Has it all come to this?
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. schools have either canceled recess, or are considering it, because of budget cuts and standardized testing, according to the National Parent Teacher Association.
We understand concern about testing. It can take days to administer the tests, and so much can be tied to the results that it often makes for antsy administrators, frazzled teachers and nervous students.
But canceling recess? Do we really want a nation full of chubby, overanxious children who score well on tests?
Kidding aside, research suggests that recess is an integral part of a child’s day. Not only is the social interaction positive, the exercise allows students to better concentrate on later academic tasks.
Of course, there’s also the health component. More than 30 percent of kids ages 6 to 19 are considered overweight, and half of those are considered obese, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s bad enough that so many kids are sedentary at home, playing video games or watching TV, but compound that with disappearing physical education classes and it’s easy to see how child obesity has become an epidemic. PE classes have been on the chopping block for years as schools struggled with budgets and now class-time pressures. But recess shouldn’t tax a school budget too heavily. A whistle, an open space and a couple of teachers (or even volunteer parents) as monitors ought to do the trick.
Recess doesn’t have to be scripted, just a few minutes for kids to be kids. Hopefully they burn off some pent-up energy and maybe a few calories.
