Chicago's Community Organizing and Family Issues Fights To Bring Back Recess

Chicago Tribune:

In the nearly five years since Lynn Morton helped begin an effort to restore recess to Chicago elementary schools, she says, she has never come across anyone who doesn't like the idea.

From parents to principals, teachers, Chicago Public Schools leaders and lawmakers, everyone seems to agree that the city's youngest students need time in the school day to play, exercise and socialize.

Read the whole story: Chicago Tribune

Comments

[Shana Donohue]

10:03 PM on 01/16/2011

Awesome!

[sidnee]

09:49 PM on 01/16/2011

If there was NO recess at my school, as an educator I would go bananas. The children need a place to burn off pent up energy and a chance to "veg out" until they have to go back to class. Most of all they need the opportunity to BE KIDS!!!! We are slowly killing off the desire to enjoy what school has to offer with all these ridiculous requirements--and desire to kill ANY creative thought in the classroom. Now, let' just make the children miserable by not letting them be kids. Where I teach, a lot of children don't get the opportunity to play after school because their parents work late OR they live in an area that is dangerous to be outside. School is the only place they can run around and do what kids do.

[silvercreeklady]

04:50 PM on 01/16/2011

they need time to burn off energy and for the teachers to have a break! I know I work in a school!

[DanSc]

02:14 PM on 01/16/2011

Have recess, because diabetes kills.

[GoldwaterKid]

02:00 PM on 01/16/2011

I had no idea, that an elementary school in our Country, 'did not' have daily recess? Who made this decision? My grandchild, in Oregon gets two, plus lunch? This is abuse.

[silvercreeklady]

04:51 PM on 01/16/2011

In Oregon as well and at the school I work at they get two but lunch is only eating and they have intramurals before or after.

[LisaCACO]

11:28 AM on 01/16/2011

the idea of no recess is so ridiculous you'd think it was a joke, except the joke's on our kids. no wonder there's been an increase in labeling kids as "special needs" and disruptive since NCLB- little kids need to let their bodies move and learn thru play! well-to-do parents and middle class parents can move their kids to the few schools that still allow play in the curriculum (if they know about them), but that leaves lower income parents who have to work and can't shuttle jr. across town to a particular school in the cold. they have to send their kid to the school that makes jr sit all day and then look, jr gets the label of special needs or disruptive because he just can't make his 7 year old body sit and focus for 7 hours straight.

school reform-if you don't laugh, you'll cry.

[Colleen Retana]

10:31 AM on 01/16/2011

I love that I am not the only one that feels kids ought to have a recess during the day. We are grappling with unprecedented childhood obesity, yet we cut Phys. Ed to the bone (1x a week), cut recess all together and stick Coke machines in the lunch rooms.

[axt113]

11:34 PM on 01/15/2011

I loved that cartoon

[llisa]

05:40 PM on 01/15/2011

Children need recess for mental health. All research points to students who have recesses doing better in academics and behavior.

Tell a group of working adults that they will have NO breaks during the day and only a 20 minute lunch break and see what sort of reaction you get.

As a former teacher, I can tell you that kids who have had time to run and play and chat with each other are better able to concentrate on their schoolwork when they return to class.

[Debater60660]

05:24 PM on 01/15/2011

To do this, two things must happen: First, elementary school teachers will have to give up the early end to their school day and have their 45 minute lunch period during the day, not at the end of the day as it currently is for most teachers. Second, additional support staff must be hired or the teachers lunch period reduced.

This is a really good idea but it pits teacher benefits against students' interests. And teachers don't sound willing to sacrifice anything they have for any purpose.

[Eric Mann]

04:12 PM on 01/16/2011

For the record, I only get 30 minutes. "Industry standard" for salaried people is an hour.
Second, what has to change is how much is crammed into the school day. Yes, this means modeling our curricula after the European countries whom we have a love/hate relationship with, but seem to be beating the pants off of us according to all these standardized tests. In Finland, for example, 4th grade-age students learn about 75% of the different topics in math than I teach my 4th graders. This allows time for deeper understanding, enrichment, and yes, recess.
The US has to really wake up and decide what kind of society we want to have when it comes to our schools. I had 2 recesses a day (3 in 1st-3rd grade!) and my entire generation (I'm 34, so call me a young Gen-X or an old Gen-Y) did just fine.

[CptFreakout]

05:08 PM on 01/15/2011

What how UN American ! if children burned off energy then we wouldn't make billions on pharmaceuticals for ADD imagine the horror of children without costly drugs running through their veins or developing minds think of the profits for all the drugs for side effects ! .

[trinity]

04:17 PM on 01/15/2011

Teach the test and forget the rest...recess is not a subject area covered on the all important state test...

[axt113]

11:34 PM on 01/15/2011

Sarcasm?

[trinity]

07:46 AM on 01/16/2011

yes...but unfortunately a reality in most states thanks to NCLB...