Today we held a handful of students
back from recess. As simple as it sounds, it was a huge deal. Some students were understanding of the fact
that they had to make up work or finish projects. Others were not having it.
One of my male students cried for
about ten minutes about how every kid has the right to go to recess and how it
was not fair he could not have twenty minutes of the day to just go and
play. He cried that he needed a break
and would not be able to focus without his time outside. As I talked to this little guy his words
really struck me. They way he spoke was
so thoughtful and sincere, and I could tell how upset he was about staying
in. After speaking with him, it made me
wonder if keeping the kids in at recess was the right solution to finishing the
tasks.
As easy as it is to keep them in to
complete work, these students DO live for recess. Teachers get a break at lunch, so why should
students’ breaks get taken away as well?
I have noticed a difference in student behavior based on if they have an
indoor or outdoor recess. After indoor
recess, the students are wild and antsy.
Outdoor recess gives them time to move and unwind. With that being said, students should be able
to sacrifice one recess without throwing a fit.
I think the point is to work to establish a compromise based on mutual respect. If the student feels like you are respecting his needs, he will be more likely to respect your needs / requests. Of course, this also requires you to be very clear about your expectations and that you make students understand that they are being held accountable for them (rather than that they are able to get out of these expectations by complaining).
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