought maybe I was the only one around here old enough to remember when teachers took turns supervising the playground during recess. Their presence is what enforced good behavior. If you got into a fight or bullied younger kids, your parents got a phone call and the Wrath of Dad descended upon you. If you were a wallflower type, someone in your class was "asked" to include you in whatever game was happening at the time. It seemed to work and required no additional tax dollars.

This link got me all nostalgic now thinking about recess so I checked out my old grade school playground on Google Maps. Seems they have replaced a large part of the blacktop with that ground-up rubber stuff. Now the kids will never get the experience of flying off the merry-go-round at full speed and tumbling across asphalt.

Sad.

Dear humanity: you have failed.

HONDOWAYNE: * As long as American`s have BOOBS, BALLS, and GUNS, the government is going to have a sore ass when this is over.

Huh?

I was knocked down and busted my lip open on concrete in elementary school once - I just find it a funny story looking back. I think a busted lip is a small price to pay for the chance to cultivate imagination and independence. But maybe the people putting in these rules don't like imagination or independence.

I hate to admit this but "life coaches" do a good job. I had one at one point and they really seem to get your life on track and my life was way off track. No, you shouldn't need help in life but sometimes you fall and these people, genuinely good people, help you out. I am sure the fact that they make a ton of money makes them nicer than they are.

hailin: HONDOWAYNE: * As long as American`s have BOOBS, BALLS, and GUNS, the government is going to have a sore ass when this is over.

Huh?

I think he's saying he wants him some Nietzsche TransÜberMenschen loving.

OlafTheBent: There's a sign on my kids' school playground that actually says "no running"

Which I find quite amusing.

That reminds me of the old days at Catholic school. I was running during recess and a nun told me "Get back here, Mister Happy!"

Just for you, ninefingers

Lucky Ninefingers: I'm at work and can't rock a picard-facepalm. Can someone throw one up for me?

Here ya go

Interesting fact:

"Life Coach" is an anagram for "Kill Yourself"

/do the math

HONDOWAYNE: * As long as American`s have BOOBS, BALLS, and GUNS, the government is going to have a sore ass when this is over.

Are you suggesting that Lady Gaga is our only hope?

Lucky Ninefingers: I'm at work and can't rock a picard-facepalm. Can someone throw one up for me?


I feel for the staff at the school, I really do. Kids always get into the most trouble when they're unsupervised. That said, I don't think taking away their unstructured time is a good plan. If they're having a lot of fights then more staff - staff who actually DO something instead of looking away when someone's punching you - could help control the violence.

An even better solution would be to open the library and the gym for free play at the same time so kids could hide out with the books, kids who wanted structured games could go play in the gym, and the kids who want to hang out with their friends outside could do that.

Throwing 100+ kids into a basketball court is a stupid idea for recess. I'm not surprised they had to turn to something like this to avoid fights.

There was always a teacher on the playground when I was a child ('60s and '70s). His or her job was to make sure no kid got hanged in the swings and to break up nasty fights. Other than that, there was no "coaching." What's going on now isn't recess. It's gym.

Of course, those kids are lucky to even get the chance to go outside. I was a volunteer reader at a school that had a no recess policy.

Reading TFA's quotes are really depressing. Have these people completely lost their shiat? The whole idea of recess is to play around until you're dirty and bleeding.

if kids are getting hurt on a daily basis in this low income schools (so much so that the principal thought they were a danger to themselves and others), it's better to give them structure than let what was happening keep happening.

Friedrich Nietzsche: if kids are getting hurt on a daily basis in this low income schools (so much so that the principal thought they were a danger to themselves and others), it's better to give them structure than let what was happening keep happening.

Darwin would disagree.

If there's a coach, it isn't recess.

Related story:
Why our kids don't go to kindergarten (new window)

DeaH: There was always a teacher on the playground when I was a child ('60s and '70s). His or her job was to make sure no kid got hanged in the swings and to break up nasty fights. Other than that, there was no "coaching." What's going on now isn't recess. It's gym.

Of course, those kids are lucky to even get the chance to go outside. I was a volunteer reader at a school that had a no recess policy.

Back in the late '80s early '90s, there were playground monitors for exactly the reasons you said. They were usually willing to referee a basketball game or act as umpire for a baseball game if a few kids asked, but aside from that, their job was to make sure we didn't wander off, drown in the pond, or get into fights.

everything you need to know about life can be learned from this:




/*PING!!!*

well, I work at a school, and I wish to address a few of the things I have read on here. Yes, there are incidents on the playground. Yes, kids do get hurt on occasion. I read a few comments that suggested that you just put a few teachers out there to monitor things. Well folks, I can only speak for my school, but there are already teachers out there. They sit around and gossip the entire time. They do not monitor the kids as they were told to by their boss, the principal. (I wonder how long these people would be employed if they decided to act like that while working in a food processing plant, or a hazardous chemical incinerator facility.). I am all for monitoring the playground, but get people that will actually do it.

Secondly, I agree with the assessment that this is no longer recess. That time is for the kids to unwind and work off energies that they build by being forced to sit for long periods and pay attention to something they usually have minimal interest in. They need to be allowed to interact with other kids. THIS is what builds inter-social dynamics. Being forced to do some game you don't want to play is not exactly 'recess', especially when you don't even get the chance to talk to your friend who is in another grade/class. Thats just silly. (IMHO)

Lastly, someone mentioned that he was 'pre-internet' and 'video games were not common'(yes, that is paraphrasing)... well, that is interesting, because I am 45, and we had television, which amounted to the same thing. Kids lounging around for hours each day doing nothing but staring at the screen and eating. Yet, there was not this 'epidemic' of obesity, probably because someone had not created the correct methodology to scare parents into paying for stuff to 'help keep Johnny from being so fat', not to mention scaring the parents so badly they would not think of letting their snowflakes go outside anywhere. I bet there are kids in my upscale school who have never owned a bicycle. Urban, suburban, rural... I see the effects of this all the time. (btw, who decided what is a decent weight? Someone who weighs 120 lbs while wearing a wet tee-shirt? Or is it all the 'Hollywood' crap where you HAVE to look like me or you are NOBODY! Either way, I find this 'we all have to be this weight or we are sad and will die' stance a bit... well... unrealistic.

(Is it yet again too pointless to call for addressing the CAUSE of all this as opposed to trying to 'heal' symptoms? LIke being fed crap masquerading as food? LIke how there are more chemicals in our food than in our medicines? Or how anything remotely healthy is stamped as 'organic' or 'all natural' and then jacked to twice the price of the crap they sell as food so that only the 'elite' can afford it? No? *sigh* didn't think so)

so recess is gym class now?